4 easy goals
The first thing that needs to be said is that there is a big difference between exam terms in winter and in spring. But more on that later.
I am sure you can imagine the picture, all the jokes that are flying around – “I am looking forward to the end of exam terms so I could do everything I already do but without guilt.” I know this is a joke based on reality, but I think it has a bigger meaning than many people think. I am all for not stopping doing things that you love even though you have much more studying to do.
I already mentioned that during winter ET I was going through a rough break up, my recovery was looking bad, and I had huge depressions. It sucked, and I had such big depressions I thought I wouldn’t be able to wake up the next morning; but I did and I studied all day long and the same went over and over again.
You see – I woke up in the dark, went to the library, studied all day with a very short lunch break (sometimes even without one) and I went home in the middle of the night – I suffered from over and over again mentioned depression but also from sleep deprivation, devastating myself with caffeine – I drank even 3 energy drinks per day. It was terrible and from all the stress I even lost quite a lot of weight.
This was not the way to go.
- Enjoy the sunlight!
During the summer ET it’s much easier because there’s a big chance that you are waking up into a day (with sunlight) and it has been already proven that with nicer weather and sunlight your mood is automatically better BUT! There are two options here – you can do the same thing I did during winter ET OR you can try to improve it like I did.
I am waking up a little later than I did because I live in the city now and it’s a big advantage.
2. Exercise!
Now that my recovery is almost over, I can start to do some cardio from time to time – so I decided to start running again. Which is just perfect – I feel better (because of the endorphins from it) and my cellulite is less visible. And in the end – when I start my day with a little (or big) exercise, I feel so much better and my studying feels like much more fun, and believe it or not, just like that it’s just so much easier to study when I am looking forward to the next day to exercise or do something fun (even the day after that). It’s just so much easier to enjoy my life and the process than to force myself into studying and waiting for it to be over.
3. Enjoy some social contact too!
P.S. Turning your phone off for the study session is a must! But to turn it off for the whole ET (and yes I met people like that) is really bad. People around you will start worrying about you, some of them may get mad and whether you are an extrovert or introvert it’s not good for either of you.
4. Drink
You may think that this is really obvious, but I mean it, during winter I had to force myself to drink water. It’s easy to forget to drink and hydrate yourself and studying requires a lot of brain activity, even though it’s not obvious but you have to remember that it’s like playing chess – professional chess players burn as many calories as a football player during halftime. It’s really important to hydrate for your brain activity. (Even though you’re not sweating – think of it like filling fuel).
Especially when you’re drinking a lot of coffee – it dehydrates you, then try to drink even more.
I know it may sound simplistic, and it’s not an option for everyone, but try to make yourself as happy as possible – allocate time for whatever makes you happy. When you’re engaged in an activity in a good mood, it’s much easier than when you’re constantly thinking about what you want to do while doing something less enjoyable.
I hope I inspired you at least a little bit today.
See you letter,
Ressily