Revision and the Fight Against Stress
Hi everyone,
With Term 3 almost upon us, I thought this was a good opportunity to discuss how I am revising and keeping sane during this stressful time.
Routine. Everyone who knows me would describe me as a morning person, always being the first one up, and getting into uni at 8.30 each day. I feel that I revise best in the morning, and so I like to start revising each day between 8.30 and 9. But for those of you who are not morning people, I would say there is no point starting to revise when your body is not ready- there are enough hours in the day to start later, whenever is suitable for you. Ihave set times for meals and breaks througout the day which breaks up my revision nicely, such as lunch at 1 and a short walk at 4. Having a structure to my day, with planned breaks throughout (including snacks), helps keep me focused and motivated. It also helps me to feel productive with my revision, and therefore keeping me calm and avoiding stress.
Timetable. I plan what modules I will be revising for the following several days, and split each day into 3 different modules. I usually have a longer morning session until lunch, an afternoon session until dinner, and a shorter evening session after dinner. I then continue with this evening module the following morning. I would definitely say having a revision timetable is a must- it keeps you disciplined and prevents you from spending less time doing the modules you dislike/struggle with most. It also prevents unnecessarily faffing around when deciding what to revise! It generally helps me feel like I’m organised and gradually being productive with my revision, again helping to keep me calm.
Food. It is so important to not only eat good food but to eat at regular times and not to revise on an empty stomach. I always have 3 main meals a day, and ensure I have a lot of fruit and vegetables. I recommend having wholegrains to keep you full, such as wholegrain breakfast cereal, and wholemeal bread for lunch. To reward myself in the afternoon I usually have something sweet.Nuts are also a healthy snack and are believed to help in improving memory.
Exercise. Even just a 15 minute walk round the block will have positive benefits, as the fresh air will help you in concentrating for the next part of the day. It is good way to clear your mind, and I think its really useful to go for a walk before I go on to revising for the next topic of the day. This short walk has been a good motivator for me now that the weather is better!
Grocery shopping. When revising, you don’t want to be spending unnecessary time in the supermarket, feeling like you ought to be studying. I recommend doing one big shop, armed with a shopping list, to get you through about 5 days, and only popping in briefly to get milk etc when you run out.This means that you can use the time that you’re not revising to relax, rather than going to the shops.
I hope this has been helpful! Until next time!
