a few tips for surviving exam periods when you have shite mental health
sorry for the delay on getting this out, hopefully its not too late for you guys (i’m not sure when exam season ends). whilst i obviously believe that everybody, irregardless of whether you have a mental illness or not, should be proactive during stressful life events such as exams to protect your mental health, there are certain aspects which can make life tricky and hard going when you have ongoing mental health problems and are having to navigate exams.
so a bit of context - i’m 24, i’ve had issues with my mental health since i was 14/15 (depression, anxiety, trichotillomania, an eating disorder, and a couple other bits that i’m not 100% comfortable discussing right now), and i’ve sat my GCSEs, A Levels, and 5 years of med school exams whilst balancing my grades against my mental health, to varying degrees of success. over the years i’ve developed a couple of habits i rely on when doing/preparing for exams that i thought could maybe help somebody else in a similar position. note: these tips might not help you, i just wanted to share them in the off chance that they might, and they also are not a substitute for seeking help and support elsewhere.
a lot of these are to do with managing either depression/ED behaviours during the revision period, or panic/anxiety during an exam as those are the two major problems i personally face.
1. stock up on daily life necessities, if you need to - when i’m stressed or very depressed i can get quite self-neglectful and that becomes even more likely if i have to get out of the house to buy new stuff. so take a look at whether you’ll need more toothpaste/shampoo/shower gel/toilet paper in the coming weeks, and if so (and if you can), buy replacements in advance and keep them stored away so that if you run out, you don’t even have to think about replacing them.
2. make sure you have enough medication, if you take them. i like to have enough daily meds to last me at least till the end of exams, and enough PRN for if i entered a very difficult time. my doctor knows that occasionally i’ll request a longer script and as long as i’m stable and i have good reason for it, he generally writes it for me, so maybe think about talking to your doc about it. note - there are people for whom it is not safe to have longer scripts and larger quantities of medication, please please if this applies to you, do not consider this an option (i used to be in that position of having to have weekly scripts and it is frustrating but so necessary)
3. start revision early and then try not to get swept up into the panic of studying all day every day during revision period. i find its a lot gentler on my mental health to study for double the number of days but half the number of hours each day. plus spaced recall is one of the best ways of learning material and by stretching out your revision time you can really maximise this.
4. i split my day into three sessions: morning, afternoon and evening, and in general i aim to only stay ‘productive’ for two sessions each day, taking one session off for down time, whether that be watching tv or going for a walk. this down time does not include ‘life admin’, this is reserved for destressing/decompressing - i don’t grocery shop/pay bills/other necessary life things during this time. this is ‘me time’.
5. special exam arrangements aren’t just for physical disabilities or learning difficulties. i was first allowed special exam arrangements in my fourth year of uni and honestly they’ve made a world of difference, i used to panic upon entering large exam halls with hundreds of people, i’d feel nauseous for the first 30 minutes of every exam, i’ve had to leave countless exams for 5-10 minutes to calm down (which undoubtedly had an impact upon my grades), i’ve also not been refused permission to leave whilst panicking and have had to calm myself down in the middle of an exam hall. now, i sit exams in a small room with 5-10 other people, at a regular table, not an exam desk, the invigilators have been instructed to let me leave if i’m panicking, and if i do leave, the clock is stopped so i don’t lose that time. and the impact? i haven’t actually had to leave a single exam i’ve taken, and if thats not an excellent result, i don’t know what is. ahead of the exam period, contact your exams team or the disabled students services to see what they can do for you (you will most likely need medical evidence such as a letter from your doctor)
6. if you can’t get special exam arrangements, visit your exam venue beforehand, if you can. before fourth year i would visit the exam hall and make sure i was familiar with it so that when i came for the exam i could just walk in and sit down. i was lucky in that we didn’t have assigned seating, so i’d also look and make a mental note of where i wanted to sit (at the back, near the doors).
7. meal plans - at my point in my ED recovery i haven’t had to follow a meal plan for years, but during exam periods i do tend to meal plan just as a fail safe option, to keep me on track
8. make sure theres at least one person out there who is familiar with your situation and perhaps that the exam period might make things worse, who you can check in with every so often. i know lots of people tend to go underground during exam season and this then becomes difficult when you need somebody to talk to or if you need another mind to bounce ideas off. for me, thats a couple of good friends, but it could be family members or a tutor or a counsellor.
