Emotionally Preparing for

Step One
Karin E. Nilsson, Ph.D.

UCD SOM Wellness Workshop

Student Health and Counseling Services/
Office of Student Wellness
January 22, 2015
Components of Emotional
Preparedness
 Arousal Management

 Health Maintenance

 Planning and Study Skills

 Social Support
 Performance Arousal Curve, a.k.a.
the Yerkes-Dodson Law
Performance

Perfectionism/Arousal
Don’t Let the Perfect Be the
Enemy of the Good

Procrastination can be a result of

perfectionism—avoiding the anxiety can lead
to avoiding the activity
Perfectionism-Procrastination
Relationship
 Not all perfectionism is harmful. But fear of
not being perfect can prevent us from starting,
for fear of failing or not being good enough.
 Putting off starting till we don’t have time to
rest can help us avoid experiencing when
things are half-done and feel less than perfect.
 Not allowing enough time to do our best sets
up an excuse to not be perfect.
 So…we need to manage the fear of not being
good enough without using procrastination.
Arousal Management
 Positive self-talk: accurate, believable
 Relaxation—recreation, time with friends
 Exercise
 Meditation: free downloadable MP3s at
 https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/resources/podca
sts/#.VLmNEVql2eg
 Good nutrition
 Avoid over-caffeinating/substance use
 SLEEP—this is a marathon, not a sprint, your
brain needs sleep to learn
Positive Self Talk
 Avoid comparing your insides to others’
outsides
 Identify specific, believable, accurate things
you can say to yourself
 Avoid generalizations
 Do one nice thing for yourself each day. e.g.,
listen to a favorite piece of music, talk to a
friend, take a walk in a beautiful place, take a
yoga class
Importance of Sleep
 Evidence that sleep helps consolidate material
learned during the day
 Establishing a good, strong circardian rhythym will
help on the day of the test
 Sleep helps prevent illness, helps us manage
anxious feelings
 Sleep deprivation leads to reduced performance
 Sleep has not been eliminated for any animal
through evolution—it must be vital to have
persisted through natural selection when we are so
vulnerable when we’re asleep!!
Making a Study Plan

 Setting Useful Goals

 Using your assessment
information
 Using the Buddy system
“SMART” GOALS

 Specific

 Measurable

 Achievable/Adjustable

 Realistic

 Time-framed
Things to Remember about
Study Planning
 Build in breaks every day
 Build in “catch up” or rest days
 Be honest with yourself about other
commitments you may have. Build them into
your plan—everyone will know what to expect
 Use daylight hours—also promotes good sleep
 Plan blocks of time, not the whole day as one
chunk
 Prioritize the day’s tasks in case you have to
make adjustments
Study Skills revisited
 New evidence suggests that mixing up where you
study helps you learn
 Alternating among different aspects of a topic helps
form stronger memories of that topic
 Test taking increases learning—retrieval helps
strengthen memory
 Mimic Test-Taking Environment: Multi-tasking is not
helpful; turn off email, Facebook, Instagram, news
feeds, YouTube. Take breaks and enjoy connecting,
but avoid quickly alternating among activities—it is
detrimental to concentration and learning.
Self-Assessment in Planning
 Use results of pre-assessment as a tool, not a
measure of your value or future success

 Acknowledge which subjects you struggle with

and which you enjoy. Intersperse the hard
stuff with stuff you feel good studying, but
prioritize so you don’t spend too much time
studying topics you already know.
Accountability Buddies
 Talk about expectations: Feedback? Just
listening? Rewards? How frequent shall the
check-ins be?

 Not necessary to pick someone you are close

to—sometimes having a buddy who is only an
acquaintance can be helpful.
Time Management Matrix
Urgent Not Urgent
QI – Quadrant of QII––Quadrant
QII Quadrantof
of
Urgency Quality
Quality
Preparation,prevention
Preparation, prevention
Crises
Important

Pressing problems Values clarification

Values clarification
Deadline-driven projects Personaldevelopment,
Personal development,
self-care
Some meetings self-care
Planning
Planning
Relationship building
Relationship building
True recreation (re-creation)
True recreation (re-creation)

QIII – Quadrant of QIV – Quadrant of

Deception Waste
Not Important

Interruptions, some phone Trivia, busywork

calls Some phone calls
Some mail, some reports Time wasters
Some meetings “Escape” activities
Many nearby, pressing Irrelevant mail
matters Excessive TV
Many popular activities Excessive video games
Choose One Thing You
Will Do Today
Questions and Answers