Are you in the middle of an exam, and you are already stressed out? You are not alone
The whole process of reading and preparing for an exam can be stressful, especially for students who have multiple exams to write in a few days. Dealing with such stress can be difficult. The exams are closely spaced, your brain and body are signaling you to stop studying, but you just can’t because you still have a lot to read. How do you get out of such a difficult situation?
The pressure of exam stress is on the rise. With an estimated annual increase of about 20-50% of students in the university who desperately need help with mental health issues, an ultimate guide on how to relieve exam stress is paramount.
Follow the study tips below and get rid of accumulated exam stress.
1. Get Enough Food, Sleep, and Exercise
Studying for a long time can be exhausting, especially when you’ve read past your normal sleeping time. Poor diet and lack of exercise can increase the signs of anxiety.
When preparing for exams, make sure you get about 8 to 9 hours of sleep and engage in aerobic exercise for at least an hour daily. Thus, ensure to eat a balanced diet, increase fruit intake, especially vitamin C, water intake, and less caffeine.
2. Limit the Use of Mobile Phones and Laptops
Excess use of mobile phones has a negative impact on mental health and causes stress. Phones and laptops can be great learning tools, but it is also an effective form of distraction when overused. You could limit their usage by:
- Having a limited number of times, you check your social media.
- Turn off all notifications while reading.
- Put off your phone and laptop whenever you want to sleep.
3. Take Short Breaks
Sometimes the brain needs to unwind a little and do something else. This happens when you have been reading for a long time.
Taking short breaks to do other things such as listening to calm music, taking a walk in the park, and other leisure forms helps significantly in relieving stress.
4. Study in an Organized Environment
They say, “A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.” This is very significant when studying for an exam. When you learn in a cluttered environment, your brain is distracted and overloaded. You will find it challenging to study in a disorganized environment. Disorganization impairs your brain’s ability to think and often leads to stress.
To get rid of this, ensure you have a clean environment, use drawers to reduce books on the desk, and always make sure to clean up the previous day’s mess to start a new day with an uncluttered space and mind.
5. Effective Time Management Technique
Effectively managing your time helps in reducing exam stress. Sadly, not all students know how to apply time management techniques effectively.
Having a daily plan makes you organized and know what to do at each time of the day. It also helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed with daily activities, thus reducing stress.
You manage your time effectively by having a To-Do list that contains the amount of time to spend on studying, sleeping, exercising, surfing the internet, completing assignments, and other activities for the day. Just having a To-Do list doesn’t solve this but strictly adhering to the time map out for each activity does.
6. Avoid Panicking
Many students tend to panic before, during, and even after an exam. Panicking at any point is terrible because it can cause anxiety and confusion.
If you find yourself in this situation, make sure to calm down, take deep breaths, and take things one step at a time. It is advisable to break down the work into chunks you can manage, think well, and solve them appropriately.
7. Trust Yourself
When we are faced with exam situations, we tend to forget how far we have come and how much we have achieved. It’s normal for negative thoughts to set in, and we start to second guess if we have done enough preparation for the exams.
When thoughts like that set in, you should always have a strong belief in yourself. As long as you have studied enough for the exam, you should have complete trust in your capabilities. Be your own number one cheerleader.
Exam stress contributes to the number of failures during exams. A lot of students cannot manage the stress that comes with studying for exams. This has also made them see exams as a death sentence.
It’s completely normal to feel stressed out during exams. The tension and emotions are all-natural and happen to everyone. However, it will be in your best interest to manage yourself during this time and get through the exams successfully.
According to Charles Ross, a professional academic writer at Affordable Papers, “consistency, not exams, is the true test of knowledge.”
Thus, ensure you have knowledge that would help you excel in your industry and not just pass your exams. You can outsource your essays to websites if you are looking to manage your time and prepare for your exams effectively.
The few tips mentioned above can significantly help in dealing with such stress. Do not be ashamed to seek professional help or share how you feel with friends, family, mentors, or personal tutors if you cannot tackle exam stress alone.