Is Exam Stress Bothering You?

The exam is a crucial point of time for any student. Be it a topper or an average student, everyone goes through a phase where they are hit by palpitations, stress, nervousness, etc.
Though this is very common, you must know how to overcome it in order to remain stress-free during exam time and give your papers, tension free.

While this is a time that tests your knowledge and plays an important part for your future, let us first discuss all about the exam stress.

Firstly, let us understand what is exam stress?

Exam stress is a feeling a lot of students face during or before the exam, in the pressure to give their best. They have studied the entire year and now is the time to prove their proficiency.

Some students may feel like they are not able to give their best and lead them to over-think. There are several causes that lead to exam stress.

Here are some symptoms that indicate exam stress:

• • Nervousness
  • Sweating
  • Excessive crying
  • Aggression and irritation
  • Losing hope and motivation
  • Fear of not being able to be good enough
  • Self- doubt that leads to lack of self-confidence
  • Breathlessness, shaking and increased heart-beat.
  • Not being able to enjoy any activity
  • Nail biting, teeth grinding
  • Sleepless nights

 

 

Though these are just a few symptoms of exam stress, there could be other factors that indicate the same.

The students know when they are under pressure and so it is the responsibility of their parents and teachers to make sure they don’t go through such phase and stay calm.

Even, students reading this could take this point away – to not panic during the exam time as that would do nothing other than building the pressure. So students should always stay calm and relaxed during the exams.

While this is easier said than done, here we have few stress-busters that helps you relive exam stress and stay calm during that time.

HOW TO RELIVE EXAM STRESS?

While exam stress is completely normal, some students panic more than the others.

But this is not how it should be, here are a few very easy and quick steps that help you relive the stress and eventually score high:

• • Routine:

When you stick to a particular routine, it is much easier to overcome unnecessary palpitations and focus on studies only.

You can try to make a schedule and hang it on your wall, so that you can see it the entire day and work accordingly. This would not only reduce the stress and clutter, but would also help you stay organized.

• • Proper Nutrition:

Though this may sound like this has no relation with studying, it plays a very important role.

A healthy, balanced diet makes you stay alert and fit, and concentrate on studying.

If you consume junk food, it will cause you to sleep more and divert your focus. Along with that, you should also keep a check on water intake to stay hydrated.

• • Collect notes:

It is very important that you start to collect the notes from the very beginning and not rely on the end moment.

This would cause you to panic even more and increase the pressure built. This is something you should pre-plan and keep all the notes at one place.

Also, collecting notes would help you to not panic during the end moment and just rummage through the pages, right before exams.

• • Take quantitative breaks:

Who said you are not allowed to take breaks? There is no such rule that defines that studying for long hours continuously will give you higher benefits.

You must take breaks but, set a timer and limit the time so that you don’t waste your time, roaming around.

Setting a timer would ensure you do not waste time, instead, utilize your free time and make the most out of it.

It leaves you feeling happy and refreshed, and in turn, helps you to concentrate better.

• • Ask for help:

There is no shame in reaching out. If you ever feel like the stress is getting overwhelming and you are not able to cope up with it, it is highly advisable to ask for help from your teachers or parents or any other elder person.

Reaching out for help is an ideal solution to most problems, especially during exam times, when you need to stay calm.

What can parents do?

While children are going through a difficult phase in their lives, parents can prove to be their guiding light.

To the parents – you should not neglect their fear and stress as something vague, this would not only dishearten them but also make them lose all hopes.

You can try to keep them calm and relaxed by helping them in their schedule, monitoring the eating habits and making sure they take regular and timely breaks from study.

At times, your children might not be able to open up about the stress they are going through, and in this case, you should keep an eye out and check if they are facing any difficulties. Here is how you, as a parent can help your children out with exam stress:

• • Plan a healthy diet for them
  • Try to keep the environment calm and silent
  • Help in relieving stress by talking to them
  • Providing them with motivation
  • Being around them to provide assurance
  • Talk to other parents and find a solution to exam stress

What If Stress is Too Much?

There are some cases where the students might feel way more stressed out than usual and this could be really dangerous if not taken care of.

So it is always advisable to consult a psychiatrist nearby who could help students cope with exam stress, provide them proper care and solution and make sure that they feel better.

Every student needs guidance, counseling, and therapy at some point in their lives. Especially during the exam time, which is the deciding factor for their future, it becomes important to take care of exam stress.

It can hamper their learning ability and cause them to lose confidence in their ability altogether, it becomes very important in such case, to consult the best doctor for stress and find out a solution for the same.

But with the right guidance at the right time, this problem can be solved and students can easily tackle this problem to achieve their goals.