It’s important to switch off when studying!

That time of year is coming again, the exam season!

Most of you are probably stressed; trying to revise as much as you can and be as prepared as possible so that you score some good grades. However, sometimes your mental wellbeing gets left behind and you get anxious for no apparent reason, or you feel empty even though you are preparing and not procrastinating. This phenomenon also happened to me, and I had to find various activities to get back on track and have a healthy mind. This increased my efficiency in learning, and I managed to do very well in my exams scoring a first in everything. So here are some tips to switch off from the revision period:

Go for a walk. I know, I know, too simple! But who said it does not work? Sometimes something as simple as going for a walk and breathing some fresh air outside can help you completely switch off from studying and help you relax. If you have been studying for a long period without a break 4-5 hours, it is also good as you get some movement and get that blood circulation right. You can plug in your headphones and listen to some music too, but I would not recommend it as your brain won’t be fully switched off. Just walk around and think for a good 10-15 minutes and when you come back you will be much more efficient and have energy to keep on going without being mentally drained

Take time off. Some of you may be saying, but it the exam season why should I take time off? Well, its not what you want it’s what you need. Your body will get physically tired after studying 7 days a week, 4-5 hours per day and it will come to a point where you will not want to do revision at all. Taking a day off lets you rest and reset to be ready to go back at revising again.

On a day off, I recommend doing some kind of sports activity, but honestly anything which makes you happy works.

Taking a day off is not wasted time. Time you enjoy wasting is not actually wasted, but make sure to keep in check so that you don’t take too many days off. If you are not the type of person who plays sports or goes to the gym, then staying inside is also fine. You can spend time on youtube or you can play video games however do not spend too much time on electronics as this does not give you time to actually rest.

I hope this has helped even a tiny bit and good luck with your exams 🙂

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This blog was written by Elio, MEng Biomedical Engineering

Photo credit: Jeswin Thomas | Unsplash