HSC. VCE. All the acronyms. Well, we’ve got one more for you. But don’t worry, this one is all about how to beat exam stress. It’s MESSE.
What is MESSE? Well, it’s five simple things you can do around exam time to:
- get your head right
- study as effectively as possible
- stay the right side of sane.
Remember this little gem and your exam experience won’t end up being MESSE (get it? Sorry, let’s get to the letters).
M is for Move
Being active supercharges your body and your brain, and every little bit helps. It’s definitely not a waste of your valuable time. Get up from your desk and walk around the house or the block. Play sport, ride a bike, take a yoga class, walk the dog, dance like nobody’s watching. Whatever floats your boat.
E is for Eat Properly
Your mum is right, you absolutely have to eat properly. Think of yourself as a souped-up, high-performance car. Without the right fuel you aren’t going anywhere. And while we’re on the topic – drink lots and lots of water. That’s important, too.
S is for Sleep
We get it. There are only so many hours in the day and you have sooooooo much study to cram in. But, if your eyes are hanging out of your head and you’re only catching one z instead of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, you won’t be at your best. And all the hours you stayed up late to cram will be a Big Fat Waste of Time. Set yourself a reasonable bedtime (and, no, anything past midnight is not reasonable). Make sure you include some down time before you hit the sack. You can’t go from desk to pillow and expect your mind to immediately switch off.
S is for Socialise
(This is the bit you can show your parentals when they ask why you’re not studying.) Always burying your head in books, notes and syllabus dot points may seem like the right thing to do, but it’s not. It’s gonna give you exam-stress head. Make time to stay connected with your family and friends. Have dinner together, have a laugh, see a movie, talk about how you’re doin’. It all adds up to a mental break from the study – and who doesn’t love a break!
E is for Escape
The HSC or VCE is zapping
lots of your time and heaps of your energy. We know every minute is valuable
learning time. But, trust us when we tell you that having something else to
focus on and look forward to is also super important. It’s a little escape that
you can use as reward for good behaviour. Give yourself permission to watch the
Netflix series everyone is talking about, read a book, or load the latest game.
Your mind will thank you.
Get more of the good stuff
There you go. So much good stuff in one simple acronym. Who knew?
We get that’s it’s an important time in your life. And that it can get a bit overwhelming. And that exam stress can sneak up on you. That’s why we’ve put together a dedicated guide to help you get through this period successfully. It’s where you can get MESSE and a whole lot more – so you can ace your exams (with no exam stress) get into uni and get back to living your best life.