Dealing With Stress

It's exam time again. The worst part of any academic year. University exams seem like they're designed to make you feel as though you're drowning in revision and it's a secret, until you look at past papers, just how horrific your exams will be.
Stress around this time is something that 99% of people can't avoid,and there is often a fine line between a revision break and intense procrastination.
-I find that one of the best ways to make myself get on with revising is going to the gym. It's by no means something that everyone will enjoy or do,and truthfully it bores me to no end. But the feeling afterwards is worth it!Getting up before lunch is a new thing, but waking up early then revising,and going to the gym when I need a break seems to be fixing my atrocious sleeping pattern and putting my brain in gear. Exercise also increases the level of Brain function, so when I come back more of what I'm doing actually sinks in. If you don't like going to the gym then do something else, as long as it doesn't end up with you just sat on Netflix for the rest of the day.
-For gamers, the key thing is to take any game discs out of your laptop or hide your game console controller from yourself. Give it to a friend and tell them not to return it for a certain amount of time. Sims is not your friend!
- The thing that most people don't bother doing or find the hardest to do.....Turn your phone or at least your internet off!! It will surprise you just how much you forget it even exists ,by putting it somewhere out of sight.
-Revision should never be left until the last minute,something I learned way too late at A-Level. The key to not over stressing about exams is to feel prepared. Its better to start a bit early and revise however much you feel you can most days,than to cram the day before your exam.
-Your friends can help you revise and as long as you don't distract each other,working in the same room can be productive. Telling them what you've just learnt,regardless of what course they do, is one of the best ways to retain information.
-Taking breaks to rest your brain is key,but your breaks should never be longer than the time you've spent revising. If after ten minutes worth of revision you take an hour or two break,you may as well have shot yourself in the foot for your exam. Breaks should be short,evenly spaced and you should take yourself away from where all your work is...otherwise you won't feel like you're having a proper break.
Not to freak anyone out ,but there are so many ways you can make exam time less stressful for yourself,all it takes is a little bit of control. Think in the long term how you'll feel if you fail and how resits just make life so much harder! If you fail,it's no good blaming a lecturer or tutor, they're not paid to spoon feed you and if you think they are then you probably shouldn't be at Uni.
There's no reason why you can't revise and revise efficiently. All you need is to consider why you're doing exams in the first place and how doing well benefits you!Any student knows there's no better feeling in an exam than getting a question you feel like you can answer.Getting the grade you want is just a matter of motivating yourself, revising is the easy part compared to that!
'It always seems impossible ,until it's done' - Nelson Mandela
J x

Procrastination:The Curse of Friday 13th

My first and latest post was over a month ago...so clearly my attempt to blog is going fantastically! Anybody who has been or is a student will know that if you do manage to find the smallest, most precious moment of free time, then it will be spent drinking, eating or in most cases, sleeping.
I have noticed that personally, I never really feel like I have anything interesting to say or worth blogging about, it's only when I'm on a strict deadline and should be powering through an essay that I feel the need to blog.
So, for this blog I though I would talk about the things I don't always remember to do, but that you should definitely do when trying to accomplish something!
I would generally refer to myself as pretty much an expert at procrastinating, so instead of writing my essay (in true procrastinator-style) I have instead decided to tell you the things I try to do in order to get things done. Here are my 3 main tips, which I've learned through trial and error, and I hope you find them useful:
1.Don't Worry,Be Happy!
- As basic as it sounds, it can be quite rare that you will ever be 100% excited about or committed to doing a project. However, whether it's a school project, a business proposal or just a personal goal, you need to be in a good mood to achieve something you can be proud of. Personally, I find that happy music, whatever that is to you, is a great motivator! My alarm in the morning is a happy, sing-a-long song and I suggest you make a playlist of music that either makes you smile or just inspires you to 'get up and go'. I have friends that like to listen to really calming music while they write essays and that works for some people, but personally, I find it just makes me sleepy and I tend to sing (horrifically) while I type. Which, I'm definitely not doing right now....
Listening to happy music or doing something that you enjoy, be it exercise, painting, eating or whatever is a great way to put you in a good mood before you sit down and crack on with work. Plus, considering most people do their work alone, you don't want to be in your room, alone in a really bad mood, because then you'll get nothing done.
My advise is just to take a minute to learn or remember what makes you happy, and use that to put you in a positive place, where you'll feel like you can do anything and no task will be too daunting!
2.Anything Is Possible!
- Cheesy motivational speaker tactic, but it's true! If you sit there staring at your screen or book and thinking of all the things you can't do, you're only going to make it harder on yourself. Sit back for a minute, calm down and think of a place to start. Whether that means doing background reading, just breaking down your essay question into something easier to follow or making a plan (which I recommend). Sometimes, literally just 'Googling' whatever it is that you have to do can be a help so don't work yourself up about it. There is nothing that you can't do if you set your mind to it, that's how man got to the moon, isn't it? If we can travel into space, then you can definitely finish your project, and do it well at that !
 Write a small list and keep it next to you to remind yourself;
a) Why you're doing it - whether it's to get a good grade, a job, to make someone proud (hopefully yourself) etc.
b) What you will gain from doing it - skills, you'll feel fab when you've completed it, you won't have to worry about it anymore and you'll have much more free time.
c) Why or how you're going to achieve your goal. It sounds silly, but even if you just write down something about yourself such as;'I want to succeed' or 'I have done harder/similar things before', it will remind you what you're capable of and that there's always something you have that you can use as a tool.
If you want something, then that's the first step. So if you think you can do it, even a little bit, then you're already on your way!
3.And Breathe....
- Do NOT stress yourself out anymore than you need to be or already are! This means, don't leave everything to the last minute (I know I should practice what I preach, but I'm getting better). The later you leave things, the more pressure you put on yourself and I know for many people, like myself, you're convinced it will work out fine or you'll just about manage it in time. Realistically if you're rushing to get something in on time, it's not going to reflect what you can really do and you're cheating yourself. Plus, if something unavoidable happens or you have to go somewhere, you've practically shot yourself in the foot. Make lists, I genuinely love making lists, to the point where it's sad and I put as much effort into that as I do the actual work. Organising your thoughts and your schedule is essential, so that you don't forget to do anything and end up panicking later.
Your biggest problem when trying to meet deadlines, is most likely going to be you, going inside of your own head too much and driving yourself mad by worrying. So literally, just breathe... if you need a break, take a break for a little while and don't feel bad about it, do something that calms you down or takes your mind of work. You'll get a lot more done if you do it in stages, rather than try and do it all at once, trust me.
Finally - good luck with whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish! I have no doubt that whoever you are and wherever you are, you definitely have it in you to succeed and get the results that you want!
'Believe you can and you're halfway there' - Theodore Roosevelt
J x