Beat Your Exam Stress
Have you ever seen a happy, stress-free student just before an exam? Final exams are just around the corner. You must be in a hurry to finish all the remaining portions and jump to revisions as soon as possible. Every student will experience exam stress of some form. It is an unavoidable part of a student’s life and at times can be a tough nut to crack. Remember that stress exists for a reason and ‘how to use it’ it’s up to you! You can either let it be your downfall or use it to improve your learning.
Before you’re armed to combat exam stress, you first need to understand the reasons behind this heightened anxiety. Some common explanations are:
- Lack of preparation and planning
- High expectations from others
- Competition from peers
- Low motivation levels
The only difference between the students who allow stress to overwhelm them as well as those who use the stress to push them harder is that the latter recognize that they’re still in control. They pause, choose and reflect the path that helps them to overcome the stress, not waiting for the wave to wash them out. Here are some amazing tips that help you reduce your exam stress levels and ensure maximum efficiency before, amid and straight after the examination!
Healthy Diet
- Eating fresh food and lots of fruit is really important. Also, juices enriched with vitamin C, like grapefruit or orange juice, are said to be good for your immune system and help with stress.
- When you are tired and busy it can be tempting just to grab another ready meal or pizza, but eating a meal that is cooked from the scratch can be therapeutic and healthier.
Meditation
- Well, it might sound simple, but sitting quietly for 10 to 15 minutes a day can really help with stress levels. If you have never tried meditation before, then it is worth a go.
- In addition, good breathing techniques can also put you in a more relaxed state as they send oxygen surging through your bloodstream. Thus, it helps calm you down and beat the stress.
Exercise
- Carrying out sports at least once a week is the best way to reduce stress. It not only helps your body produce endorphins but also it makes you feel good. A daily walk of 30 minutes can even help reduce stress levels but it is even better to work out. If you don’t feel like it at the time, bet you will feel the benefits afterward.
- Also, joining a sports club could help with stress as the regular contact with other people will help improve your mood.
- Why not yoga? It is a great way to ease your mind as well as relax your muscles.
Don’t Cram
- Studying a night before the exam causes the level of stress in the body to increase. This stress, unfortunately, doesn’t decrease when you go to sleep. So, the best way to reduce anxiety is by taking the night before an exam off, just to relax. You can watch TV, read a novel or talk to a friend.
- If you are one of those people who become anxious as of not studying the night before an exam, it’s better to review the main points of your subject earlier in the day then leave the night free for other things.
Maintain A Regular Sleep Pattern
- A regular sleep of 7 hours is mandatory for your body to function well. Sleep at a regular time and never alter your sleeping cycle for anything.
- It’s not important whether you get up early or study late, as long as you get into the habit of being most alert at the time of the exam.
- Stop working an hour before bedtime. So that you will find it helpful to do some muscular relaxation, which is especially effective in relieving stress.
Eat Dark Chocolate
Okay, this will be one of the favorite parts! Who can say no to chocolates? Believe it or not, it is absolutely true. Dark chocolate contains over 70% cocoa that fights the stress hormone- cortisol and gives an overall relaxing effect on your body. In addition to that, chocolate releases endorphins – a natural stress fighter.
Prepare To Be Prepared
This is simple! Before going to bed the night before your exam, make sure to collect everything together that you’ll need for the exam including:
- Sharpened pencils
- Pens
- Ruler
- Eraser
- Calculator
- Water bottle
- Your lucky shirt (If you believe so!)
- Tissues
- A watch
Double check the time of your exam, seat number as well as the location. Allow some time for problems such as lack of fuel, traffic on the way, arrive with time in order to spare so that you go into your exam peacefully rather than in a frantic rush sweating!
Apart from all these, try to stay away from social media such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and so on as they may distract you. So there you have it. A few basic ways that you can make exam time a lil’ bit easier. We hope that you will use these tips to de-stress yourself and come through with flying colors!
And yes, lots of luck with the exams!!!
