The ‘art’ of effective revision

Term three is both the best and the worst term. The 7:14 bus from south Leamington is packed, petitions are circling for freshers to be banned from the library, campus cafés are making a fortune, and everyone is very, very stressed. Different people cope with stress and anxiety in different ways, but there is an effective method that often gets overlooked: making and enjoying art.

Now, with ten exams across three weeks or three essays due on the same day, picking up a pencil to try and draw something may not make it onto your priority list. But at any skill level, producing art reduces stress. A recent Drexel University study found that making art can significantly reduce stress-related hormones in your body. It is the core idea of art therapy, which is used to help patients process the full range of emotions, from war veterans and cancer patients, to children struggling with bullying. The arts include drawing, photography, drama, writing, painting, music and more. You can create or enjoy what others have created.

Having a clearer head can help you tackle revision better, and taking a break allows you to put things into perspective

How to stop this becoming a form of procrastination, you say? Use it to wind down at the end of the day, or at a moment where you feel too stressed to work. While social media or Netflix are automatic places to go, engaging your brain in something new or refreshing can make you feel better about yourself. Having a clearer head can help you tackle revision better, and taking a break allows you to put things into perspective. Anxiety is often worry about future events, especially those upcoming three exams in one week. Drawing can help ground you and your senses in the present moment and focus you. It’s easy to get caught up in wanting to make the most of your time each day, but we need and deserve down time. Humans are built to rest.

Warwick is also full of art in all its forms. MTW and other drama societies are brave enough to still be putting on top-of-the-range productions during exam period. Honour their hard work and enjoy their shows. You’d probably spend those two evening hours scrolling through Facebook anyway.

You’d probably spend those two evening hours scrolling through Facebook anyway

If you feel like giving drawing a try, you could sit in the sun for half an hour and draw the world around you. Maybe try sketching what campus would look like if Warwick had yellow daffodils instead of white ones. Studies show that drawing your frustrations out is a great way to combat stress, whether what you draw is related or completely random.

Adult colouring books are also currently very popular and are satisfying and easy for those who don’t feel artistic. If you play an instrument, spend twenty minutes playing for fun at the end of each day. Write a song or a poem. Or even start a blog or diary about all the existential crises of exam season. You can write a sentence a day, or an A4 page.

You don’t need to be artistically gifted, and all of it can go in the bin when exams are over

Photo diaries are another fun way of adding creativity to your day. Each day, choose to photograph something positive or memorable that intrigued you, or made you smile. Days of revision or coursework can feel repetitive, unproductive and exhausting. Having a photo each day to look back on when it’s all over helps to make it feel like time well spent. It’s also a helpful reminder that there’s more to life than lecture capture, and that your degree classification doesn’t define you. Alternatively, do a photo diary where you take pictures of how tired you are each day. You’ll look back in summer and feel proud you survived.

On a serious note, don’t be afraid to try something new. You don’t need to be artistically gifted, and all of it can go in the bin when exams are over if you wish. Keep yourself sane and look after your brain.