If you anticipate a looming crash of group projects and final exams, you might schedule every minute of every day and most of the night. Sure, it’s important to know what’s coming and where you’re going, but there’s another way to succeed: manage your energy. Top athletes do it, and you might be surprised to learn that the best athletes aren’t necessarily the ones who push themselves the hardest for the longest time. Instead, they develop effective energy management strategies using efficient periods of rest between exertions. That’s right, rest!
We’re not talking a month in Jamaica. Some athletes maximize the seconds that they have between performances. Deliberately disengaging, reducing heart rate, and breathing deeply so when they perform next, they are reset, ready and focused. Your limited energy is just as precious as a top athlete’s. Especially during stressful times like finals, taking good care of yourself, recharging your batteries and regaining balance is critical to your performance. You might need to remind yourself to eat foods that nourish you, move your body, sleep enough, and stay well hydrated.
Are you inclined to pull all-nighters? Staying up all night decreases your ability to process and analyze information, so you may do worse on exams or assignments the following day. To best prepare your mind, get 7-9 hours of sleep, but even a few hours of sleep are better than none. Even napping for 10-20 minutes can give you energy, making you more alert and improving mental performance. Beware of naps longer than 30 minutes (after you enter deep sleep), which may actually leave you feeling more groggy and tired.
If you caffeinate yourself to focus, keep in mind that moderate amounts may help you feel more alert, but too much caffeine can lead to a tendency to disregard signals that you’re tired and need rest, and even produce anxiety-related feelings such as excessive nervousness, sweating and tremors. Caffeine does not replenish energy or prevent emotional fatigue; food, sleep and breaks do. Contrary to popular belief, drinking coffee will not help someone who is intoxicated sober up.
If you are feeling tired, irritable, spacey, or just not-quite-right, don’t ignore it. Take a break instead. Disengage fully, even something as simple as taking a short walk. Breathe, deeply, in… out…. Stretch. Locate tense muscles and relax them. Look out the window. Sip some water. Then you can re-engage fully, with sharper focus on the tasks at hand. For more on this subject, you can read The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, trainers who have worked with athletes and business executives to help them reach peak performance.
Contributed By Carol Tucker, UHS Health Educator