Mentally preparing for finals

A group of students studying together

Studying together

It's time to prep聽our聽conscience for finals again.聽

And just like that, we鈥檙e done with yet another semester of uni and soon to be facing exam season again but for myself and many others, it鈥檚 going to be our first time sitting our finals at Wayville! It鈥檚 sort of terrifying to dive into something like that without prior experience but oh well, I guess there鈥檚 a first to everything. To help me mentally prepare for Wayville聽and the rush of SWOTVAC, I鈥檝e listed a couple of things that we could do to help..

  1. Calm your mind down. I know, that鈥檚 a pretty tough first step considering our brains are probably filled with 1000 different things to think of. Not to mention the anxious thoughts that follow but give it a try nonetheless because you will find that you might work better if you鈥檝e got a clearer mind. Do some meditations and if that鈥檚 not your cup of tea, go for a walk or read at the beach.
  2. Now that your brain is decluttered, it鈥檚 time to organise your study area. It doesn鈥檛 matter where you choose to study 鈥 whether it be at home or at uni 鈥 it鈥檚 always a good idea to sort out the space you鈥檙e going to be studying at. To me, if my space is too messy, I鈥檒l get easily distracted by it and not to mention how annoying it鈥檒l be having to go through piles and piles of paper in search of your week 3 notes. So sort your papers out into a file and throw out all the other junk that's on your table.
  3. Get in the mood to study. Sometimes it鈥檚 no fun forcing yourself to do something that you clearly don鈥檛 want to do so it鈥檚 crucial that you鈥檙e in the right mindset to take on the load of exam preparations! Different people have different things that motivate them to study. Mine is watching other people study so I love going through 鈥渟tudy with me鈥 or 鈥渄ay in the life of a ___ student鈥 videos on YouTube.
  4. Have a mock exam. I think it鈥檚 a brilliant idea to attempt past year papers but in an environment that is similar to the real deal because it helps me know what I鈥檒l be expecting on the day of my exams. Set a timer and do those past year papers like you would a real exam. Better if you have friends who would join you because then you can experience the pressure of sitting for your exams surrounded by other students just like in Wayville.
  5. Don鈥檛 forget to take a break in between studying. I know it鈥檚 so easy to keep going once you鈥檝e gotten the groove of things but don鈥檛 push yourself to the point of burning out. Take 5-10 minutes in between every study session to declutter your mind and put a cap on your daily work hours. I generally switch off my laptop and put my notes away once the clock strikes 8pm so I could spend the rest of my night relaxing my body and mind.

Remember, studying hard is important but keeping your mind and body healthy is even more important! It will and can get overwhelming when it comes to studying so be careful not to push your brain over the edge. If you鈥檙e feeling stressed out or want more study tips, check them out on Student Wellbeing Hub website! There are also some exam stress videos to check out.

Tagged in What messes with your head, Exams, study, mental health, Wellbeing