Recharging Your Mental Battery
I love being busy. I love running from one thing to another. However, this doesn't mean I don't take breaks. I need time to take breaks, and I need time to recharge. As the second semester of school starts, it is especially important to recharge. With AP exams around the corner, it is so easy to feel the need to constantly stretch yourself out farther. However, if you don't take the time to recharge by the time you get to exams you will become too mentally exhausted to focus. I've put together some of my best tips and practices I use to keep myself focused and to avoid burn out.
Weekends:
During the weekend, I definitely take advantage of the downtime to rest and recharge.
One way I do this is by allowing myself to sleep in during the weekend.
Getting out of the house on the weekends also helps me refuel.
Weekdays:
I do certain things during the week to recharge myself
One thing I do is immediately eat a snack/make a lunch when I get home from school. This gives me time to debrief from school and refuel my mind.
When I am very overwhelmed/feeling like my focus is gone, while studying, I like to step out of the room and make myself a snack. Normally, I make a piece of toast. I do this because the toast takes a couple minutes to make (gives myself a couple minutes of break time) and to eat (the food refuels my mind), Together, when I go back to studying, I return with a clearer mindset and feel more focused.
Another thing I do is I try to give myself 15-20 minutes before I go to bed to do something I enjoy doing. This allows me to take time for myself. I try to do something positive and that won't put me in a bad mood/stress me out. Usually, I watch YouTube/a comfort show or scroll through Pinterest.
Before bed, I have a little night-time routine. When I have a big test and am already going to bed later than normal, sometimes I am so tired that I just want to go to bed instead of staying up another 15-20 minutes. In this case, I do my night-time routine and make sure to follow it up with a meditation. This puts me in a good/relaxed mindset before bed which recharges me.
On top of this, I getting enough sleep each night is extremely important.
Exams/Studying For Bigger Tests:
During exam week, I always plan for breaks. Some breaks are shorter than others (like making toast as I mentioned above). However, during exam week, I think it is crucial to build in bigger breaks. One break I always include during exam week is a 20-30 workout. I also like to go pick up lunch for myself as a treat for working, and this is a good break from my study space.