Mindful Moments: term 3 jitters

With the summer months fast approaching, the looming fears of deadlines and exams can put a dampener on this beautiful season. The desire to sit outside with a drink, to go on a long summer walk, or go on a fun night out can easily become distractions, especially when living with friends. So, the real question is: how can we balance this urge to go outside and enjoy the summer rays with the need to be productive and finish the academic year on a high?

It has been proven that sunlight is crucial considering that it can boost our production of serotonin

The summer days can actually provide a lot of benefits for studying and revising. The lighter mornings and longer evenings mean that there is more time in the day for going to the library. Instead of looking at the sun as a distraction, change your perspective and look at it as an opportunity to have an extra hour in the evening when it is light outside. In the winter months, the dark evenings can actually make it more tempting to go home early from campus and curl up with a movie. The summer months allow us to be able to travel home from the library in a lighter environment, making it safer for everyone and still feel like we have some time left in our day.

We can use sunlight to our advantage in many other ways. It has been proven that sunlight is crucial considering that it can boost our production of serotonin. This can reduce levels of stress and anxiety, ultimately improving our productivity and happiness. We can also use the increasing warmth as an opportunity to have a brand new study space: the grass or on a park bench. By switching up study spaces and having a change of scenery, it can provide a fresh sense of productivity and motivation. Therefore, we can incorporate the sunny season into our studying, and instead actually use it to assist us in increasing our productivity and motivation during exam season.

Not every moment that is daylight should be spent with your laptop or in the library; it truly is all about balance

Although lots of term 3 is about studying and revising, we should still make time for ourselves and social activities. This can come in many forms: having a solo walk around campus, trying out a new sport, going out for drinks in the evening, or having an early morning gym session. With it feeling like there is more hours in the day, some of those hours should be delegated to these fun, social activities. Not every moment that is daylight should be spent with your laptop or in the library; it truly is all about balance.

Another way to get through exam season is to romanticise summer plans, whether that be through making fun plans for week 8 or 9 or creating a summer vision board with your friends. These plans can act as motivation to push through exams, knowing you can fully embrace summer afterwards. For me, a vision board has been the perfect opportunity for me to visualise the fun summer I will have, focusing on travelling, friends, and personal growth.

Term 3 is not something to be scared of, although it can feel daunting and stressful. There are so many things to look forward to during this time, not the least being the beautiful weather and longer days. I hope I have given you a few ways to use summer to your advantage with exams being around the corner, and ways to balance the fun of summer with the dread of exams.