Exam season is a marathon, not a sprint. If you start studying 10 hours a day in March, by the time May rolls around, you will be completely burned out.
Symptoms of Burnout
- Chronic fatigue, even after sleeping 8 hours.
- Cynicism ('Who cares about this exam anyway?').
- Brain fog (staring at a page for 20 minutes without absorbing a single word).
How to Recover
- The 24-Hour Detox: If you are burned out, studying more will literally yield negative returns. Take 24 hours entirely off. No books, no guilt, no screens if possible. Go outside, sleep, and reset.
- The Pomodoro Technique: Stop trying to study for 4 hours straight. Study for 45 minutes, then physically walk away from your desk for 15 minutes.
- Diet and Exercise: Your brain consumes 20% of your body's energy. If you are surviving on energy drinks and chips, your cognitive endurance will crash. Eat protein, hydrate, and go for a 20-minute walk every day.