Easter Self Care Guide

self care guide a guide to easter term by student minds cambridge

purpose of the guide During Easter term it can be difficult to maintain positive mental wellbeing and good self-care, we have compiled this guide filled with advice about studying, procrastination, socialising and more during this term. We hope you find it useful!

If you're looking for more information on where to find support, check out: www.findsupportcam.com which has information about self-care, supporting friends, and support services.

Contents: socialising....................................................................... procrastination............................................................... findingabalance............................................................. realitycheck..................................................................... examday............................................................................ committeetips...................................................................

socialising Easter term can change the way people socialise and seek support from one another. While it isn't necessarily as simple as being an 'extrovert' or an 'introvert', some people do tend to prefer spending more time with people while others prefer spending less, and easter term can make that both extroverts and introverts feel anxious about socialising.

extroverts Exam period can be tough if you naturally crave social interaction, with many people having less time to spare for socialising. It can be useful to find others who are similar, and arrange ‘work parties’ where you study in the same room or a cafe. If you’re on your own, working in a cafe, in the park or in another sociable environment can make you feel less lonely and isolated than some libraries.

Or you can plan to take breaks with people, at meal times or between study sessions! Planning social activities in advance will also help as people can fit socialising around their study plans!

introverts If you prefer to work alone, or are generally less likely to seek out socialising activities, regularly working in libraries or in your room may be a good fit for you. If you naturally rely on others to initiate socialising, however, the business of easter term may lead to this declining, meaning you may get a little lonely. If this happens, it may be useful to find people to regularly eat dinner with, or to walk to the library with. It may also be a good idea to schedule Skype or Facebook calls with friends and family from home to ensure you’re getting a break from ‘the bubble’ from time to time.

procrastination Procrastination can be a cause of stress in Easter term, as you may feel that you are not being as productive as you would like. It is important to recognise why you are procrastinating - are you bored? If so, maybe try changing up your working style. Are you anxious? Perhaps try some breathing techniques, have a stretch, make yourself a cup of tea or go for a walk. Are you stuck? Identify what you don’t understand and seek help from friends, tutors or faithful wikipedia!

time your study and take regular breaks It is useful to set a timer for working, so you know how long you have left and can see and end point to the study session. You could try the Pomodoro method - 25 minutes of study, 5 minutes break and repeat!

Or you could try and minimise distractions with apps that block websites you get distracted by. The Self Control timer app will block distracting websites for a specified time, making it a great way of timing whilst removing distractions.

It is also useful to intersperse more intense revision, such as self testing, with less demanding methods or topics. If your brain is tired, or you're finding it hard to focus, you could try moving to a different location, playing some music, or doing 5 minutes of revision to start with and seeing how you feel - often, 5 minutes is what it takes to get you into the flow.

if it's just not working....

Try a different method of revising - maybe listen to a relevant podcast or watch a video about the topic if you can If notes are on word, use the accessibility function to read notes aloud to you Explain a module to a friend, and have them explain one of their modules to you Make a mind map of concepts around a topic Know when to draw a line - if you're not being productive because you're tired or hungry or you have been studying a lot, listen to your body and take a break or get an early night!

Remember that every little thing you do for revision is useful and worth celebratingÂ

finding a balance Having time to unwind and look after yourself is just as important for success as putting in the hard work. Without a balance you risk burning out and losing steam in your work.Â

look after your wellbeing and environment It might seem basic, but sometimes people forget about the simplest things - good sleep, good food, and staying active. It can be tempting to forgo sleep in order to revise for longer periods of time. Sleep is a really useful way of committing learned material to memory. If you have trouble sleeping, it is useful to see the doctor or college nurse to see if they have any strategies. Try to keep up a good sleep routine and try to eat lots of brain foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. Going for a run or doing something low impact like yoga is also great for keeping stress levels down and making sure you can work well.

Keeping a tidy room will also help to keep you feeling on top of things in the lead up to exams, and cleaning can be a really cathartic and satisfying process!

reward yourself!

