It’s no surprise that we have arrived at one of the most stressful parts of the semester — midterm season. And while our schedules are packed and we are constantly studying (or cramming) for our exams, one of the most important things to remember is the importance of being mindful of our mental health! The two truly do go hand-in-hand because if you are not taking care of yourself, you may not do as well on exams, and in turn, doing poorly on exams can lead to a turn for the worse in your mental health if you don’t have a wellness routine already set in stone.
I’ve seen it said many times before that mental health is just as important and if not, more important, than physical health and well-being. If you feel sick or break a bone, there’s little to no hesitation about going to the doctor, but often, we do not prioritize our mental health in the same way. Just as you would not want to walk with a broken leg without treatment, taking care of our mind and emotional well-being is a crucial part of being able to function successfully as a student and young adult.
Outside the context of upcoming and ongoing midterms, creating a wellness routine or familiarizing yourself with mindfulness and stress-reducing techniques and methods can be extremely beneficial for your day-to-day life as a student, and even beyond that when you enter the working world. Such techniques don’t need to be time-consuming or complex to make a large impact on your mental and emotional well-being. One of the easiest and most effective mindfulness techniques to learn is doing different guided breathing exercises that can take as little as five minutes to have a huge impact on your day.
When it comes down to it, mental health and physical health all connect through a feedback loop. If you have poor mental health, you may have a more difficult time taking care of yourself, and are as a result, more likely to get sick or have an ailment. If you have some type of physical sickness that limits your ability to perform everyday task, that may have a negative bearing on your mental health and well-being — it’s really all a cycle. Again, while most of us are diligent in caring for our physical health and well-being, an easy way to improve our overall quality of life and limit our time spent not at 100% can be to retroactively take care of our mental health.
While my exam season looks different from semester to semester, what stays constant is my focus on building in time to care for my mental well-being into my schedule in between time spent studying or finishing up large assignments. One thing that I find very helpful is using the Pomodoro technique to incentivize my work while also allowing myself a brain break. This technique consists of working for a specified amount of time and then taking a short break equivalent to a fraction of the time spent working. In order to actually give myself a brain break, I do not spend it on my phone scrolling through Instagram but instead doing something that I enjoy, such as sewing or drawing something on my iPad then I will get back to work and be extra productive, eager to reach my next break.
While midterms can be stressful, there are many different ways to find support on campus. Collaborating with other students while studying for exams can be a great way to field your questions and become more confident in your knowledge of topics, hopefully leading to less worrying about how well you know the content of your exam. And always remember that we have mental health resources available to you for free! Visit Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) on the 2nd floor of the Student Wellness Center for more information regarding services offered.
