While exams are a part of students’ life, many youngsters who aims to score high experiences the exam stress. Exam stress can cause extreme anxiety in students, preventing them from studying and revising with a calm and relaxed mind. It may appear both before and after the exams.
Exam pressure and an innate desire to perform well lead to stress. In a fiercely competitive environment, managing stress becomes imperative for staying calm, composure, and achieving the desired results.
No worry! You are in right place! The below five stress-busting tips can hugely help you to perform well during exam time.
Stay active and improve your physical health
Stretching improves flexibility, but did you know that it also reduces tension and blood pressure? Physical activity is one of the best ways to deal with stress and anxiety.
Exercise reduces stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. At the same time, it helps release dopamine, which is like your motivation molecule to stay focused, more attentive.
Furthermore, when your physical health improves, you’ll be in a better position to deal with stress. The benefits of being outdoors for even 15 minutes a day are numerous. Walk in the park, get out your skipping rope, or take a short bike ride around your neighbourhood. All of these will lift your heart rate, leaving you feeling more alert and energised, as well as less stressed! Also gives you time to think, as well as time to get away from studying for a short while.
Treat yourself
When your exams are right around the corner, it’s easy to put aside all other responsibilities and your social life, but you should still make the time for them. Spend time with your friends! Maintaining the balance between your personal and academic lives will help you stay focused on your studies, prepare for your exams, and overall, perform well in your exams. Take some time out for yourself, such as going for a walk, eating dinner with your family, or taking a relaxing bath. You should treat yourself for all of your hard work however you like – but make sure not to wait until the end of your exams to do so.
Think positive
Stress and anxiety are often linked to the pressure we place on ourselves to achieve a certain grade. Additionally, negative thought patterns can lead to increased self-doubt. Taking an exam can seem intimidating, but if you have studied effectively, there shouldn’t be anything new or too challenging for you. Test your knowledge by taking the exam. Prove to yourself and your teachers how much you have learned. You have survived exams before, so there is no reason you can’t succeed on this one, too. Remain confident about your abilities to tackle the next exam.
Eat right
In addition to studying hard, focusing on eating habits is important for improving productivity and performing well on exams.
Are there any healthy and nutritious foods that can help you achieve better grades? Is drinking plenty of water really beneficial to your mood and brain power? Studies say what you eat can affect your mood, alter stress levels, irritability and promote calmness. Eat three meals a day and include healthy snacks to keep your energy levels high. So, adopting a healthy eating habit not just during exam season but every day will keep your body and mind strong.
Breathe
Is the amount of revision or exams you have stressing you out? Or do you tend to panic just before going in to an exam?
Mindfulness and breathing techniques can help you enter your body and mind into a state of calm, helping you to relax and focus. Be aware of your mind and body. Meditation that focuses on the breath is a widely used and effective method. This can be as simple as observing the breath entering and exiting the body. You can also lie on your back, close your eyes and focus on one part of your body at a time to be fully present in any situation.
Talk it out
Despite all of these strategies helping you to deal with stress during exam time, some people may continue to experience anxiety or stress even after exam time is over. You may want to talk to someone such as a family member, friend, or counsellor about how you are feeling and come up with additional strategies to reduce stress. You are not alone if you seek support, and often, simply talking about your situation can alleviate some of the pressure.
These are the top tips backed by research, which will enable you to beat exam stress. Happy studying!
