Staying Mentally and Physically Ready for Exam Season

 

As exam season rolls in, many of us will start stressing about how we'll perform. With the colder months surrounding us all, the urge is to just curl up under a blanket and enjoy the quiet, relaxing evenings instead of concentrating on work.

 

Though relaxing is extremely important, particularly this year with all of its' craziness, it’s good to also balance this with revising and prepping for what's ahead. As exam season is approaching, the worst thing you could do is enter in feeling extremely unprepared and lacking confidence.

 

Here are some of the things you can try to help prep for your exams in the new year.

 

Eating Well, Drinking Water and Staying Healthy

 

As often as we hear this, it still rings true. Everything we put into our bodies has a direct impact on our brain, affecting our concentration and motivation levels. Balancing wholesome eating with more relaxed eating can help fuel your body to revise, while also keeping the stress and frustration levels down.

 

Wholesome eating is particularly important for the days leading up to an exam. This will ensure you feel bright and ready to succeed. Try incorporating whole grains into your diet. These will provide you with energy that lasts longer than white grains which tend to have more sugar. Adding other foods like blueberries, broccoli, nuts, seeds and leafy greens will also give you more energy and brainpower.

 

Another tip is to keep drinking water. Staying hydrated is an amazing way to keep your focus and help with unhelpful cravings. Particularly now that many of us are working from home, it can be easier to indulge our afternoon snacking. Drinking plenty of water can help not only with these cravings but also with keeping your body chemistry working smoothly. 

 

Making A Plan and Sticking to It

 

For many of us, the initial planning stage can seem like the most difficult task to start. But the reality is until we start, our brain will remain scrambled and scattered. Planning your weeks is a good way to get all of your ideas, dates, timings and other bits out of your head and written down.

 

Try to make your schedules and planners fun and inspiring. You could try different stationery, using colour or highlighters or even including pictures. Planning out your revising days, particularly during the holiday period, can be helpful to balance relaxing and working.

 

This could also help you to mentally make the most of your ‘days off’. Another idea is to work most days for shorter periods of time. Try experimenting with different schedules until you find one that helps you stay inspired, motivated but still relaxed.

 

Don’t Go To Bed Too Early Before an Exam

 

As strange as this may sound, it’s a good idea to keep a balanced sleep schedule, which means not going to bed too early or too late. At times, when we try to go to bed significantly earlier than usual, we can spend a long period of time simply struggling to fall asleep. This can then create more stress leading you to have worse sleep.

 

It can be more helpful to start going to bed slightly earlier the weeks prior to the exam, to train your body to fall asleep earlier. You can also try reading or doing something that will relax you before bed, which does not involve digital screens. This should help your mind and body unwind and you are more likely to get a good amount of sleep.

 

Staying Fresh and Separating Yourself from Your Work

 

It is quite common for students to be doing large amounts of cramming the night before the exam. Though life is busy and time can get away from us, it’s a good idea to do as little studying as possible the day before an exam. In fact, by cramming the day and night before your exam you are more likely to give your mind and body extra stress, resulting in you forgetting crucial information the next day.

 

You could try creating flashcards to review the day before exams. This could help remind your brain of the information you have been gathering during your revision sessions and keep your anxiety levels down.  

 

De-stress as much as possible the day before. Whether that’s seeing friends, watching a film, listening to music or reading your favourite book, by focusing our brains on something separate to work, you are more likely to feel mentally refreshed the day of the exams.

 

Don’t Give Yourself Extra Stress

It’s common for students to put extreme amounts of stress and pressure on themselves regarding their studies. Though this may sound cliché, the truth is that you can only do your best. Many of us study and work as hard as we can but still beat ourselves up if the results are not what we needed or expected. Just remember, we tend to be much harder on ourselves than on anyone else around us, so keep moving forward.

 

In order to help maintain your mental health and keep stress levels down, make sure you don't leave important things until the last minute. By getting ahead and finding accommodation for 2021, you can reduce your workload and focus on the things that matter. At Unihousing we offer a variety of student accommodation options to satisfy your needs. We are here to help you find what you are looking for, whether that's solo or shared living. To see the properties we offer, visit our website or contact our team today.

5 Tips to Help With the Winter Blues

Wintertime, thought by some to be the most magical time of the year. But is it? For a lot of people, this is simply not the case. Though many of us can get excited and full of life for the Christmas period, the freezing-lack of sun during these months can be really challenging for some. Not to mention the massive come down after the Christmas hype, followed by heavy amounts of revision and January exams.

