How to manage psychological rumination in exam preparation.

Tips for not letting psychological rumination get in the way of exam preparation.

During the student stage or in the preparation for a competitive examination, as the dates of the exams approach, it is common for nerves to surface, gradually increase and not cease until the last exam has been taken or even, in many cases, until the grades have not been published.

The most common symptoms in this type of preparations are those of anxiety, which can show itself in various forms, among which it is worth mentioning psychological rumination; characterized by obsessive thoughts or recurring images that the student experiences as uncontrollable and intrusive, causing discomfort and difficulty in concentrating on what he/she is studying.

If anxiety and rumination persist over a long period of time, it can cause stress and, consequently, physical and mental exhaustion.

Therefore, in this article we will show you some tips to try to to manage those ruminative thoughts and to be able to carry out a productive study with a view to the preparation of the examinations..

What does psychological rumination during studying for exams consist of?

The psychological rumination is composed of an accumulation of obsessive thoughts that incur in the mind again and againIt introduces the person in a constant loop of ideas of a negative nature that make it difficult for the person to concentrate on the activity he/she is trying to perform.

Among these activities is studying for an exam, a type of preparation that is often hindered by ruminative thoughts.

This type of intrusive thoughts are very frequent among students and can take several forms and can present themselves in a variety of ways:

• Obsessing over a subject that you are finding it more complicated to learn than you expected.
• Considering that the study routine is not being productive.
• Continually thinking that you are going to fail the exam.
• Seeing it as an absolute failure to fail the exam.
• Imagining your parents and family disappointed if you do not pass.
• Believing that the world is going to come down on him/her if he/she does not pass the test.
• Anguish imagining how hard it will be to have to study the same subject again the following year or to have to re-prepare the exam syllabus.
• Feeling that you are wasting your time and should throw in the towel.

All this accumulation of thoughts, and many others, can arise in the minds of students so that one negative thought leads to another. one negative thought leads to another and so on, the student enters a vicious circle of thoughts that sabotage his concentration and, therefore, his quality of study.

If one does not learn to control this type of mental processes, the student may feel insufficiently motivated, the student may not feel sufficiently motivated to face the tests that will come in the future. that will await them in the near future and, with this, what in social psychology is known as a "negative self-fulfilling prophecy" will be fulfilled.

It consists of a cognitive bias that consists in the fact that if someone repeatedly thinks that they are going to fail the exam, they will feel more discouraged when studying, they will not make as much effort as they would if they were motivated and, therefore, it is possible that they will fail the exam and their initial idea will come true.

Techniques to manage ruminative thoughts before an exam.

Below are different psychological techniques that have proven effective with both ruminative or obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors.

1. Exposure to the exam situation

Performing a mock exam could help to detect those negative thoughts that surface in the moments leading up to the exam and also try to stay exposed to those negative thoughts. and also try to stay exposed to those feelings of anxiety brought on by the nerves that exams generate.

It would be convenient to carry out this practice as many times as necessary, until the nerves and psychological rumination diminish.

2. Massive practice of a situation as similar as possible to the exam.

When the confrontation with an exam has been successfully carried out on several occasions without the obsessive thoughts surfacing excessively and the nerves are reasonably controlled, the student will find himself with greater self-confidence to face the real exam.

In addition, the practice of mock exams is of great help to review and consolidate the studied subject matter, especially when the exam will be a mock exam.This is especially true when the exam will be a multiple-choice test, in which case it is very important to train oneself to detect wrong answers, not to mention the possibility of repeating some questions in the final exam that have been asked during the mock exams.

3. Reinterpret ruminations

To reason realistically those obsessive thoughts, trying to eliminate the catastrophism that accompanies them.trying to eliminate the catastrophism that accompanies them; all this making an adequate estimation of the probabilities of real damage that these thoughts would produce; so that the maximization of the negative part in them could be checked.

4. Exercises of exposure in imagination

In this case, the technique consists of imagining oneself in the moments prior to and during the examinationIn this case, the technique consists of imagining oneself in the moments before and during the exam, so that it helps the student to get used to the feared situation and to stop arousing so much anxiety. It can be a good complement to the real exposure.