It's important to reward yourself for your efforts in easter term! Rewards may include: Hot Chocolate A nice long shower and pamper A sweet treat A nice walk One hour of reading/Netflix Coffee with a friend Googling pictures of cute dogs/cats Or anything else that you enjoy!

reality check If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, it can be useful to remember that every little bit you do towards revision is useful and worth celebrating - even 15 minutes of revision is going to give you a little boost in the exam. At the end of the day, it is important to try and put exams into context to avoid becoming too stressed: it may sometimes be hard to remember this, but you are so much more than your grade. In five years time, you won't even remember taking these exams, and they will not determine the rest of your life.

make time for reflection and motivation It's important to keep up a positive attitude. A nice idea is to take five minutes at the end of day to write down 1-5 things you have achieved or learned that day, however small they might seem every little helps! Or take five minutes at the beginning of the day to give yourself a little pep talk, watch an inspirational video, or read some cheesy quotes or even meditate - whatever it takes to get you ready to start the day!

Sometimes sticking up a 'cheesy' motivational poster, or some words that are relevant to you, can make a huge difference to your motivation.

exam day prepare in advance Preparation is key when it comes to exams. Brainstorming approaches to tackle problems you may encounter can really help. For example, if you know that you tend to get mind blanks in exams, work on planning essays or answers to questions before you attempt them. Also, make sure you understand the structure of the exam by looking at past papers!

the night before Before you head to bed, it can be helpful to double check the time and place of your exam and that you know where you're going so there's no confusion in the morning. Writing a checklist of things you need to bring (e.g. calculator, pens, water bottle, yellow sheet, cam card) can also help you feel prepared for the morning.

Try to get an early night, but if you're struggling - don't worry! Studies have shown that losing out on sleep the night before an exam DOESN’T mean brain function is dramatically worse the next day, as sleep deprivation only reduces brain function over much longer periods of time, so if you can’t sleep the night before don’t worry too much, but try to rest and stay relaxed.

on the day If you're feeling nervous or panicked during or before the exam, try these tips: Take some deep breaths Challenge your panicky thoughts - instead of panicking about what you don't know, write down everything you do know Do a bit of brainstorming and use that to answer the question. It doesn’t need to be perfect - no exam answer is! You can get through it.

Take a break from this question and return to it later.

Remember that this is NOT like school - you are not expected to know everything, but to make the best out of the knowledge you have.

committee tips

Ellie, Communications Officer

Studies have shown that sitting silently, not doing anything, for 2 minutes after a revision session helps with retaining information!

Tamsin, Social Media Coordinator Get out and about! Actually leave your study space when you’re taking a break to properly relax and think about something else.

Martha, Secretary Make sure you have a good amount of time to wind down/socialise/relax before bed so you go to sleep feeling calm.

Shadab, Vice President Plan a task to do every 30 minutes! Whether that's eating breakfast, going for a run, having a shower or doing revision. It's a great way to break things down into tiny manageable chunks, with lots of leeway to move things around when you need to!

Sophie F., Co-Head of Events I’m really strict about breaks and bedtimes. There’s no point in spending hours in the library covering content if you aren’t going to remember it all, and longterm lack of sleep will make the work you do less effective. It’s also the nature of Tripos exams that there is too much content to revise. Prioritise your revision and revise what you need to know well and commit it to memory.

Carolyn, Rep Coordinator Trust yourself! You have worked throughout the year towards this - and you can do it! Also - go for walks and don't feel bad about enjoying the sun!

Alex, President This year I’ve been really strict about focusing on myself in terms of work, instead of comparing myself to what other people are doing. I’ve found this has massively decreased my stress levels, and stopped me ‘picking up’ other people’s stress on top of mine!

you've got this.

If you're looking for more information on where to find support, check out: www.findsupportcam.com which has information about self-care, supporting friends, and support services.

Content by Ellie, Communications Officer, Student Minds Cambridge 17/18 and committee.

Design by Carolyn, Rep Coordinator, Student Minds Cambridge 17/18.