Keeping sane around exam time

(Warning: this is a wordy one!)

Although Alex has graduated from University with her Masters and is now in the big world of work, I'm younger than she is and so am still in education. I'm a second year law student at the University of Leeds and that wonderful time of the year has rolled around again - exam time. They're not for a month or so yet, but revision has officially commenced.

I personally find it quite hard to work at home, I find that I get distracted or tell myself that I've 'done enough for the day' so I go to the library to work instead. While this is much more productive, it can also be quite soul destroying to spend so much time in a library (10-6, 5 days a week)!

There's plenty of posts around on how best to revise, but I feel that it's a really personal thing. So rather that focus on how to revise I thought I'd do a post on how to make the slog a bit more bearable!

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The most important thing to me is to make things bearable by having small breaks. I like to go for a walk outside for 15 minutes, blog, read something interesting, have a look at an online shopping site - anything that takes your mind away from work. Make sure it's not for too long though or you'll lose motivation, I like to take 15 minutes every 2-3 hours with a longer break for lunch.

And speaking of lunch, make sure you eat! I used to forget about food and would end up dashing to the union to buy whatever fatty unhealthy food I could get my hands on because I was famished. Now I make sure I have something healthy for lunch that is already on me, so if I get really hungry it's already there. If you're on a budget, make something at home and bring it in, I do this half of the time and then splurge on something extra nice a couple of times during the week. I also like to drink either juices or water while I'm studying, it's a good source of vitamins/minerals and won't bloat you up or send you on a sugar high which you then have to come down from. By maintaining a healthy diet it will help to boost your concentration while maintaining that beautiful glow that we're all striving for ;).

Another big tip is to make sure that you are comfortable, this sounds like common sense but as I'm writing this I can see a girl sat a few tables away from me who is wearing a tight dress, false eyelashes and heels. She may well be comfortable for all I know, but she certainly doesn't look it!

I still do my makeup properly as I do every morning, but I leave chunky, noisy jewellery at home and wear layers so that I can adjust to the temperature nicely. Today I'm wearing jeans, flats, a white v-neck teeshirt and a peach American Apparel style zip up hoodie. To freshen up during the day I have small box with my beauty essentials in (I find it easier to see what I have with me in a box).

I won't list everything, but in a nutshell I have things to freshen up my makeup if I'm starting to look a bit faded/melted/patchy. Lip products, hand cream and nail glue incase I break a nail.

Alongside all of this I make sure that I have my headphones with me and some pretty stationary to make everything that bit more exciting :p.

If you're still reading this I'm amazed, but thank you! If you're due some exams - good luck and remember to take it easy and not panic!

Lea

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