Easter: A guide to the holiday that doesn’t really feel like a holiday

Yay, you’ve made it to the Easter half term! The end is near! We know what you’re thinking: my exams are getting worryingly close, my stress levels have never been so high and my school are putting unprecedented amounts of pressure on me – how DARE you call this a holiday? Okay okay, those are some very valid points. At this point exams are going to suddenly start looming over you and your revision is going to start feeling that bit more intense as you get more aware of the reality of it all. But guess what? It doesn’t have to be a case of blood, sweat and tears! It’s pretty normal if you are starting to feel the heat, but here at BLOSSOM we want to make sure it doesn’t overwhelm you!

1) Take it all in and rest. You may notice a trend in these posts now but make sure you rest. Give yourself at least a day to relax because the term you just had might’ve flown straight by and a lot may have happened and you just haven’t had the time to take it all in. You’ve been non-stop trying to devour new content, various revision methods, keeping up with homework… it’s a lot!! So give yourself and your brain some breathing space to just reflect and relax. Trust us, you’ll need this because the Easter holidays are usually when people start doing hard-core revision and really putting the pedal to the metal, so you need to prepare yourself and walk into the holidays with a relaxed, non-stressed mind-set.

2) PLAN PLAN PLAN. It sounds quite cringey but the good old saying ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ is actually pretty perfect in this situation. Write down everything you want to get done during these holidays – don’t leave anything out. We also think it’s useful to add things on here that aren’t necessarily revision related. This means things like going for a run or just meeting up with that friend you’ve neglected for too long. You cannot spend every single second of your life revising. It’s actually more detrimental to your grades than useful. Make lists, lists are your best friends. Write a revision list and a non-revision list, so that you keep that balance. Also if you’re someone who likes to work within certain time frames during the day, Google Calendar is a literal godsend and plus makes you feel (and actually makes you) really organised. Look at what you have to do and realistically allocate this over the days that span over your half term.

3) Revise. Unfortunately, this may not be what you wanted to hear but the grind had to begin at some point. But you shouldn’t feel tied down because you’ve already planned your revision since you’ve looked at point 2! Some people work best in the evenings and others in the mornings, it’s really up to you. But you have to begin, that’s always the hardest part. You’re so close to the end now; this really is one of the last hurdles.

4) Don’t think about how much work you haven’t done. At this point in the year, everyone is feeling stressed but this stress varies, possibly depending on how much work you have done. You may have left your revision until now and the mere thought of the quantity of work you have to do may almost paralyse into doing nothing. This is a classic case of feeling defeated before you’ve even begun and really needs to be avoided at all costs. Yes, you may have a lot to do. Yes it is overwhelming. Yes, the stress and pressure you are feeling is overwhelming and real. But you still have to start. At this point, all you should be thinking about is starting the work you can. It’s always better to revise a few things rather than literally nothing. Think of your revision as a field that needs ploughing. You might see all your work as a massive field that you’ve been given too small a time to plough. You have two options in this situation. Either scream into the field abyss about how there’s no way you could do that and then not begin at all. Or you could focus on a small area of the field and just begin. Once you begin you get closer to the end. Just start.

5) Take breaks. There may be occasional days where you go hermit revision mode because you may have worked out that in order to finish a particular task, an extra few hours are going to be invested. This is fine – every now and then. But for days you have scheduled to go full on, you should also designate time where you are going to let yourself completely relax. After hours of cramming revision notes into your brain, your brain actually needs some time to process all that information. So have time where you chill out, go outside, meet people – just basically where you don’t revise.

6) Ask for help and don’t keep things to yourself. These are extremely stressful times for some people, and if that may be you, please don’t keep it to yourself. Everyone is under a lot of stress and pressure - even those that you think are keeping a cool head. Talk to your friends (who are probably feeling exactly the same way), family or anyone you trust about how you are feeling – don’t keep it in because it will come out in other ways. Talk to someone.

7) It’s almost over. We know that these words aren’t really any consolation right now, especially at such a peak during the academic year, but you really are reaching the final hurdle. You’ve already made it this far, surely it would be a waste to give up now. At BLOSSOM, we would also like to say that we think you are being put under too much pressure and the levels of stress are that being induced in students simply isn’t natural or justifiable. There are surely other ways that you can be tested that doesn’t cause so much tension. We understand how hard this is, we really do, and we’ve been there. But just know, like all things, your exams will end one day. You will be okay. You have got this. Now go smash your revision and exams!