Uni exams and taking care of my health

Hello! I have my final university exams coming up and I am wondering how to tackle my thoughts/ actions to it. It’s been a long road to get here, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness a couple of years ago and had to defer my studies and took time out to get better and I am now a lot better but still not 100%. I feel like I am on a tightrope these days where if I fall one way I won’t get a first (which would have been possible before the illness) or even a 2.1, and if I fall the other way I could jeopardize my health again as it was a lot of stress that made me unwell initially. I know both ways are putting a lot of pressure on myself but I want it both ways, i want to do very well in my exams and stay healthy. I’m doing lots of affirmations and positive mental talk which helps me but i was wondering if you had any other tips about finding a balance between these two extremes and getting the results i want? I’m also torn between acknowledging that after i have to do a lot i still get tired and need to rest more than i used to and not entertaining these thoughts as i don’t actually know I’ll feel bad after the exams and might just be confirming it. I don’t know the balance between repressing the feelings/ accepting them and also trying to be positive. The exams are very long and i have 6 of them so i know they would be hard for anyone but i don’t want to go back to my old habits of perfectionism to my own detriment, but the result still means a lot to me. Thank you for reading this and for your help. I’m new to the flow collective so any recommendations of certain calls to replay etc would be much appreciated too if its applicable.

 

Answer:

First of all, wonderful self-awareness here. It’s evident that you want to both do well on your exams and stay healthy. My question to you is this: do you believe that it’s possible for you to do that? Or do you believe that it’s one or the other? 

When we think in black and white, we eliminate a wealth of possibilities available to us in the gray zone. Believing in possibility allows us to get curious about how to create our dreams, like doing well on your exams AND staying healthy in a way that feels generally good.

Get specific about what result is in the gray zone that you believe is possible for you. What does that result look and feel like? Get specific about how your body will feel, what you’ll choose to think about how you prepared for your exams, what you may have to remind yourself to let go of, and what role self-love will play in this. 

Notice that perfectionism is not a part of this equation! As Voltaire said, “Perfect is the enemy of good.” We believe in your ability to do good here – for you and your education.

Also, check out the coaching calls about Doing Big Things for some more help with this, and know that what we’ve got coming up in the next few months is going to support you too!