Tips for Managing Stress during Exam Season

Stress is a natural human response—physical, mental, or emotional—to address a challenging situation or state. Prolonged stress may lead to physical and psychological health problems. Along with health problems, it may impact lack of focus and memory, affecting the well-being of an individual. The ability to cope with difficult events and situations by taking proactive steps to reduce stress levels is stress management. Managing stress effectively leads to a more balanced & healthier life.

Since exam time is approaching, let’s delve into the world of stress felt by students and its management, as the ultimate goal of life is the ability to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head-on.

Family pressure, peer pressure, ever-rising competition, high score expectations, and fear of social disapproval are a few of the reasons that generate huge exam stress. When students are not able to meet the expected exceptional results, they become stressed out. Competition that has risen between guardians and the expectation of wanting their children to become top can create high-level stress between students. However, this kind of stressful environment is unhealthy before an examination.

To achieve success, it is essential to stay calm without the effects of anxiety, and mental health should be the first consideration. Let’s go through some helpful tips to burn out Exam Stress!

Meditation, Exercise and our brains (Be Active)

• Yes! A mental exercise known as meditation has been shown to have positive effects on both the body and the mind in terms of education. By exercising the memory during meditation, the number of information storage cells in the brain is increased, preserving the brain’s capacity to store new memories. It has been proven that those who practiced meditation performed up to ten times better on a working memory test.
• Being active with 30 minutes of exercise increases blood flow to the brain and enhances memory and mood.
• A walk for 10 minutes may release endorphins, which reduce stress.
• Better grades and less stress are the end results of regular meditation and exercise.

Time management and priorities (Be Open to Alter)

• Time management is the key factor of the exam preparation. Effective time management skills do not only provide you success but also help to reduce stress levels. However, you can prepare a timetable for better exam preparation by allotting specific slots for specific subjects. It is necessary to prioritise the subjects. Once you recognise your priority, you will be able to manage preparation properly. Before proceeding, make a rough outline of how much time you want to dedicate to each subject.
• Altering the variables to the regular timetable also works well. Ensure that it is well-balanced with work, family, pleasure, and some solo activities.
• It is necessary to take a day off.
• Do group study (Alter study patterns)—Group study is one of the best ways to reduce your stress and can be planned for a day in a week. Call your friends at your home and resolve questions. It will be a fun learning session. If you love silence, you can visit your nearest library with your friends. After resolving tricky questions with your mates, your stress level will be reduced.

Eat healthy, and sleep well (Ready to Adapt)

• To reduce stress, it is necessary to adapt to healthy food and a sound sleep routine. Fruit juice, dry fruits, and other healthy foods must be included in your diet. Eat chocolate whenever you feel low.
• Keep a water bottle in front of your study table; it keeps you hydrated.
• Sufficient sleep for at least 8 to 9 hours reduces tension and worry.
• Enough sleep and more water help your body to perform its best. So, it’s better to feed your body and brain with healthy components. So, keep your soul healthy and give the best exam.

Stay positive and confident

• Maintaining a positive attitude is necessary during the exam period. If you are struggling with self-doubts or excessive stress, it can ruin your positivity. Along with hard work and determination, good results on the exam also depend on your attitude and mindset. If your body and mind stay positive, you will remain stress-free and focused.
• Relax your soul by breathing in and breathing out. Sit in a comfortable place and inhale slowly. Hold your breath for a second, then slowly let it out. If you can stay relaxed during exam time, your stress will vanish.
• If you are struggling with some questions, never feel shy to discuss them with your friends. You can talk with your friends or family to sort out your problems. It helps you to find the right solution.

Logging off social media (To Avoid)

• Students are attracted to social media accounts, especially Facebook, Instagram, etc. You should stop watching videos and scrolling Facebook newsfeeds. Thus, you can save the total number of hours that you are wasting by watching social media. A long social media gap can help you to reduce stress before an exam.
• Don’t make any last-minute changes. It is really important to have a proper exam plan and stick to the plan. Don’t follow any new tricks or add something new to your study plan. Any type of last-minute changes can destroy the overall exam routine. It may have a negative impact on the exam. Don’t include any new chapter or new practice in your daily routine.
• Sometimes, we get unpredictable questions. Avoid distraction when you see different questions, and if you see nothing coming, according to you, don’t be nervous. It is essential to be focused during examination time. Tip: Practice a lot on various topics and focus on concept clearance rather than rote memorisation during exam preparation.

Exams are an important aspect for every student to evaluate the learning outcome. Everyone indeed wants to achieve a good grade score. In this course, students end up increasing their stress level. Consulting a good teacher to make a good preparation, a good study plan, a few alterations to suit the challenging environment, a positive attitude, and proper time management, in a nutshell, can help to reduce the exam stress resulting in good scores.

“If you work hard enough and assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires” – Malcolm Gladwell