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Block and session periods are times when studying becomes the main activity. Given the magnitude of the task, and depending on your level of subject preparation during the academic year, you will no doubt feel that time is running out and that "there's not a minute to lose" in order to complete the task. 

Some will build up a "concrete" schedule in which essential downtime is reduced to the strict minimum. In plain English, this means that they will cut back on meals, sleep, etc., and thus take significant risks for their health, but also for their study.
Soleil Your brain, like your body, needs rest to remain efficient and effective. If you neglect its basic needs, it's bound to remind you of them, translating its discomfort into mental fatigue, sluggish memory, reduced concentration, a tendency to confuse closely related concepts, reduced lexical availability (the word remains on the tip of your tongue, but you just can't grasp it)…

So stop abusing your body and that brain you need so much at such times: breaks that allow you to really relax are necessary to recharge your batteries! Of course, it's not a question of reversing the proportions and giving pride of place to leisure activities by reducing your investment in work, but rather of taking care of yourself so that you can carry on until the end.

But how can we increase the profitability of these necessarily limited moments?

  • First of all, make explicit provision for them in your schedule (breaks thus become part of an overall program and an integral part of your "work contract"), respect them (don't neglect them... or make them excessively long) and make the most of them (don't feel guilty because "work isn't progressing" during them, because you know that breaks are essential).
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  • Next, choose an activity that gives you positive emotions: anything that gives you pleasure is bound to be good for your body, as it provides relaxation ! The key is to get out of your work environment... physically (walk around the block, ride your bike, pull weeds...) and mentally (escape to music, chat with a friend, concentrate on a puzzle...).
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  • Plan active breaks (walk, take a dip or do some gym exercises, meet people...) rather than those that keep you prostrate (television, computer...) and don't forget that, like all organs, your brain needs oxygen! Breaks in an airy or outdoor environment are therefore particularly beneficial, especially as our brain consumes 20% of our oxygen.
  • Finally, avoid cloistering yourself and remember that man is first and foremost a social animal! So keep in touch with your parents, friends and boyfriend/girlfriend, but give priority to people with whom you can really relax, because they provide you with an emotional well-being or make you laugh ; on the other hand, don't get together with people who are hyperstressed and who may unwittingly pass on their anxiety to you (stress, like the flu, is eminently contagious).
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These moments of relaxation, even if limited in time, will allow you to forget your books for a few minutes and clear your head! Of course, there's no magic formula, as everyone has to find what pleases them personally... and there's no accounting for taste. But the basic principle is to take it easy, not to try to exceed your limits- in short, to respect yourself and give yourself the right to breathe. Just because you're in session doesn't mean your life has to be reduced to studying; even if studying must remain a priority, it's essential to continue to give time to the other facets of your life to maintain a personal balance, taking into account the study priorities of block periods and sessions.
updated on 4/28/24

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