When students prepare for competitive exams like the IAS exam then it may be challenging to keep their minds calm and settled even for the brightest students. The pressure and amount of competition can easily lead a candidate into a spiral of stress, depression and anxiety while preparing for the UPSC exam.
UPSC students struggle to keep their minds calm and their families or loved ones also face this problem because of these students. No doubt, every candidate is facing cutthroat competition for the civil service exam. Applicants study alone for long hours as they tend to be undisturbed while studying but it can instil stressful thoughts in the mind.
Being the toughest exam, IAS requires candidates to be persistent and resilient. Some candidates score top rank in the exam despite poor academic backgrounds while some students with brilliant academy track records failed to clear the IAS exam. What is the basic quality that differentiates winners from the rest in this exam?
Mental stability or the ability to go forward in the face of extreme conditions and advertising. Inarguably, intelligence and talent are essential to pass the IAS exam but mental stability is the key to cracking this exam.
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How to prepare
Every year lakhs of candidates attempt the civil service examination in order to get their goal of becoming a Civil servants for the nation. Peer pressure and expectations also increase the same as the number of applicants.
Therefore, this exam requires consistency, perseverance, immense answer writing practice, resilience and hard work along with smart work.
Keep in mind that you might not be able to live your former pre-candidate lives anymore when you decide to take this examination. A lot of changes in your personal life and habits are required to crack the exam.
Aspiring applicants have to undergo many changes in their lifestyles and habits and also have to maintain social pressure from family and friends to some extent. Most of the candidates know that they would have to sacrifice a lot of things. It is usual for UPSC candidates to set up late at night and study back to back day after day. Candidates often let go of their sleep to cover extra topics. Undoubtedly, using the maximum number of hours in a day is essential to cover the vast syllabus but candidates must understand that they shouldn’t compromise their health while doing so.
Our bodies are under high stress to regress discipline in order to increase our efficiency but keep in mind that the body also needs to rest properly. A well-rested healthy body and mind, free from stress are two of the major requirements for any civil service candidate.
Important tips to be mentally stable for the UPSC exam
A lot of Previous students suggest that you don’t have to be super intelligent to qualify for the IAS exam and this is absolutely true. The right strategy, practice and some amount of intelligence are all that it takes.
Intelligence accounts for only 30% of your achievements while taking the UPSC exam and what is remaining is mental stability. In other words, mental stability affects the candidate’s performance.
Follow these tips to gain clarity on the subject.
Use your mental and physical energy for the most beneficial purpose. Don’t waste your mental power thinking about unnecessary and unproductive issues as it will lead you in wasting mental energy
Mental stability or strength is a sure short formula to remain positive throughout your IAS journey. Don’t allow even a single thought of negativity to sleep into your mind as well as life.
Keep your emotions under control because a mentally stable person does not have an outburst of emotions. You will not be able to think rationally when emotion bursts out and emotion clouds your mind.
Aspirants must get out of their comfort zone in order to succeed in the challenging IAS exam. Be more open to adapting to change and face unfamiliar situations with relative ease. Candidates will need to exercise great mental strain during IAS preparation as this exam requires long hours of intense preparation. There will be many options down in your IAS journey but being mentally stable helps you to pull through this period and handle success and failure with equanimity. These are some tips on how you can avoid mental nervousness while preparing for the Civil Service examination.
Know the situation
Most civil service aspirants face emotionally draining experiences like peer pressure, homesickness, inability to maintain a balance between personal and professional lives that lead them to exhaustion or desperation.
The most important thing is to identify these symptoms when you begin to start feeling them. These are the signs that tell you, your body needs care.
It is very important to acknowledge the problem than closing your eyes to the warning signs as we all know prevention is always better than the cure. Staying alert is very important unless it might get too late for a cure.
Major reasons for mental weakness
Every candidate starts daydreaming when they start preparing for the Civil Service exam but all the illusions start fading out once the actual process of preparation starts. Don’t make your expectations larger than life and take the pressure of clearing the exam. Have faith in yourself to make decisions and also make a proper schedule that can lead you to success.
Don’t compare yourself with pears as it can lead you to the feeling of not being enough.
UPSC candidates feel immense pressure considering the syllabus therefore they make extreme schedules. They become quite harsh in their sleep patterns which is harmful to health.
Sometimes we don’t have many people in our circle who can keep us motivated. Many times people around us can be so negative that they can lead us to extreme levels of burnout. So if you are living and preparing together in groups then negativity can affect you pretty fast.
When candidates start civil service preparation then their life revolves constantly only around their exam preparation. They find themselves unable to make a balance in personal life and professional life.
Are you ready to crack the UPSC exam mentally?
