The Importance of Relaxation During Your VCE

Some people work well under pressure. Think of Michael Jordan and his many game-winning shots in the final quarter of a basketball championship. Many consider Jordan to be the greatest basketball player of all time because he lived up to expectations and led his team to victory over and over.

 

Everyone needs to find for themselves the level of tolerance they have for stress. This post will discuss strategies to reduce stress regardless of how mentally ‘strong’ you are, that is, whether you are on par with Jordan or maybe somewhere closer to the average person.

 

First, as far as possible maintain a balanced lifestyle where mind and body are given adequate attention. Although it’s true that Jordan’s unbalanced lifestyle dedicated to perfecting his basketball skills paid off, he did also make time for his family and engaged in other pursuits such as making movies. If you want to score at the highest levels in your exams, some degree of obsessive mental focus on study is required. However, you should still always make time for socialising once every week and exercising regularly two to three times a week. If you are wondering where to find time for in-person socialising, try cutting out online chatting or watching movies more than once a month. I eliminated TV entirely during Year 12 and it really helped me find spare time.

 

Second, find a physical pursuit that allows you to fully divert your mind from the stress of study commitments. For me, what worked is setting aside time once a week for indoor rock-climbing. While I was rock-climbing, my mind would be relieved and I’d feel much better afterwards. Every person is different so for some people, yoga, tennis or attending the gym will work better. By engaging in a physical pursuit, your mind is naturally distracted and your body releases oxytocin that makes you feel better.

 

Third, get a relaxation massage, have a warm bath, take a walk in the beautiful outdoors (like the beach), listen to soothing music by Lana del Rey or other similar artists once a month. There are many cheap clinics where students work under supervision and provide a 60-minute massage for $15.

 

Fourth, focus on having a healthy diet where you get plenty of vitamins. Eliminate junk food, sodas and added sugar and get your sweets naturally from fruits. While I’m not a dietician, I found that eating more fruits and vegetables improved my energy levels and helped me focus on study better. Ensure you eat yoghurt once per day as it contains many beneficial bacteria.

 

Fifth, get plenty of sleep, at least 7 to 8 hours per day. In terms of relaxation, this is probably the most important because it allows your body to heal itself and energise for the challenges of VCE® Exam.

 

Sixth, make a schedule and stick to it. By managing time better, a major source of stress will be removed since you’ll know that you’re on track to meet deadlines for assignments and exams.

 

Seventh, if you feel like you’re unable to cope, seek out help from a tutor at GradReady or from a friend who is also doing your subjects. There are many ways to learn the same material so pick the format that works best for you. Perhaps you prefer watching an educational video as a supplement to reading textbooks? To cite just one example, Khan Academy offers hundreds of free online videos and covers a range of subjects.

 

These tips do not constitute professional advice. However, they helped me so do try them out after consulting with others and see if they work for you too!