Student life is the most crucial period of a person's life. It's a roller coaster ride of happiness, sadness, curiosity, expectations, disappointments, failure, fear, success, and much more. A student keeps acquiring knowledge to make progress toward better things in the future. But in between all these things comes the phases where every student has to go through examinations to measure how much they have learned and are ready to get higher education. Exams help in developing one's personality and confidence and play a major role in providing necessary qualities in life such as hard work, patience, creativeness, and leadership. As much as you try to kick the can down the road, one cannot deny the fact that exams and stress go hand-in-hand. It is an unescapable part of student life that can be a tough nut to crack.
Exam stress occurs for a reason and you can either let it be your weakness or make it your strength to rise and cease every dream.
Firstly, it is important to understand that stress is a result of three main types of thought:
Your overestimation of the probability of anything bad happening.
Your overestimation of the repercussions thereof.
Your underestimation of your ability to deal with the situation.
The difference between a student who allow the exam-anxiety to dominate them and a student who knows what he has to do is the usage of the same anxiety as a weapon to overcome all the worries while studying.
Summarized below are some unique ways that you can put all the agitation away and concentrate on your learning goals:
1. Prioritize your time:
Draw out a simple diagram that would make it easier for you to decide how much time to spend on which chapter. Concentrate on finishing the easier chapters first then head to the ones which seem hard for you to learn. Take out time to precisely understand them. Here, we would like to specifically mention that don't just 'read' the chapters 'understand' them. Ones you understand something, you don't have to worry about dis-remembering it again. Moreover, make a revision schedule with key highlights of every important chapter.
2. Take a quick walk/exercise:
Many students become bookworms 1-2 months before exams, all stressed and in a delusion that – "If I spend maximum hours studying, I would be able to gain great marks/grades". Let us tell you, it doesn't work this way! Sticking to one place before exams increase the stress level in your brain, affecting the memory power. Take a break and go for a walk or exercise. The benefits of exercise come directly from its ability to reduce insulin resistance, and stimulating the release of chemicals in the brain that affects the health of the brain - the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells.
3. Keep up with your hobbies:
Just because exams are coming up, one does not and should not have to get rid of doing what they love to do the most. If you are passionate about music, listen to music. If you love to cook, hit the kitchen, and cook at least one dish. If you are fond of sketching, go ahead and make that 'masterpiece', by completely forgetting about your examinations.
4. Cut the social media off:
No! We aren't being devils in disguise and asking you to uninstall your social media applications. This will be tough for many students but if you could avoid checking your Facebook/Instagram or any other social media profile for a few days, it will do wonders for your stress level. For example, checking your Facebook during revision time is the worst type of distraction you could have for your mind. The time disappears in a blink of an eye when you are scrolling through the feeds.
5. Boost up your mind:
Negative feelings of past & future before exams is natural. What to do in such a situation? Meditate. The goal of meditation isn't to control your thoughts, it's to stop letting them control you. When you meditate, you bring your wandering mind back in the present. Indeed, Meditation is one of the most effective ways to take a break and see your stress from a different perspective.
6. Dodge the caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol:
"How am I ever going to stay awake long enough to read the chapters and practice the equations without a hot cup of cappuccino?"
The answer is, it will be struggle-some to do that. But truth be told – caffeine is a stimulant and it increases stress levels and acts as a depressant. The same applies to nicotine and any type of liquor. Cutting off all of these harmful substances will also keep your body & mind healthy during exam season.
7. Get enough sleep:
Whether exams or not, it is extremely vital for you to have enough sleep of 7-8 hours. Sleep helps your brain to assimilate new knowledge into your long-term memory so that you can recall it when it comes to test day. Taking a test on minimal sleep is like digging your own grave. One simply cannot concentrate on tests with mental exhaustion.
8. Say YES to the proper nutrition:
Food fuels both your body and mind. As cliché as it may sound, but the quality of the food you eat largely determines your overall health and mental acuity. Eating whole foods and drinking plenty of water will help you feel physically well and perform better academically.
9. Stay away from the comparison:
As tempting as it may be to ask your friend how much revision they have done that day, the likelihood is their response will only worry you even more and this is the same with asking others how they found the exam after you leave the room, it just isn't worth it. What you choose to do, decides your destiny, not someone else's.
10. Let it all out:
Sharing your fears or nervousness with someone you can rely on can help you manage anxiety. Whilst some students feel overwhelmed by the never-ending syllabus that needs to be covered, some may face stress from parents, peers, or even ourselves to do exceedingly well. Exam anxiety inflicts the best of us and it's important to know you aren't alone in your anxiety. Psychologists highly recommend that students should talk to someone they trust – parent, friend, teacher, or even a counselor - when they feel get panicked.
A notorious quote by Samuel Beckett comes to my mind when thinking of overcoming the fear of failure – "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better". We deceive ourselves into thinking that if we do not do whatever is scaring us - we do not fail. When it is usually the opposite. Indeed, be it the question paper or life, we all have to go through the tests and challenges; but in the end, what matters the most is how we overcome them with complete determination time and again. At Gurukul Practice Centre, the 10 times chief minister award winner for excellence in education – Professor Ravi Ahlawat does not only teach the students but consistently plays the role of their mentor as well as a counselor. If you are somehow stressed out due to your upcoming exams or concerned about the study burden, then get in touch with Prof. Ravi Ahlawat.
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