Exam stress affects most students in varied ways. It’s necessary to manage this stress and notice little ways of serving to eliminate the danger of burnout.
For some students, examinations may be a breeze; revision is second nature to them and they may ace an exam with their eyes closed. But for others, sweating palms and heart palpitations are simply a section of the territory, and it appears that nothing is more difficult than sitting down and studying. Before talking about how to deal with anxiety, let us why it happens!
Feeling anxious during exams is common, and majority of us go through it. And honestly, all of us know how to overcome it, but then, its EXAMS after all!
Some very common issues that lead to exam stress are discussed below-
Not Sleeping Enough
We all have seen our share of sleep-deprived undergrads travelling to high school. Whereas some folks thrive on very little sleep or claim to figure a lot of profitably in the dead of night, extended periods of exhaustion can have a negative impact on your well-being. As per a study at Harvard Medical School’s Health Sleep division, sleep optimizes focus and consolidation of memory, aiding our ability to recall information. Staying up an hour or 2 is acceptable, but not sleeping entire night is not only unhealthy, but also causes disturbances in our natural sleep cycle.
Unhealthy Diet
If you’ve been surviving on nothing but coffee, junk food and energy drinks, you are without a doubt contributing to your stress levels. Healthy eating has a positive effect on our focus/memory when studying, so it is worth taking the extra 30-minute break to cook a decent meal. Also, a healthy mind resides in a healthy body. So, it is advisable to eat healthy especially during exams.
Procrastination
You cannot deny this as being the biggest cause of the anxiety. It is a well-known fact that if you study every day, exams are just a child’s play! Furthermore, keeping everything on hold till a night before exam is a habit that should be changed as fast as you can. The earlier you began studying, the more you’ll be able to revise, which is ultimately in your benefits only.
Apart from these long term things, here are some handy tips that may facilitate to dissipate stress and ensure you can get through examination season.
Take regular breaks
It is not healthy to keep studying for all the time. Also, it becomes very tiring physically as well as mentally and you are completely drained during the time of writing exam. Regular breaks coupled with timely studies can do wonders. One should schedule fun things to do in the break time which will keep life interesting and monotony will not be there.
Go outdoors and exercise
Do not stay inside your room all the time. Simply one of the most annoying things about exam time is that it seems to occur just as the weather outside is better than the normal. Consider this as an advantage and go out. In addition to staying healthy, exercise is known to boost your mood and help make you more productive while revising.
In the coming days, more such tips and techniques will be coming up. We can help revise, rest is all up to you. Keep the anxiety in check!