Happy New Year to us all! The winter blues is no joke - when the entire country is covered in cold, damp rain spells with some spouts of snow, it can be extremely challenging to stay on top of your day-to-day life. Tis the season when mental health often suffers for many of us, so it’s important that you are not only taking care of your immune system with all the colds flying about, but also taking care of your mental well-being and introducing self-care into your daily routine. Here are a few tips to help keep your head above water until Spring.

Embrace the Winter Wonderland

Though there might not be snow on the roads yet, fresh air and exercise are extremely important for our mental health. Even though it might feel like the last thing you want to do, if you can try your best to put on your heavy coat; don your scarf, hat and gloves; grab some friends and head out the front door, you’ll find it can make a huge difference to your brain chemistry.

Not only is it a nice way to sneak in some exercise, but a change of environment can give your brain a sense of liberation and relief, rather than hiding away at home. Try taking a hot mug of something nice with you as you walk to make the walk feel more leisurely and relaxed.

Source Your Own Light

Yet another difficult part of winter is the lack of sunshine. Unfortunately, there is no way to pull the sun out of the clouds to make winter days full of sunshine. But the good thing to remember is that the shortest day of the year (21st December) is now behind us, meaning that things can only look up from here. Days will be getting lighter and brighter and little by little things will get better.

One thing you can do in the interim, is make your home feel as warm, sunny and cosy as possible. Having a good light source in your living space can really help brighten your mood during the darker month. Try putting up some fairy lights, buy a table lamp or even try using therapy lamps in your space to make it feel light and full of life. The lighter your living area is, the more your concentration will improve, helping you with your revising, day-to-day chores and generally feeling more inspired.

Get a Move On

This time of the year is truly one of the hardest when it comes to motivation. It can be extremely difficult to start or get back into exercise routines, particularly if you are struggling mentally with the season. However, it is still a crucial part of getting through these next couple of months.

Exercise is proven to help improve your mental well-being and decrease your stress and anxiety levels. As hard as it is to get yourself out into the world, you’ll much likely feel better for it afterwards. Try exercising with friends, whether that’s going to the gym, having a run through a park, taking up a sport or even finding cool independent classes to try out locally.

Having someone else there with you can help to ensure you get out of the house. It’s harder to be accountable to yourself, but it’s significantly easier when you and your friends can keep each other accountable and enthusiastic. Don’t forget that you can also stick on a YouTube video, roll out a yoga mat or put your dancing shoes on for an easy and quick exercise fix.

Eat Hearty, but Healthy Food

With the Christmas food starting to wear out of your system, it’s important to keep to a healthy diet, giving yourself plenty of energy throughout the days and weeks. Winter can take so much more out of us mentally than at other times of the year, so it’s important that you are eating good, healthy food and plenty of it. Try to avoid the temptation to eat only feel-good foods that give you comfort, but don’t supply you with the long-lasting nutrients that you’ll need to really thrive and feel the best.

It’s cold, which means it’s easy to eat carb-rich foods, like endless amounts of pasta, bread and rice with little greens. But sadly, consuming larger amounts of these foods will leave you feeling bloated and lethargic, which can affect your mood in a negative way. Try to slot in as much fresh food and veggies as you can into your diet, focusing on things which are highly nutritious which can supply you with the energy to keep yourself afloat throughout the day.

But, if You’re Really Blue…

It’s important to remember that the ‘winter blues’ are real and can strongly impact a person’s life. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is an NHS-recognised type of depression that is very real and does require attention. If you are feeling low, it’s OK to ask for help and to seek support in whatever ways are best for you.

Always remember, don’t give up on yourself. As hard as this may seem in the really low points, you are not alone. Let the people around you know what they can do or not do to help you through the hard months. Remember to talk to your help channels at university, whether it’s your tutor, or the student support services.

Unihousing – Here to Help

One of the causes of stress that many students experience at university is student accommodation. However, Unihousing are here to help make the student living experience as stress-free as we can. Not having your accommodation sorted for next year can make your exams and revision more stressful, but by contacting us and sorting your living situation for the next academic year now, this can eliminate this source of stress.

We have a wide selection of accommodation still available for the 2020/2021 academic year, including modern student studios available in Selly Oak. These spacious studios are ideal for students at the University of Birmingham, so make sure you book your viewing today.

Book your viewing for student accommodation today!