5. Techniques from Mindfulness

The main objectives of practicing Mindfulness are the following:

• That the person learns to control his or her attention and to be able to redirect it where he or she chooses.
• Maintain a different relationship with those ruminative thoughts that torment you, being able to observe them from a distance.
• To desist in the attempts to fight by force those negative thoughts that emerge when you find yourself engrossed in this vicious imaginative circle.

6. Progressive muscular relaxation

When pre-exam nerves and obsessive thoughts cause great discomfort, it may be helpful to perform relaxation exercises that consist of tensing the muscles for a few seconds and then relaxing them again, so that with practice you learn to produce this relaxation response to events and thoughts that cause tension. It is convenient to divide the muscular tension/relaxation exercises by Muscle groups..

This technique has also demonstrated efficacy against insomnia. Therefore, it can be useful at times when students have difficulty sleeping during the days leading up to an exam.

7. From the Behavioral Activation (CA)

This type of psychological therapy seeks that people do not remain 'engrossed' in their ruminative thoughts; considering the thoughts as a behavior and, consequently, takes into account that it is associated to certain situations with their respective events that precede those thoughts and consequences in the form of states of mind.

To know the consequences of psychological rumination, an exercise known as the '2-minute rule' is used, which consists of looking for a solution to the problem during that time and, if you do not find it, look for an alternative. This can help to become aware of the negative consequences of the ruminating process.

Another alternative of this therapy is the exercise of transforming rumination into a problem-solving process, trying to identify the problem that triggers the rumination and think of ways to solve it.Another alternative of this therapy is the exercise of transforming rumination into a problem-solving process, trying to identify the problem that triggers the rumination and think of ways to solve it.

One exercise proposed by this therapy that can be of great help consists of that, when the ruminative thoughts begin, the person directs his or her attention to what is around him or her, focusing on what he or she is hearing.focusing on what he/she is hearing, what he/she can see and the sensations it arouses.

One way to avoid rumination and be productive may be to focus on the task at hand. In the case of a student, when it is difficult to concentrate, it might be helpful to start summarizing and concept mapping, focusing fully on what you are writing and how you are structuring it.

Stimulus control and good study habits

In addition to the exercises and techniques proposed above, it is very important to find the right place where to carry out an optimal study and to have a lifestyle and to carry out a lifestyle that allows a productive and stable study routine over time.

The first of all is to carry out a good planning of the material to be studied in terms of the subdivision by topics or subjects to be addressed each day and the organization of study schedules will be the basis of a good preparation for an exam.

The longer a study schedule is kept stable, the more likely it is that it will become routine and, therefore, the less effort it takes to carry out the study. This will make it easier for ruminative thoughts to disappear.

Second, find a comfortable, distraction-free place to study. It does not matter if you study in a library or at home, and even if you alternate both places, that is something very personal. What is really important is that we choose a place where we feel we can concentrate..

Having study buddies might be helpful to be able to encourage each other, as long as it doesn't mean more distraction for both of you. It would be helpful to have someone to chat with during breaks when you are studying and even to ask each other questions about the subject you are studying.

Putting your mobile device away and taking it out of sight avoids multiple distractions while studying.. It is also not advisable to abstain from it for a long time if it is difficult or if you are waiting for an important call, as this could cause anxiety and, consequently, greater distraction than if you have your cell phone within reach. For this reason, it would be advisable to take breaks every few minutes of study to be able to glance at the cell phone.

Another fundamental aspect is sleep and good nutrition.. If they are not carried out correctly, it is likely that the student is tired and unwilling to start studying. In addition, it is widely demonstrated that during sleep, what was studied the day before is consolidated in the memory; not to mention the benefits provided by some foods such as salmon or walnuts, which are rich in omega 3 and help prevent cognitive impairment.

Allowing yourself one day of total disconnection per week is usually highly recommended to recharge your batteries after a week of extensive effort and thus resume the following week with energy. This would also help to have a clear mind and thus avoid rumination.