Update & Tips Against Stress

I'm SO SO SO sorry! I know I was meant to post last Monday, but I got home after 11 PM because I had a meeting and all I could think of was having dinner and going to bed. I felt so bad when I realised I hadn't posted...

As you know because you're all in the same situation, the end of the school year brings lots of exams and projects and everything just keeps piling up. I also work and study music at the same time, so it can get quite overwhelming. If you've been here for a while, you'll know that I've suffered from anxiety before and, even though it wasn't triggered by the studying and working-related stress, the tips I used to overcome it are also useful for this time of the year, so I thought I could share them and some of my studying methods with you :)

1- SLEEP. Get some good, long sleep. Your brain and body won't work otherwise. When you're sleeping is when the things you've studied soak in and settle into your brain. If just one day you need to sleep less, it's okay, but NEVER less than 5-6 hours. Under no circumstances.

2- Don't do the same thing for a loooong period of time. Some people tell me they've spent the whole weekend locked at home to study THE SAME FREAKING SUBJECT. I admire them because it's something I can never do, although I can't help but think after a while, time isn't as useful. Your brain can get stuck, and you can't force it to go further. If you really have so much to do, maybe switch the subject, or do a different kind of work. And in most cases...

3- Take some time off. Have a nice, bubbly bath. Do some yoga (I've just started and it's really useful). Go for a walk, breathe some actual air. Go to the cinema. Go to have dinner with friends. Just do exciting and calming things between the studying.

4- Plan what you want to do and reward yourself when you complete a task. Even though I'm not always able to follow my lists and schedules, making them is very practical because it allows me to view everything that has to be done. That calms me down quite a lot.

5- Find what works best for you. Everybody has different ways of studying. Just keep trying things to see what works with the way your brain is built. Don't assume that because someone else studies in a certain way, this way will work for you. Find your own method.

6- Finally, be smart and see what your teacher wants. A question can be answered in different ways depending on the teacher that's going to correct it. Every teacher is an individual who considers certain things more important than others, and you need to pick up on that. Get to know who you're dealing with!

That's it! I hope you'll have a relatively nice and calm exam period :) And I'll see you on Friday with my May Favourites!

A big big hug,


Acqua