How to effectively prepare for finals – The Medium
As final exams approach, tensions riseas students try to balance their already complex lives with studying. Knowingthe effects of stress, and especially the difference between effective andineffective coping mechanisms, is essential to handling the exam season in themost healthy and productive way possible. Dr. Judith Andersen, a healthpsychologist and an associate professor of psychology at UTM, provides valuableinsight into how stress impacts the body and the mind, and how to use onesphysiology to not only optimize studying, but to train oneself to remain calmthroughout the last few weeks of the semester.
Stress, atfirst glance, is both emotionally and mentally taxing. It is also present invarious situations with each part of that stress taking some of yourresources. These cases of acute stress, such as when waiting in a long line atTim Hortons or missing the bus Shuttle Bus, can be usually managed with ahealthy diet and enough sleep which restore ones resources. However, as examseason is more demanding than day-to-day life, there is a higher level ofrecovering required to return to a regular functioning state. When restorativemeasures are not adequately satisfied, the exhaustion of the bodys resourcesbecome apparent. When we start to get burned out, you may notice that youdont have as much energy in the morning as you had before [even with a goodnights sleep.] Your night of sleep didnt completely recover your reserves.This depletion can significantly impact physical and mental health.
In small doses, the stress response is not harmful. However, the bodys reaction to stress is observable when acute exposure turns into chronic stress and the necessary recovery conditions are not met. The human stress responsemore commonly known as the fight-or-flight response is characterized by high cortisol levels, high blood pressure, and poor immune function. From an evolutionary perspective, these effects are necessary to enable an individual to run really fast or temporarily enhance their muscles to fight off a predator. When one remains in a state of stress, the stress responses begin to influence the growth and development of the bodys natural structure and defenses. Andersen describes the difference between the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system: Your parasympathetic system is that rest and digestthats when youre sleeping, even when youre relaxing, or just doing something thats enjoyable and not arousing. The parasympathetic state is essential to keeping your body in a healthy state. It is in [the parasympathetic] state that your immune system works the best. You can digest things [and] youre excreting growth hormone. All of those things [are] need[ed] to keep yourself healthy and build those long-term reserves. If the sympathetic nervous system is constantly activated, the body does not get the chance to replenish itself and prepare for the next acute stress situation.
Towards the end of the fall semester, itseems as if many individuals are sick with the common cold or other viruses.While vaccinations are recommended, Andersen mentions that immunization doesnot work as well if youre highly stressed, because your immune system isalready busy trying to deal with the stress. At a microbiological level, thebody cannot make antibodies to this virus because its busy trying to handlethe acute stress youre dealing with at the moment and also trying to recoverfrom the built-up chronic stress. It is a good precautionary measure to getvaccinated before the tidal wave of exam season sweeps by so that the body doesnot have to handle with the added stressor of a virus.
Stress does not only negatively impact ones immune system. It also drains mental resources. The stress response is very autonomic and instinctual. It is kind of this brain stem process [and] not our higher order thinking, Andersen describes. When responding to stress, the sympathetic state does not allow higher order thinking to take precedence over survival. In the case of an exam, when youre sitting down to think at a test, youre going to have all these physical reactions, and your mind is not going to be focused. This is problematic when one considers the immense amount of higher order thinking required at a university level.
To prevent and minimize ones stressresponse, Andersen describes a technique she teaches to police and otheremergency personnel who have been able to effectively reduce their stressresponse and reactivate their parasympathetic network during high stresssituations. The simple technique is known as the one breath reset.
Youre going to take a really deep breath,and hold it for just a second at the top of the breath. Youre going to exhalevery slowly, but youre pushing the breath out through pursed lips, Andersenexplains. The technique lowers heart rate and allows the body to optimize theoxygen being spread throughout the brain and body. The increase in oxygen flowmanual[ly] override[s] the stress response system and as the body begins tocalm down, the parasympathetic network reactivates and one can carry outregular brain functions again.
Another way to lower stress is to break uplong sessions of studying with a quick cardiovascular workout such as a quickten to twenty minute power walk or a jog for regular runners. If space is anissue, Andersen recommends doing jumping jacks. The one breath reset techniqueis optimal in cases of acute stress and when exercise is not an option such aswhen you first sit down at an exam and read the first few questions. Andersenwarns that you need to have learned the information in the first place, inorder to recall it under stress. This means breaking up studying into sessionsthroughout the week and avoiding cramming the last few hours before.
In terms of dealing with stress on along-term basis, Andersen advises maintaining a healthy diet and a stable sleepschedule. She recommends avoiding eating foods that provide a temporary boostin energy such as sugar or caffeine since you will crash, which distract[s]from your cognition. [Sugar and caffeine] create cravings in your brain and canmake you more tired. Instead, she recommends eating fiber [which] breaks downthe sugar evenly as it digests and give you sustained energy. Fiber is foundin vegetables, whole grains, and lentils. A proper diet ensures that the bodyhas the essential resources it needs. In terms of sleep, that is the time inwhich your body consolidates and encodes the information that youve learnedduring the day. Without sleep, the body needs to use more resources to remainawake which prevents one from learning.
All in all, it is important to recognize theeffects of stress to facilitate proper maintenance. Listening to your body andknowing what it needs and when it needs it will allow you to prepare and repairso that you are in the best shape to handle the upcoming exam season. When indoubt, step away from the notes, take a deep breath, perform a quick exercise,and then power through.
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How to effectively prepare for finals - The Medium
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