I caught the stomach flu this week and although I am not studying for the bar exam right now, I am tutoring those studying and working on my own projects—basically taking time off to be sick really wasn’t on my list of things to do this week. But as I was taking time off yesterday (and watching terrible TV shows) I started thinking about bar students who get sick in these final weeks. If this is you, here are some tips to get through!
If You Get Sick During Bar Prep
The most important thing you can do is recover. Although you may feel like watching potential study hours slip away is going to kill your chances of passing, it isn’t. Remember, you have been studying for this exam for weeks, even months. If you lose a day in bed (or even two) it is not going to be the end of the world. Yes, you might feel like you have fallen slightly behind, but a worse reality is being sick for five days, not one or two, because you didn’t take time off to get better.
Don’t believe me?
Here is a story from Alison (the fabulous co-founder of this site). When she was studying for the California bar exam she got very sick. So sick she was in bed for days. No studying—just being sick. And on top of that, while she was sick in bed there was a fire in the building next door! She woke up to massive smoke clouds pouring out of the house next door, onto her back patio! Then she got evacuated by the fire department (nothing like being sick and having a fireman come evacuate you from your house). (This is a picture Alison took after she had been evacuated, just in case you thought we were making this stuff up! That’s her building on the right.)
Did Alison push through and study while she was sick in bed? No, she got better so when she could study she was at her best. And you know what? She passed the bar exam.
It is important to listen to your body.
If you are sick, your body is telling you that it needs help. It needs time to heal. By not listening to yourself and trying to study while under the weather you are likely going to make it harder to get better. And that is what will hurt your bar prep. A few days of being sick is one thing—a week or more of being sick is another.
So do what you can to stay healthy, but if you do get sick, take time to get better. Remember your body and your mind both need to be at their best for exam day!
Check out these other posts that might be of interest to you:
- Bar Study Tips: Getting Mentally Ready for the Bar Exam
- Bar Study Tips: How to Cope with Stress
- Bar Study Tips: It’s July! Are you Freaking Out?
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That was the worst! I literally left my house with my laptop, wallet, and phone, and nothing else (including all of my bar books). For a while there, it really seemed like it might all burn up!
Sounds like a good time to have MBE lectures on your iPod. Even if you’re dozing in and out of consciousness, the various types of property interests can seep into your brain.
PG, that isn’t a bad idea!