Mental Health & Burnout Prevention
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In preparing for the LSAT or Bar, we spend a lot of time meticulously learning the methods and strategies we need for the test. We focus intently on pacing, endurance, and complete mastery of the material. But one area that we often fail to focus on is Mental Health and Preventing Burnout, which is just as important for our overall success on the test. If we are not mentally prepared and are exhausted by the time we reach Test Day, our hard work learning core concepts is not going to pay off. It is very common for students to experience stress, anxiety, and burnout while studying for the test, and students should incorporate into their preparation ways to manage these feelings.
What are the signs and symptoms of burnout?
There are some common signs and symptoms that students may notice if they are approaching burnout when studying for this test. For instance:
1) They may have a hard time motivating to study and find themselves constantly pushing off studying for multiple days in a row.
2) They may feel physical signs of stress and anxiety like nausea.
3) They may find that they are constantly losing focus during their study sessions.
How can students craft a sustainable study schedule to limit the risk of burnout?
One way to prevent burnout and to help manage stress and anxiety is to have a sustainable study schedule. Study schedules vary widely among students, but there are some core concepts that all study plans should include:
1) Study plans should include rest days. It is common for students to take a day off from studying each week.
2) Study plans should include no more than three hours of studying at a time and should include long breaks between long study sessions.
3) Study plans should mix up the material so that students are constantly focusing on different question types and incorporating different types of drills to keep the learning interesting.
4) Study plans should be guided by the core concept that when it comes to studying, quality is much more important than quantity.
What are some stress management techniques and self-care strategies students can implement while studying?
Students should build into their study plan time to practice stress management techniques and to employ self-care strategies, including some of the following:
1) When you feel stressed or anxious, practice box breathing. This is a structured breathing pattern that involves inhaling, holding your breath, exhaling, and holding your breath.
2) Make sure you are allowing time for enough sleep and exercise.
3) Explore yoga, visualization, meditation, and other mindfulness techniques.
4) Celebrate your wins and view mistakes as learning opportunities instead of failures.
While studying for any major exam can be stressful at times, remember that the habits and techniques that we develop now to deal with stress, anxiety, and burnout will also benefit us in law school and in our future careers as lawyers.