Preparing for medical exams like NEET PG or FMGE is almost like trying to climb up a mountain where the peak is nowhere in sight. The anxiety, the long working hours, and the pressure are capable of destroying your mental health in an instant. But looking after your mind is no less important than giving the best answers in that exam. Here are some easy and practical strategies that you can employ to cope up with the mental pressure during the thick of things.
- Take Breaks Without Feeling Sorry For Yourself
It is extremely surprising how a lot of people are unconvinced that taking breaks can be equally important as studying, but this is true. Your brain cannot intake so much information at one go. For instance, studying for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break, the Pomodoro method. Breaks should be used to do activities one enjoys—for instance, stretching and massaging sore areas, breathing deeply, or even nibbling away at a piece of food. This helps clear out the fog and makes the bout of studying much more effective and focused.
- Do Not Remain Depressed: Keep Active
Medically speaking, depression can be alleviated through adequate exercise. Sweating it out at the gym for hours on end is unnecessary; they merely claim that even 15-30 minutes of brief movement sessions can alter one’s outlook on life. You can take a brief stroll around the office, or practice yoga or some simple desk stretches. Movement causes endorphins, which are the body’s hormones that relieve stress, to be released.
- Resist the urge to retreat into a shell
One may be `tempted’ to lock themselves in the four walls of their spaces, studying constantly. However, this constant isolation may in due course exacerbate underlying stress levels. Try to afford time for friends or family even if it means a simple short phone call or a meal together. A particular study has shown that sharing your thoughts, worrying about something, or even the mere act of laughing about something else makes one more secure and better supported.
- Do not set Ambitious targets
Overcommitment may lead to exhaustion. Chunk down the syllabus into as many small chunks as you can and stick with a realistic target for each day. Don’t measure up your performances with that of others – every individual is differently paced and in learning, it is the same. It’s pointless to talk of moving mountains. In studies, talking and celebrating small victories can stave off a lot of negative elements or overwhelm.
- Effectively understand what is happening in that present time, zombie applied to everyone.
Mindfulness or zombie is a technique which is all about being present at the present time. It will have most felt about even simple breathing or meditation, or concentrating on what is being done at that present point of time. This helps one become relaxed, keeps the mind clear and anxiety at bay which is most needed. Sometimes even 5 minutes of this intense boredom or mindful breathing should be more than enough when panic or stress feels excessive.
- Seek Assistance When It’s Necessary
In case you feel excessive tension or are having a hard time in dealing with mental issues, then it is okay to seek help. Talk to a close friend, family or even a counselor. There’s no stigma attached to reaching out and sometimes, when you are able to verbalize your concerns, it’s much easier for you to understand things in a new light.
- Sleep Is A Must, Period.
While it can be tempting to pull an all-nighter to fit more study time in, doing so can often be counterproductive. Not only is sleep necessary for mental functioning, but it is also needed for memory consolidation. Seek 7-8 hours of sleep every night to ensure your brain works efficiently and your emotions are stable.
8. Take a Deep Breath and Relax, Forget About the Results
You need to understand that you’re much more than just this exam or this number will determine you. It’s a significant test, but it is not as important as your mental health. You’re much more than a number, or a result. Make an effort to have an unclouded picture, and this is just a one piece of your life puzzle so take it easy.
Ultimately, mental health should not be seen as an optional part; rather, it should be looked at as an important aspect. Learning which methods best fit your needs in terms of stress management or social interaction as well as taking the space you need to regain your energy will allow you not only to perform more efficiently but also to emerge victorious from this entire ordeal being stronger and tougher than before.
