HOW TO STAY SANE DURING EXAM TIME

I am currently typing this post on the balcony at my parent´s because I am home for the holidays! This time I am talking about something everybody that is going or went to university will probably describe as the not that pretty side of university life: exam time!
Exam time at my university means having 7 exams within 11 days which is obiviously quite a challenge and can be nerve-wracking as well, but this time around I managed to avoid the nervewracking part. In January, I ended up sitting in my bed, sobbing and crying after the first three exams, because I felt like I had failed all three of them (in the end I didn´t fail a single one!), so I was really unmotivated and needed lots of cheering up from my parents and friends - defenitely not fun! This time around, I wasn´t even close to a mental break down (maybe exaggerating a little bit here), so I thought I could share some tips and tricks on how to stay sane during exam time.


1. KNOW WHEN AND WHERE YOU CAN STUDY THE BEST
This should be something you should know to successfully survive exam time. I personally love to start early in the morning and I try to get done as much as possible before midday, because that´s when things get a bit slow. Also I like to study in the university´s library, because although I can be really productive at home, the library is where my concentration and producitvity is at its hightest. So when you know where and when you can study the best, you can avoid trying to study when your productivity is at its lowest which can be really frustrating, believe me!

2. DON´T LET YOUR FRIENDS` PANIK TAKE YOU OVER AS WELL
I think we all have that one friend that starts paniking three weeks before exams even start and believe till the end that he/she failed every single exam, when in reality, his/her grades are the best. While they say "A problem shared is a problem halved", this shouldn´t be applied to sharing one´s panik when you have no reason for it. Of course, you can try to calm your friends down, but don´t start worrying about not studying enough or being behind on your schedule.


3. REWARD YOURSELF
Rewarding oneself is important in all parts of life in my opinion, but especially during stressfull times such as exam time, it is important to have something you can look forward to. This can be anything from a sweet treat, your soulfood, a new pair of shoes or just a bunch of flowers. To stay motivated and still have fun during it all, it is key to have something to look forward to at the end of a whole day of studying. 

4. CLEAR YOUR MIND REGULARLY
You can´t concentrate 24/7 and both your body and mind need some time off - that´s for sure! I really enjoyed going for a 5k run in the evening to clear my mind and relax which worked wonders as I was able to sleep really well afterwards. Going for a drink in the evening with your friends or watching a movie or simply going for a walk is also great to clear your mind. 

5. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
A good night´s sleep is essential to me at any time of the year, but especially during exam time I don´t want to rely on coffee and coca cola to keep me awake. So I much more prefer going to bed early and waking up the next day at 8am and start day energised than staying awake until 2am and sleeping in until 10am. Defenitely not my thing. I just spotted a post at A pair and a spare about how to have the worst sleep - so helpful and I am still guilty of some of the things mentioned like not unplugging before going to sleep.