Published: May 24, 2018
It’s happening. The most frightening time of the academic year. Assignment deadline season! The summer one is even harder. The weather outside is getting better every day, giving us the impression summer is knocking on the door. It makes it even harder to focus, doesn’t it? And it leads to a desperate and loud cry and helps anxiety, panic and stress to grow inside us. BUT, don’t worry! We’re all in this together. So here’s my top 5 tips for staying positive, not only for meeting deadlines but at uni in general. So, let’s do it!
1) Do yoga Whether you do few asanas, or attend a proper session, I believe you have already heard at least a thousand times that yoga has a huge positive effect on mental health. If you are one of those people who doesn’t believe that our mental health is very important not only in relation to our mood, but also to our physical health then, please, do me (and mainly yourself) a favour and at least try it. Put on some yoga music, find some videos on YouTube (you can try Yoga with Adriene, her voice is really calming, and you can find 20-minutes videos as well as 1-hour videos) and spend some time calming your mind and stretching your body.
2) Move Apart from yoga, another thing you can do to stay light-minded and stress free is to add a bit of exercise to your timetable. You have to push away the laziness which is hidden inside all of us, don’t be ashamed for that. You don’t have to buy a gym membership, just try running. No need to run long distances, 30 – 60 minutes is enough. Or if running is too much for you (it used to be for me as well, you're not alone), then walk. Dedicate yourself an hour or two and go out for a nice walk. You can walk along the beach or in the park. Here, in Sunderland, there are plenty of beautiful places to visit.
If you really want to feel badass, try running or something “harder” than walking. Those endorphins inside you will boost your mood and self-esteem.
Walking will have a calming effect on your mind and spirit, which is also important during exam time.
3) Turn off Don’t push it too hard. Whether you're writing an essay and your deadline is getting closer and closer each day, or if you're lying among your books and praying for a miracle, then STOP. Seriously, S-T-O-P! Just slow down to the slowest pace. Because if you push it too hard, you can cause more damage than good. Your brain needs a rest. It's the boss of your whole body. It’s in charge of everything. So be nice to it and give it (and yourself) a break. Go and watch a movie, read a book, draw, simply do anything that makes you happy and brings you joy. After a while of doing what you enjoy, it changes your perspective and you gain more energy that you can invest in your studies.
4) Treat yourself Treat yourself Yaaas, everybody likes gifts, right? Whether it’s clothes, a new book, or having a nice dinner with your friends, you deserve it. Look back at what you have already achieved. You are at uni. It doesn’t matter if you are in your second year and you managed your first one, or if you are a Fresher and this is your first (summer) examination experience. You are here! Right here, right now. Treat yourself for everything you’ve already done and for what you will do in the future.
5) Breathe This one is the simplest one. Whenever you feel sad, stressed or frustrated, simply stop, sit down and take a deep breath in and out. While breathing in, try to absorb all the negative feelings that have accumulated inside you and send them all out while breathing out. Repeat it as many times as it’s needed and try to practice it every day or at least anytime you don’t feel well.
So, here are my top 5 tips that are helping me to manage the stress that emerges during examination time. However, everyone is different. Even though I think these tips are universal, they may not help everyone. In that case, please contact someone from the University. There are plenty of people who are here to help you and give you the support you need. So don’t feel ashamed in asking for help.
Good luck with all of your essays and exams. You can do it, and will!
I BELIEVE IN YOU!
Topic: Advice and tips, Wellbeing