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1. Breathe

Deep breathing can help. If you feel overwhelmed at the sheer amount of studying that needs to be done before the exam, stop. Now find a quiet place. Sit up straight. Breath in deeply and count to five, pause for five and now exhale for five. Keep repeating this for two to three minutes. This can calm you down and will help you think clearly. You will now be able to work more effectively.

2. Exercise

Even the smallest amount of exercise can boost productivity, confidence and reduce your exam nerves. If you think that you don’t have enough time to exercise because you should be studying – this is flawed thinking. Even a 20 minute walk is the perfect investment to benefit your studies.

Try finding a friend that’s taking exams around the same time and exercise with them. Just ensure you don’t talk about how stressful your exams are, as these conversations can just extrapolate the problem. So cut out the negative talking and...

Here are three thoughts that can target the source of your procrastination:

1. “It can be flawed.”

You need to give yourself permission to act imperfectly. If you want to write a book, your first draft will never be up to scratch. It’s four or five drafts later where you see the real improvement. So until you give yourself this permission, you’ll stay inactive.

It will help you close the gap between what you want to do and what you can do – it also enables you to take action.

Perfectionism can be the root of procrastination. So when you stop aiming for perfection, you will become more productive. Give it a try.

2. “What’s the best thing I could be doing right now?”

As we’ve found out, procrastinators tend to be perfectionists and this is why trying to find the best course of action is such a prevalent time steal. Trying to pick the best way to complete a task can paralyse us. Instead, think of something actionable that...

We live in a world of constant communication. Technology has paved the way for longer working hours and staying in touch with colleagues about work in the evenings and on weekends. It has created a mentality that we can be approached anytime, anywhere about work.

But what’s the cost when you are connected for such a long period of time? Stress and anxiety. Anxiety is a learned response to the stress that you are put under – it can cause feelings of hopelessness and undue frustration. So as the emails keep piling up and the phonecalls seem to keep on coming, we explore a number of ways to remove yourself from that anxious headspace.

1. Cut out the caffeine

Although you may feel you need a cup of coffee to start off the morning with a bang, caffeine can mimic anxiety symptoms including shaky hands, an upset stomach and a racing heartbeat. It rarely causes anxiety, but it can heighten your symptoms if you are already feeling slightly...

Ask anyone what they want from life, and a common answer will be “to be happy”. Now of course, we know there are many different factors that contribute to happiness, but there are ways you can help yourself feel happier.

Below we look at some science-backed ways to train your brain to be happy.

Take three 30-minute walks a week

A study published by the American Psychosomatic Society found that three 30-minute fast walks or jogs improve recovery from clinical depression.

Also researchers from Penn State reported in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology that when people are more physically active, they have greater feelings of enthusiasm and excitement.

Have a 20-minute replay

Take 20 minutes to write about a positive experience to dramatically improve your happiness. This is because when you write about it, you actually relive it. You also relive it every time you read it – your...

Here are some examples of advice that don’t quite hit the mark:

1. “You don’t want to change, you enjoy being in pain.”

This is typically said when the person doesn’t feel like they can help. They shift the blame. But no one likes to be in pain – deep down they know that. People tend to use pain and suffering to achieve things that they can’t in a different, healthier way. They may get a kick out of antagonising someone, but they do not enjoy suffering of any kind.

2. “What is the use of getting angry? It doesn’t do any good.”

This is like asking “What is the point of getting a cold?” It’s the wrong question to ask. You won’t be able to find the right answers until you ask the right questions. People get angry whether it helps or hinders them. A better thing to ask them is, “Is there a way that you could manage your anger properly without causing yourself more pain?”

3. “Nobody can make you angry unless you let...

Claustrophobia is defined as an irrational fear of confined spaces. This can include spaces like lifts and trains. Claustrophobia is believed to affect around 5-7% of the world’s population.

Some people experience distress more than others, but some degree of fear surrounding being restrained is normal.

The problems occur when this fear affects your daily life. You may find you are unable to take lifts, or that you have to change your commute into work. At this point, you are typically described as having a phobia.

This means that whenever you come into contact with the source of the phobia (in this case, small spaces) you will feel a sense of rising panic. This leads to physical sensations like shortness of breath and palpitations – which can be scary in itself. In order to avoid this sensation again, you may avoid the trigger. This pattern of avoidance can make your phobia worse over time as you stop exposing yourself to certain...

Such self-destructing behaviours lead to indecision, procrastination, lack of focus, anger, self-doubt, self-pity and more. So whether your are trying to cope with a lack of motivation or too much pressure, you may need to adjust your expectations and priorities.

Breaking the cycle

1. Recognise the pattern

You need to recognise the pattern before you can break the cycle of self-sabotage. If you get a mental block at work, you will most likely focus on small, trivial tasks just to take your mind off things. A presentation may be due tomorrow, but right now you want to check your emails, reorganise your desk or talk with colleagues. These small distractions are called ‘non-confronts’; finding things to occupy your time so you have the perfect excuse when your current project goes unfinished.

2. Break the habit

When you find yourself taking part in a non-confront, immediately stop and think about why you are doing it...

Few people realise the toll lack of sleep has on their health. Getting enough sleep is imperative to both physical and mental health, allowing our brain and body the time it needs to calibrate and heal.

Take a look at the following questions – if you answer yes to even one of them, you would probably benefit from improving your sleep.

If you answer yes to more than one, it’s likely that an improvement in sleep quality will significantly improve your health.

• Do you wake up feeling tired, not energised?
• Do you feel as if you could sleep for a few hours more after waking?
• Do you rely on caffeine, sugar or other stimulants to keep you going throughout the day?
• Do you need to take long naps during the day?
• Do you feel wired instead of tired when you go to bed?
• Do you rely of sleeping medication to get to sleep?
• Do you lie awake, wishing you could get to sleep?
• Do you wake up frequently...