By Jeffrey Doeve
Introduction
It was just another day of zoom classes during my 2nd semester of university. By now, the thrill of virtual lectures had subsided for me, as I struggled to stay focused and awake during…yawn… thermodynamics. My room looked as if the process of entropy had occurred for several millennia. As my mind began to wander, I realized that I needed to get it together by making my daily routine and studying more efficient. Eventually, I would implement the meditative strategies and exercise covered below into my routine, which would assist in improved academic success and focus.
I. Meditation
Stressing over the tsunami of academic work and studying that needs to get done by tomorrow morning can be quite overwhelming. My rough introduction into the world of general chemistry would lead to some anxiety and sleepless nights. Yet, I found myself searching for ways to alleviate my stress so that I would be able to calm my nerves before tests. One surefire way that I discovered was the 4-7-8 breathing method.
The steps to performing this method include:
*Inhaling for 4 seconds
*Holding your breath for 7 seconds
*Exhaling for 8 seconds
I try to couple this deep breathing technique with mindfulness meditation by closing my eyes and doing this breathing for 2 minutes. It’s important to try to keep your mind clear enough so that you don’t stress yourself out thinking about what you need to get done. However, it is still ok to let your mind wander to non-stress causing topics. And that’s all there’s to it. Meditation doesn’t necessarily need to be extremely complicated for you to experience its many benefits. Deep breathing can encourage full oxygen exchange, stabilize blood pressure, and slow the rapid heartbeats indicative of anxiety [1]. It can even help with sleep, as it tranquilizes the nervous system. On the other hand, meditation can serve as a way to treat time pressure, distraction, and agitation [2]. Therefore, implementing this technique into your daily routine can serve as a natural way to give your mind a break from the grind of studying. I like studying for 1-2 hours at a time and using the technique after or using it before an important final.
II. Exercise
I used to be a staunch believer in avoiding exercise. After all, who would want to get all sweaty and sore before an intense study session? However, research actually shows that physical activity improves memory and learning by enabling the release of BDNF and norepinephrine [3, 4]. My personal quick and simple exercise routine to get into that Jimmy Neutron esque “Brain Blast!” is to do a quick 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups broken up in 4 sets of 25 each. Inspired by One Punch Man, I find this workout is fast enough where I don’t sweat, but long enough to reap the brain-boosting benefits of exercise.
Conclusion
I hope this guide with tips helps you develop your own personalized routine that helps you stay mentally focused on academics. If you want to learn more about mental health and meditation, come join Team X Health and the UCLA Center for East West Medicine hosting a virtual conference about these topics in the COVID 19 era on April 10 at 2pm.
The link to sign up is below:
https://forms.gle/2MQUyoAfCRDqZeUt7
Sources:
[1]-
Publishing, Harvard Health. “Relaxation Techniques: Breath Control Helps Quell Errant Stress Response.” Harvard Health, Harvard Health Publishing, 2015, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response.
[2]-
Kassymova, K., et al. “Stress Management Techniques for Students.” Stress Management Techniques for Students | Atlantis Press, Atlantis Press, 1 Sept. 2018, www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/ictppfms-18/25902973.
[3]-
Venezia, A C, et al. “A Single Bout of Exercise Increases Hippocampal Bdnf: Influence of Chronic Exercise and Noradrenaline.” Genes, Brain, and Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5677569/.
[4]-
Dimaraki, Eleni. “Norepinephrine.” Hormone Health Network, 2019, www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/glands-and-hormones-a-to-z/hormones/norepinephrine.
Weil, Andrew. 4-7-8 Breath Relaxation Exercise, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, 2010.