First of all, ask yourself why you want to become an IAS officer or why you want to join the civil services. Do you intend to serve your nation or change the system or does some other motivation work for you? The reason may be whatever, you must be pumped up to qualify for the UPSC exam but it may be a bit difficult to maintain consistent energy at every stage throughout the journey of IAS preparation. Life is full of ups and downs so it is not easy to do your preparation consistently and try to maintain that same level of hunger to achieve your dreams.
There are higher chances to be demotivated and even dedication levels can be lower in between your preparation days but it is very important to maintain that motivation and enthusiasm all the way towards the end and it is not impossible you just need proper guidance and preparation strategy.
Why mental stability is important for you to crack the UPSC exam
Mental stability is linked to psychology as it is a psychological state. If your mental stability is under control, your overall functioning will be handled. It is very easy to feel your motivation levels depleted when you are preparing for one of the toughest exams in the country.
Candidates need to spend at least 6 to 12 hours a day for a year as UPSC preparation is an intensive one. The syllabus is vast and you cannot live with any stone unturned. Hence, it is very difficult to keep the same motivation for 365 days straight. There are many ways to keep yourself motivated and mentally stable.
How to stay mentalist table during your preparation
Good health is directly related to your motivational levels. If you are facing health problems your motivation level will be absolutely low and if you have good health you will be highly motivated naturally and will feel good about whatever you are doing. To get motivated for the UPSC exam, you need to maintain good health as well as mental health.
Some candidates fall sick physically or mentally during the preparation days and waste vital preparation time. It is very difficult to cope with the lowest time because you cannot get back the time you lose. So if you don’t want to be one of those candidates facing sickness and losing your crucial preparation time then first of all take care of the physical aspect of your health.
Most of the students reduce the amount of sleep they take in order to prepare more in a day when they start their journey of preparing to become an IAS officer.
Eating junk food will lead to the worst health effects so avoid it completely and have healthy food to fulfil your hunger. Have a proper diet so that your health does not affect you and you don’t fall sick. Some candidates skip their meals only to finish one topic or chapter. They often eat ready to eat meals from outside to save their time. Homemade food is a better option rather than anything else so try to stick to this routine at least for your preparation time and always eat good nutritious food.
Regular exercise keeps your mind fit, increases energy level, and helps your mind and bodywork in coordination. There is no need to give long hours to work out. 15 minutes of exercise daily will help you to keep yourself healthy and feel boosted.
Moreover, you should also care about your mental health. Meditation is one of the best ways that help you release all the stress and tension during IAS preparation. Meditation after regular intervals rejuvenates your soul.
Consumption of any type of drug intakes like alcohol or cigarettes should be avoided completely. You are going to join the most decorated officer rank in the nation so you should follow some rules from the beginning, avoid all these things and take care of your health.
Spend quality time with your family, friends and loved ones whom you can trust. You can play sports, maybe watch a movie or anything that makes you rejuvenated. Quality time with friends allows your conscious mind to relax and take your mind off the study for some time. It also helps your subconscious mind process to store information that you have consumed.
No doubt, the preparation time is one of the most crucial phases of your life and it will decide your future. So take every step wisely and no energy will stop you from succeeding to great heights in life.
Emotional stability
Emotional stability is very important so that you stay motivated during your IAS journey. There may be various reasons that can affect your emotional strength. Maybe it is a relationship issue or not understanding a topic or someone is demotivating you or any difficult situation. All these things not only demotivate you to carry on with your exam preparation but also lower your emotional strength. You need to stay emotionally strong in these troubled times. Keep in mind that these are temporary pains. Think about why you actually started preparing for IAS and you will definitely get the result of all your struggle so you need to be emotionally stable during your preparation times.
How to avoid negativity
Since you are preparing for one of the most competitive exams in the country, you should avoid all negative thoughts penetrating your mind. You have a clear dream or goal and you have to complete it anyhow. So avoid negative people because they don’t want you to succeed and also distance yourself from social media as much as you can.
Sometimes, situations get out of control and you need some professional help or take consultation. You can also take help from our experts that will guide you through the right path or if you have some emotional issues you can consult a psychologist. It will help you to be emotionally strong and to release mental stress and gain emotional stability.
Take some break if required, it will make you re-energies and rejuvenate.
Taking a break only just to run from the preparation is not good but if you actually feel like taking a break then just take it without any guilt.
You will have to make a lot of compromises otherwise you would not be able to crack the UPSC exam. For example, missing out on birthday celebrations, favorite movies, vacations, waking up early morning and sleeping late at night, following strict timetables. But when you follow this regime then you will live the life you always dream of after succeeding.
Make sure you are working hard on the right
path for example at Youth Destination, you will get proper guidance and updates regarding your progress and will know the areas you can improve.
