Your overall health can either support or detract from your ability to focus and effectively learn. Fatigue, anxiety, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition – all of these can interfere with your efforts to learn. The ideal learning conditions are a calm mind and a well body, but this is easier said than done. You must be intentional in your efforts to prioritize your well-being. At some points in your professional journey, this will be easier than maybe this specific moment. There are many approaches to working through and/or managing stress so that you can focus on your learning. IU has a set of guidance and resources to help you identify how to best meet your specific needs. Check out the Stay Healthy page to learn to learn about strategies and support available through the University.

The Physiological Sigh

If you’re not ready or don’t have the bandwidth to look through the resources linked above but are feeling a little distracted or overwhelmed, you can try a breathing technique called the physiological sigh. To practice the physiological sigh, take a slow inhale expanding your belly, but before you get to the top, take another inhale. Then exhale slowly. Repeat this cycle 2 or 3 times to enjoy the physical reset provided by expanding your lung surface area and offloading excess carbon dioxide. In this clip from Dr. Andrew Huberman, he explains the science of physiological sigh and demonstrates it. It’s free, it takes maybe 2 minutes, give it a try. Right now.

Preparing for the logistics of your exam

You’ve studied for months but success on exam day also requires some logistical navigation. There are things that you can do in the weeks leading up to the exam to reduce external stressors around exam time. Download the ABS exam prep timeline to make sure you’re setting yourself up for success.

Confidential help is available

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, dial 988 from any phone.
If you would like to talk with a counselor or access self-care content, IU students have free access to TimelyCare.