So, I know, I’ve disappeared off social media and my blog for quite a few weeks now so I guess you all deserve an explanation ;). Basically, I’ve got two and a half weeks till exams which means REVISION…. I know that everyone says that first year doesn’t count , which it doesn’t ! Even so, who wouldn’t want to do well? Especially since that I have to get a certain grade on the course that I’m on… SCARY STUFF! So yes, I’m afraid that you won’t be seeing me for a little but…

Not only have I been revising but I’ve also been working a lot on my metal health for the run up to exams. I thought I’d share what I’ve learnt to help all of you peeps with upcoming exams! The exam period is definitely a time that everyone is volatile and stress just seems to be circling like some nasty virus. In the past, I’ve definitely been susceptible to the stress and found it really hard to keep my head above water. But ever since the Easter Holidays I’ve hit the ground running and I’ve tried my very best to turn things around and keep myself in a good mindset. Even though it can be hard to make sure everything is nice and dandy, I know that if I work on it now, the exam season will be be so much better than they usually are! But what is the best mindset to go into exams?

Open Minded!

Yasssssss, as hard as it is, you have to go into the exam season open minded with the best intention just to do your best. You might think that you haven’t done enough work or that you’re totally unprepared, but I honestly don’t know anyone who every feels like they’re going to nail an exam. And if they are, they don’t usually do as well as they think they will! You just have to think that you’ve done all the work that you can and there’s nothing else you could’ve done; just go in there, answer the questions that you can answer and move on. I know that it can be so hard to be open minded because everyone around you is probably stressing, but the thing is, most people work best when they’re relaxed rather than uptight. So if you go into an exam feeling open minded and positive (not cocky) then you’re more likely to treat the questions just like any other questions rather than an exam.

Just try to be as relaxed as possible so that it doesn’t seem that you’re in exam conditions (much harder than it sounds) but if you can manage to be as relaxed as possible, I promise that you’ll perform even better! But how do you feel relaxed?! If you’re a perfectionist, and always push yourself then you just need to learn not to care too much ! 😉 I know it sounds really silly, but it’s something I learnt from A levels ! If I didn’t care as much, I probably would have done much better because I would’ve just been much more relaxed rather than feeling all uptight and stressed ! To help stay relaxed during exams, you need to keep up with the things you enjoy the most instead of cutting them out of your life… which moves me on nicely to not burning out !

Don’t Burn Out!

So this is something that I definitely suffer with, my lecturers, my friends and my family are always telling me not to burn out and to TAKE BREAKS! I’ve finally learnt my lesson , with nearly 20 years of living and going through 3 sets of public exams I’ve finally learnt not to burn out.. jeezzz hasn’t it taken me a long time?! hahahah 😉 Burn out is every students worst nightmare and is definitely something everyone gets at least once. Some people don’t even know what burning out feels like until it’s too late ! So it’s best to know what it is before you caught in the storm and you don’t even know it ! Burning out simply means that you don’t feel like you can’t take anything else in and that everything you do goes wrong and not to plan.

It can also make you feel super overwhelmed and make you feel like you just have no direction. If you feel like that then you just need to take a step back and take a break!! I know that sometimes you might feel guilty for not working, but in the long run you’re going to be so much better off having taken a break and allow your brain to recharge. The best way I find to stop myself from burning out is to keep doing the things I enjoy, such as if you like exercising! Or doing something creative to help your mind to concentrate on something completely different to revision ! It’s important to do the things you enjoy because it helps you stay happy (and sane lol) during the stressful period! I always find that going to the gym or reading is a great way to have some downtime and to help me de-stress if I’m feeling a little overwhelmed. You should definitely try it sometime ! I promise it will help clear your mind 😀 . Another great way to not burn out is not to forget about your social life ! Yes of course you should focus on revision, but don’t shut your friends out. Still meet up with them in moderation, such as going out for a meal or a quick coffee because they’re probably feeling just as stressed as you so moral support is 100% needed 😉 .

I hope you found this blog post useful now that exams are in the near future! Hopefully you’ll be in the right mind set to go in there and smash them ! Just do you’re best and that is all that anyone can ask of you 😀 .

See you after exams! Izzy xxx