I write to you just hours after completing my last written exam of the year, in the wonderful subject of business. Turns out memorizing the book was worth it, but I didn’t excel in all aspects of the exam. Here’s what I do in a situation like this: You’re tired, exhausted, just wrote helluva paper and just can’t take it anymore. Time to do some feel-good post-exam trauma treatment.
Eat Out, Eat Well: If you’ve ever deserved to eat, it’s now. Especially if you’ve still got some exams coming up, loading in on some tasty, wholesome food will do wonders. My roommate and I had some premium double burgers instead of shoving in McDonalds. Just don’t go overboard, or you’ll feel even more sluggish. Take it as a reward for studying so hard.
Power Nap: Take a good break and sleep out the tiring of the exam. Even if you still need to study for another paper, this little tip will rob you of one hour, but make the remaining ones double as productive. I constantly fail at realizing this.
Water: Drink loads of it, replenish what you sweated out in the exam hall. A good pint of water always gives me a fresh boost of will power to tackle the next set of matrices to solve.
Declutter: Something that always makes me feel good is to get rid of all the materials that pertained to the exam. I’m not saying throw it all away (though I personally do so with slide printouts, notes and such), but get it out of sight. Clean the plate and start afresh.
Call a friend: After a three-hour sitting with your favorite subject, a bit of social contact will really help you get back up again. Especially if your exam didn’t go too well, a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Refocus: Getting ready for the next exam is started by forgetting the previous one. Get it all out of your psyche, shut down, strike it through. It’s over. Now look forward and regroup your energy to accomplish the next task at hand.
Don’t fall into a hole: I already fear the moment my last oral will be through, and I fear that I will feel nothing but emptyness and the lack of purpose in life. In such a moment, I think it helps a lot to go pursue your hobby. Play sports, an instrument or cobble a shoe for what I care. I for one resorted to blogging, as you can see :-).
Most of all, relax. It’ll be fine. And besides treating yourself to some peaceful regrouping, take some time to think about what can be done to improve your studying next time. But that’s something for a different post.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:45 pm
I remember chilling out in front of the TV and playing a few console games. Thankfully a night out was arranged a day later so I could chill out beforehand, otherwise I’d have been putting myself through the stress of a night out on top of the stress of exams. Not a good combo
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I really need lot of water anytime, specialy after exam and nap is best thing after exam. Sometimes i find miself waching tv after exam but later i feel more tired. So nothing more beautiful than nap and relaxation (in my garden).