9. have a serious think about whether you should request mitigating circumstances. it’s not a shameful thing at all, and you deserve to have every factor considered if there are reasons why you may not get the grade you deserve. remember that most places require you to do this before the exams begin and will require medical evidence.
10. exams make me panicky, and this expands to discussion of exams (even at one point my parents wishing me good luck before i went to take an exam would make me panicky) - if this is you, consider floating the idea of banning exam discussion at home/at the dinner table. when i was doing my A levels i banned my parents from asking when/where my exams were, whether i was prepared, how i felt etc etc and it made home a little ‘safe haven’ from the panic. they may not completely comply but that will also make it known to people the impact that their discussions have on you.
11. if food is an issue for you, stock up on things that take low to no energy to prepare and eat - ignore people who say how unhealthy it is because you know whats more unhealthy? not eating at all. things like pre-prepared fruit and veg, tubs of hummus, ready meals (yes!), tins of soup/stew, frozen pizzas, jars of pasta sauce, cereal bars, precooked rice sachets. ideally, cook up a bunch of meals ahead of time and stick em in the freezer in individual portions to defrost when you need them, but i know not everybody has the energy or ability to do this. this way you look at your meal plan, see you’re scheduled to have a snack, go downstairs, grab your snack and eat it, rather than having to decide what to eat and then have to make it yourself.
12. get a cup with a straw. simple, but i never drink as much water and am never as hydrated as i am when i have a cup with a straw.
13. ear plugs - i don’t actually keep them in during the exam as i worry about missing announcements, but i like them for the pre-exam period waiting around the exam site as they block out everything else and stop me having to listen to people worrying around me (thats the worst). if they’re obvious, they also stop worrying friends coming over and spreading their worry to you.
14. foamy pencil grips - i stick them around my pens to make the barrels wider, easier to grip and less likely to slip out of sweaty hands - my hands can get very shaky and sweaty and if i can’t grip my pen it makes me even more panicky so they help soooooo much
15. extra strong mints - i take these into the exam with me so that if i have an anxious moment during the exam, i have a sip of water, a mint and a deep breath and centre myself again, something about the extra strong sensory stimulation is really helpful to me
16. i don’t wear conventional bras to exams. when i’m having a full on panic attack the bra strap feels like its constricting me and i feel like i can’t breathe - when i sit exams i either go bra-less or wear very soft bralettes. sports bras might work for others but i find them also very constrictive as they’re designed to be so supportive.
17. if you have PRN for panic/anxiety, bring it into the exam even if you don’t feel like you’ll need it and don’t leave it in your bag, if you need it lots of invigilators won’t let you go digging through your bag even if it is for meds. personally i’ve never actually taken my PRN during an exam as it’s an extremely sedating medication so it would effectively ruin the rest of the exam (although there have been a couple of instances where i probably should have), but just having it out there on the desk with me is a reassurance.
18. bring a snack for afterwards. just taking an exam is in itself exhausting (especially at uni where exams can be 3+ hours) let alone managing anxiety symptoms for hours, plus your adrenaline will be pumping enough that you probably won’t realise you’re hungry so i always bring a piece of fruit and a cereal bar to eat whilst decompressing after each exam.
19. if an exam went badly and you feel it is due to problems during the exam that you feel should be acknowledged (for example, you had a panic attack during the exam) speak to somebody about it as soon as possible after the exam ends. i mean literally go directly and tell somebody as soon as you leave the venue. don’t email it or wait till another day, that will be too late. it’s difficult because most places require mitigating circumstances to be submitted in advance of the exam, and many unis have a ‘fit to sit’ policy (whereby if you show up you are effectively making a statement saying that you are well enough to sit the exam) but for things that have happened during the actual exam, nothing can be done unless you report it, either to your tutor or your school exams office
20. don’t feel pressured to discuss the exam with your friends afterward. its so so common for people to sit around analysing the questions in depth and it can be so damaging. you aren’t a party pooper or spoiling anything if you ask people not to discuss the exam when you are around. they’re free to do whatever they want when they’re not around you but you have a right to request that they refrain when you’re around. there are plenty of other, more interesting things to do.
these tips are nothing new or novel and i’m sure most of you will have heard them all before but these are a few things that make the exam period better for me and so i hope they help some of you guys too :) xxx
