Ta da, done, finito … the final exam for my studies completed. AHH … the relief. Contact with friends resumed and the house rediscovered. Study days become a haze as life goes on.
‘Tis the time when students hover over books, scrawl copious notes armed with highlighter and study cards. Heightened intensity fuelled by caffeine and minimal sleep as stress levels arc towards exam timetables. Survival and flourishing under pressure. How is this possible?
Breathe. It’s simple. Inhale then exhale. Brain cells thrive with oxygen in stress we shallow breathe, limiting the prana (energy) that fuels our functioning. Bringing hands to belly and chest allows us to feel the rise and fall of our breath, biofeedback brain gym. Burning aromatherapy such as peppermint oil, black pepper or basil (avoid these scents if pregnant) awakens the senses, stimulating breathing.
Step away from your desk into the sunshine. Go on, its okay. Let your toes feel the earth, gain some Vit D for 10 minutes, take in the world. After 45 minutes of study focus is dwindling and memory retention challenged. A timer to remind you to move regularly gives you a chance to reboot. Exercise lets us connect with our peers and come home to our body giving our brain a chance to rest.
Sleep is vital to your capacity to concentrate. It is a commodity that is not to be lost or minimised. Turning off the computer, tablet and smartphone an hour before you intend to sleep allows the brain to be receptive to sleep. Yes you will survive this technology fast, use it mindfully.
Before you catch some zzz’s think back over your day and remember what went well. This positive memory is a building block for your study toolkit to be drawn upon when panic hits and perspective is lost.
Our potential to learn and study is limited by fear and worry. They narrow our responses and we become like a rabbit in a spotlight frozen unable to move beyond freakout! This hysteria spreads rapidly amongst students – you have a choice. You can keep calm. Watch toddlers discover the world the fascination, the imagination the inquiry. A beginner’s mind is receptive to learning, malleable to change. Work with your childlike curiosity and make the discoveries we are waiting for.
Failure is what many of us fear – it is not an ending but a beginning we can celebrate reaching this point in our learning. Thomas Edison made a 1000 mistakes then succeeded in creating the light bulb. There are no tombstones listing failures, it is persistence that provides a future. My Papa would say “Do your best and forget the rest”.
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