Exam season is approaching and with it comes a period of heavy stress. Everyone is pushing their boundaries and doing as much as possible, with little attention paid to their mental health. This will eventually lead to burn out and plenty of other issues.
Knowing your limits is incredibly important. Whether it be knowing how long you can study for without a break or how often you need to eat during a study session in order to continue working, knowing your various limits will allow you to study more efficiently.
Exam season isn’t the only time knowing your limit is important, but it certainly is the most applicable during this time of year.
It’s important you establish boundaries for yourself so you don’t add any negativity to an already stressful time.
Figure out how long you can focus for.
Noticing how long you can work without distraction is also incredibly important. Chances are when you start to lose focus, you’re pushing yourself past your limits. When this happens, take a break, let your mind wander and then return to your work if you need to. You don’t need to time study sessions so you reach an optimal balance between work and breaks. Just start recognizing when you’re having difficulties focusing and take a break when this happens.
Recognize your warning signs.
If there’s one thing I know I’m guilty of, it’s ignoring when I’m reaching my limit. I’d rather finish what I’m in the middle of doing than decide, okay, maybe this is all I can do for today. It’s important to note when you’re tiring or when you have absolutely no motivation to continue studying. Sometimes, you just need to slow down or stop. Your body and mind will thank you later.
Know when to quit.
Maybe you’ve been working for hours, or maybe you’ve only been working for minutes. Regardless, there’ll come a time when continuing to work as hard as you can won’t work for you anymore. When this happens, you need to know if this is something you can just take a break on or if it’s something you need to stop doing for the foreseeable future. I’m not saying you should stop studying a week before your exam, but maybe you should stop spending hours working back-to-back every day. You need to realize when something isn’t working for you.
Accept that you can’t do everything.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to do the one thing you want to do. Learning to be okay with that is key. You have limits and sometimes it will be disappointing when you feel like you’ve reached them, but, at the end of the day, what matters is that you are happy and healthy.
It’s not worth running yourself ragged when it is not necessary, so establish and be wary of your limits. You got this!