There are many incredible uses for essential oils, and in today’s stressful world it’s good to know that we can take some of the pressure off by using essential oils for exam success.
Many of us are under great pressure these days, whether that be stress and anxiety from outside influences or pressure that we place on ourselves to succeed. We all have times where we are concerned that we are not measuring up. But don’t worry, relief is on the way.
This blog post will explore, not only key essential oils for exam success, but also a process of study habits that you can follow to help maximize your chances for success. I’ve got you covered with DIY recipes that you can create today so that you can plan your routine right away.
Why using holistic methods for studying is so important
Have you ever read a paragraph of text only to realize when you get to the end that your eyes followed the words, but you weren’t really paying attention? Our focus can be splintered when we have a lot on our minds, or when we experience stress in general.
Using essential oils along with a healthy study routine will greatly improve your chances of success. Start with deliberate action, and track your progress along the way.
Below is a roadmap to establishing your study routine for success.
Create your study environment
First you need a healthy study environment. This should be a quiet place, away from distractions. Sit somewhere that is comfortable but not sleep inducing. Put your cell phone away during study time. You can set an alarm for study breaks. Get up, walk around, find some water and give yourself a short break.
Use your favourite essential oil or essential oil blend in a diffuser while studying. This will help your concentration, memory retention, and will help you to relax enough to focus. If you are studying in a public area, you can use a personal inhaler or roller bottle with your essential oils in it.
Nighttime habits for study success
Daytime study habits show much more success when paired with nighttime habits. Place the same essential oil blend that you have used during the day into your diffuser for the night. Make sure that you use a diffuser with a timer. Keep a diffuser in your bedroom and add the blend to your diffuser just before going to bed. Using the same essential oil blend during the day to study and at night while sleeping helps to reinforce learning.
If you want to keep to a personal scent, add your essential oil blend to a cotton ball and place it under your pillow. Or create a roller bottle blend and place it on your wrists before bed.
Measure Your Success
The best way to know if you will be successful on an exam is to create a practice one. Try to find a source online with sample questions or make up questions yourself. I find it very useful to write questions onto recipe cards and place the answers on the back. Ask yourself the questions and check your responses. As you answer correctly, create a pile of cards that contains answers that you haven’t yet learned. Over time you can focus on the questions that you haven’t mastered. Just remember to go back to the questions that you did get correct so that you solidify that learning.
5 Ways Essential Oils Can Help With Exam Success
1. Enhanced Concentration
Essential oils can help to quiet nagging ideas and the chatter that happens in our minds, especially when we need to get something done or solve a problem. Add in some extra responsibilities such as looking after family members, concerns at work and the genuine desire to succeed and you have a lot going on in your mind, even at rest.
Essential oils can help you with focus and concentration, allowing you to get down to what matters at the moment – studying! Leave the rest of your concerns behind until it is time to deal with them.
2. Stress Reduction
Focus and stress reduction go hand in hand. Essential oils help you to create a relaxing study environment. By using scents that you love, you will be drawn to your study space, adding a layer of contentment to study time.
3. Memory Boost
Some essential oils, such as rosemary, have been linked to improved memory and cognition. Increased relaxation while studying and good circulation to the brain will help with learning and memory.
4. Uplifting Your Mood
Put yourself in a positive mood for your study time by using essential oils that are known to uplift the mood. Believing that you can be successful heightens your potential for success.
5. Better Sleep Quality
Part of exam success is getting a good rest. We function better in all aspects of our lives with good sleep. Sleep allows for our internal systems to repair, and gives your body much needed rest from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Allow your senses to have a break from external stimulus that exhaust us, such as sights, sounds, stressors, and electronics.
9 Best Essential Oils for Exam Success
These essential oils can be beneficial when studying for tests and exams.
1. Rosemary
Rosemary essential oil can help to alleviate mental fatigue. It is beneficial for memory, concentration and helps with circulation.
2. Eucalyptus Dives
Eucalyptus dives helps with alertness and concentration. This may be useful to you if your study sessions are during the “afternoon slump” when it is difficult to keep your eyes open and focus.
3. Peppermint
Interestingly, some people find peppermint to be stimulating, while others find it to be relaxing. This may be because peppermint can provide alertness, but can also reduce blood pressure. Either way, using peppermint essential oil for studying is a great choice. Peppermint can also help with digestive discomfort.
4. Lavender
Those who love lavender know it is a general tonic for the mind and body. Lavender is relaxing, helps with sleep, stress, and aches and pains of all sorts. If lavender is not your thing you can still experience its effects by placing it in a blend where the scent of another oil is likely to take over, such as basil.
5. Lemon
If you become nauseous when nervous or stressed, using a combination with lemon may be helpful for you, especially when blended with peppermint. Lemon is uplifting and will help you with alertness and concentration.
6. German chamomile
German chamomile is a cooling oil that can help in hot situations, such as anger or stress. It soothes the nervous system and can help you get better quality sleep.
7. Basil
Basil essential oil is beneficial for stress and anxiety. It can help you find mental strength, especially when experiencing burnout.
8. Sweet Marjoram
Sweet marjoram can helpful to quiet the mind. It is one of my favourite oils for selfcare. Sweet marjoram can help with aches and pains, and digestive discomfort. It can help provide a more restful sleep.
9. Mandarin
Mandarin essential oil is great at calming stress, and is a good choice for younger students. It has relaxing properties and can help you get a good night’s sleep.
Additional tips for exam success
Eat a healthy diet
More and more studies are coming out proving the gut-brain connection. Eating a healthy diet can help with brain fog, mood and cognition.
Stay hydrated
Drink lots of water. Proper hydration is one of the first rules of heath and wellness. It helps to prevent headaches and improves brain function. It’s helps with circulation and transportation of essential nutrients. Water can help you with focus when your attention begins to get distracted. Hydration can provide you with energy and help to balance your mood.
To get more water into your day, make sure that you have a travel mug with you or beside you during the day. You should know how much water the vessel takes so that you can track the number of full containers that you need during the day. I have a water mug that holds half of my daily recommended intake. To meet my recommended intake, I know that I have to drink two of them. This makes it very easy to get enough water during the day. Remember that you options like green and herbal teas if drinking water is hard for you.
Take Mindfulness breaks
Whether it’s 10 minutes of meditation, breathing exercises, stream of consciousness writing, or going for a walk, be sure to take mindfulness breaks. It’s as important to fully relax during the day while awake as it is to get a good night’s sleep. If you listen to music while studying, try looking for a playlist with a study timer.
What to do on exam day
Create a personal inhaler or roller blend for exam day. Make sure that you inhale the blend before beginning the exam. Use the same essential oils that you have studied with will help your memory recall.
Using affirmations such as, “I will be successful”, “I will crush it today”, “today I pass this course”, or whatever resonates with you will help you to be successful. Attitude is everything.
Here are a few personal recipe suggestions that you can try for your study time.
Exam day roller blend
Use the same essential oils that you have used for studying. Place 6-10 drops of your blend into a 10ml roller bottle containing 9.5 ml jojoba oil and use this on your pulse points on exam day.
To create a personal inhaler, you can place up to 20 drops of your essential oil blend onto the cotton wick before putting the inhaler together.
Best of luck on your exams!
