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Exams are one of the most stressful times in a college student’s life. Here are some tips to help you get through this time.

One of the most important things to avoid during exams is looking at how much your friends are studying (and not studying) and base your schedule around that. One of the most important things to realise is that everyone has different methods and times when they are productive, and you should build your own personal study schedule around that. Remember to incorporate sleep and breaks into this schedule.

Aditya, B.A programme student, from Kirori Mal College, when asked for his approach to self-care, says, “The most important thing in exam season is self-care. We can only get so much done for exams if we take care of our minds and body. The first step towards self-care is getting enough sleep. Many students compromise on sleep during exams which isn’t healthy. Breaks should be taken while studying and activities like walking and talking to someone help. It is important to remember that exams are not everything. It’s okay to be stressed a little bit, but not okay for it to take a toll on our mental health.”

When you are studying, make sure that you are well hydrated and not hungry as this can really impede one’s focus. Yogesh, a B. Com Programme student, from second-year, stresses that it is important to keep a bottle of water and a snack handy while you are studying. He also stresses that pulling all-nighters are detrimental and how it is better to wake up earlier and study.

One of the most important aspects of taking care of yourself during exams is making sure that you don’t bring too many changes to your daily schedule. In the sense, that your sleep schedule and meal schedule are not disturbed too much. This can have a lot of physical and mental effects.

Exams can be very stressful and so, it is important to take care of your mental health. One way to do that is to ensure that you don’t stop doing the things that make you happy. Go for a walk, listen to music, watch some of your favourite shows, get some fresh air, and do whatever makes you happy. Make sure you know who you can count on as your support system. Friends and family members who you can count on for motivation, help or simply lend an ear to your rants. They will be key to survive the torturous exam season.

 

Featured Image Credits: ConnecTeen

 

Prabhanu Kumar Das

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Meditation may not seem like the most reliable form of stress reliever, but it can do one wonders in stressful times.

Every day one faces one or the other obstacle in life. These obstacles could be as silly as a five-minute delay to a destination, or as huge as the death of a loved one. As a student, life can be stressful with overbearing assignments and internals. This becomes stressful as all this piles up right after the midsemester break with no time to relax. We all face obstacles, which is how life works and ironically, it is these obstacles that keep us occupied in our routine-based lives. It gives us a push away from the everyday rituals and monotonous behaviour. Many of us enjoy these little pricks, some resent them, and the remaining do not want to face them at all. Some become so used to these daily hassles that they often do not even realise the gravity of what has happened to them. On the other hand for many, the slightest inconveniences hold the power to ruin their day. It is here that the idea of inner wellbeing comes to mind. We have all heard of stories of people transforming their lives through books, classes, and seminars, and becoming better individuals.

The bigger question becomes, how many end up staying the same throughout? Inner healing does not happen in a day, the lives of Buddha and Mahavira are examples of the years of mediation that one must do to achieve such unearthly feats, to begin with. It is a gradual and slow process, like medical treatment or a fitness regime. The transformations are always temporary in nature, and one needs to mould their mind with continual practice to achieve maximum results. The human mind is a very complex enigma that has wonderful, and miraculous features to it that surpass the earthly plane. For thousands of years, the sages of India called ‘rishis’ had proved the same. They had, through continual and rigorous mediation, opened their chakras and achieved feats that seem inhuman in today’s age. One may desire to achieve such transformative abilities, yet not all of us can invest the time and energy to be able to achieve them. Being part of an age where everything in our lives mostly revolves around speed and technology, it does not mean that selfactualisation cannot be achieved.

The answer to it is as simple as the Sacred Games chant we have become used to hearing now – Aham Brahmasmi. Brahma, the creator, resides in one’s soul or Atman, and is nothing but the abode of creation and creative power. We believe what we wish to believe, and we hold on to our perceptions and inhibitions, but the moment we prepare ourselves to see beyond our rigidity of thoughts, we become free of our bonds. Thus, you must understand that eternal bliss or happiness of the being is possible for every one of us. If one wishes to invest even a few minutes of their time in life-altering activities persistently, one will achieve peace, calm, and a stress-free environment where creative energies can be released to bring a positive change in the mind and space that we occupy. The most effective and simple exercise would be to concentrate on one’s breathing as one assumes a comfortable position for a span of just five minutes. It is all but a matter of faith – not in any external idol, religion, or God-men, but in the power of our intrinsic energy as a vehicle to transform our stress into positivity. One’s present should be of concern only if one wishes to change it for a different or a happier future. There is a need for change. It all begins today, if we keep our buzzing phones aside, and take a few moments to ourselves for the sake of positive mental health.

Feature Image Credits: Mindful

Stephen Mathew

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