How To Survive Exams Without Going Crazy

I'm really not a great person to write a blog entitled this, but here goes. As many of you know, I recently did a set of exams for the end of my second year at uni, and if my recent blog posts are anything to go by, I really didn't handle it that well. I contemplated dropping out. I'm not going to do this, but it was literally just because I was so stressed, and who wants to live their life constantly worrying that they're not going to pass the next 'barrier'. I also contemplated taking a little trip, to the point where I was procrastinating by looking at the cost of flights and ferries, just like Ireland or Mainland Europe, just somewhere away from here. I had about 4-5 completely sleepless nights, a couple of moments in which I seriously considered quitting my job and had 1 impromptu trip back to Reading, in which I basically sat alone, didn't sleep at all and thought about everything. I actually managed to complete my exams, and to a level I was relatively happy with, which in itself is nothing short of a miracle. But it was my actions after I finished my exams which were at least equally as bad. I'm not going to go into details on this, but I got told on a couple of occasions that I was 'acting like a crazy person.'  This in itself is really not good, and it's not really a great way to blow of steam after a large amount of stress.

I think it's pretty safe to say I'm back to normal now, but I really didn't feel like myself for a while. So here's my guide on how not to act like a crazy person during exams!

1. Actually start preparation early, get organised, and manage everything in small chunks. If I feel I'm unprepared for an exam, I stress about it so much more. 
2. Don't give up eating. This really isn't wise in any situation, but around exams? How much information can you really take in if all you can think about is how sick you feel because you haven't eaten in 36 hours. 
3. Don't spend 13 hours a day in the library. Just because it's exam time, it doesn't mean that you have to spend every waking moment studying. Of course it's never great to procrastinate or anything, but there's only a certain amount that a person can take in in one day. You can be so much more productive if you're actually relaxed. 
4. Don't give up sleep. Are you really going to do your best work in exams if you're falling asleep at the desk? No. 
5. Don't see exams as the enemy. It's not a barrier, another hurdle to fall at, but an opportunity to demonstrate how much you do actually know. 
6. Remember: exams constitute around 4 weeks of the year, of course it's important to work all year through, but the actual exam process is such a small part. It's nothing to stress over!

The most important lesson I've learnt from this exam period is not to blow out ridiculously afterwards. It's good to celebrate but not get to the point 2 weeks later, where you've had 5 hangovers, apologized for your behaviour about 50 times, have run completely out of money, have several texts you shouldn't have sent, a couple of occasion of wondering if/why you still have friends and can't stand the sight of alcohol.

And maybe, just maybe, you might be able to maintain your sanity during exam time!

XOX