currently in the middle of my prelim exam block + feel guilt for not studying as much as I could’ve and stress for it’s possible consequences i.e. bad prelim marks - I know they don’t count but I can’t seem to not blow it out of proportion. Any advice?
Given this is prelims, I can't stress this enough- learn from this experience, because pretty soon, they will start to matter. I've been reading the book 'The Art of Stopping Time'- Pedram Shojai which talks about guilt and stress and how its basically capable of dominanting your mind. Revisiting the fact you haven't studied much does not help you at all. What does it achieve? What could you do with this time that you're wasting, replaying a memory from the past? Your bad prelim marks are now out of your control. Instead of fixating on what you haven't achieved, focus on what you have in your control, i.e. your remaining subjects. If your stress is frequent, as in you experience this during exams constantly, I suggest you try some mindfulness excercises-> meditation, a run outside, workout, .... the list goes on. Whilst you do these activities, try and fix your awareness on one thing- e.g the wind, infrared from the sun, the smell of air. I know this sounds weird (just bare with me), but just appreciate that thing you've fixed your awareness on. This practice helps you to build your concentration, something I'm guessing you've lost from stress and guilt (which is absolutely fine, its normal to feel down), but this deficiency most likely will fog your critical thinking and reduce your confidence during exams. It is essential you get this cleared before you start the HSC next term.
my 5 cents.
- All the best for your prelims