10 Tips to Beat Exam Stress

The exam is infamous for causing unnecessary stress on almost on the students. There are a few students who study normally during exams, exams can be a breeze for such kind of students. They revise what is needed with calm. But there are others who fear exams and take the stress too much impairing their exam preparation.

While a small dosage of stress doesn’t cause havoc but push the student to study well, too much of stress can have bad effects on the student and the exam. High stress during exam can lead to anxiety and depression which harms the student’s exam preparation. A nervous student cannot focus on studies in such situation which leads to poor performance during the exam. Studying with a cool head and answering the questions the same way will boost the confidence and results in better outcome. Some of the symptoms of stress – heart palpitations, sweaty palms, racy mind makes it impossible for the student to sit and revise for the exam. To overcome the exam stress, we have listed few tips that can help the students get through the exam stress and study better.

Use these 10 tips to beat the exam stress

1. Regular breaks: Taking regular breaks is very much necessary during long hours of study. A break for every 40 to 50 minutes of studies helps the mind to relax and refresh. Don’t overburden the mind with too much information, let it breathe.

2. Don’t compare with others: Each student is different so is their capacity to study. Your ability to score marks is different from others. So, don’t (always) listen to others when they compare you to others. Comparing with others creates unnecessary pressure on the mind so stir clear off it.

3. Get enough sleep: A healthy mind and body is imperative to study well. Overworking without proper sleep will have disastrous result, which both affects the exam result as well as the health of the student. The brain which is the seat of cognitive functions – memory, concentration, reasoning must be healthy to function at optimal levels.

4. Avoid other stressed people: It is better avoid people who are anxious when you are stressed. It does not help a bit to ease the tension rather it multiplies the already existing stress on the mind. It better to avoid and instead on something that is uplifting, meet people who are positive and cheerful.

5. Talk things out: When the stress becomes overwhelming, it better to talk about it with someone – be it parents, teachers, peers or friends. Talking about what is bothering the mind with others will help the mind to cope and unburden it to great extent, facilitating the mind to return to normalcy.

6. Reduce clutter: Your place of study mirrors your mind, so declutter it as much as possible and keep it organised. A neat desk and room instils positivity whereas an untidy room hinders the learning process. With a neat, organised desk, you know where the necessary things are kept and it can be retrived without much delay. Learning environment plays an important role in the process studying and hence better the environment, better the learning process.

7. Reduce your sugar intake: Studies show that when you are stressed adrenal glands release cortisol – a stress hormone, which also affects the blood sugar level, so with more sugar intake the more stressed you feel. Your morning activities will have more effect on how to manage stress as body sets its blood sugar “clock” based on what you do after you wake up. To reduce sugar intake

   • do not skip breakfast
   • do not drink sugary drink/sugar candies
   • include protein rich breakfast, eggs, nuts, multi grains
   • eat 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

8. Write down the things you’re worried about: it has been proven that writing the things that you are worried about just before exams will help in reducing anxiety and improve the grades. Just give it a try.

9. Don’t multitask: Most of the people multitask with an aim to save time. It looks efficient but it also runs the risk of reducing the quality of work(s). And studies say that multitasking increases your heart rate and blood pressure, and causes stress. To avoid multitasking – set realistic deadline for the task at hand, get rid of distractions, make a list of topics to cover for the day, manage time with breaks included.

10. Focus on progress, not perfection: Don’t be hard on yourself, and do not crib over failures, it adds unwanted stress. Do not try to be a perfectionist, instead try to become a better version of yourself. Evaluate your progress but do not demean yourself (for the failures). Set realistic goals which are achievable instead of focusing on unachievable.

Some other tips to handle stress are given below:

• Exercise regularly, get your dose of sunshine, stretch, walk and eat healthy

• Listen to soothing music and sing your heart out.

• Get enough of vitamin c, proteins, fibre and drink enough water

• Practise breathing exercises and meditation

• Practise mindfulness

• Use positive affirmations

• Learn time management techniques

• Reduce your phone usage (especially social media)

• Do not isolate yourself unnecessarily, go out with your friends and family

• Enjoy your ‘me’ time by doing what you like most

• Think of a happy memory when you are stressed

Remember stressed mind cannot lead you to success though you have prepared well, so be calm and composed to get through the exam successfully.