Source: PsyInsight
Today, stress is becoming a part of living, but dealing with the same is an art of living. Every other student has experienced stress in lives and has different ways of handling it. Some students find it easy to run away, some are born fighters, and some ask for help. Examinations are the greatest fear factor among students giving them sleepless nights, changes in appetite, recurrent thoughts, lack of concentration, and rapid pulse. Students generally say “Why didn’t I study more?”, “Oh! Exam is too lengthy”, “I know I can’t do well, I think I’ve forgotten everything I learnt.” Isn’t it? So, how to avoid these and tackle them with ease? First of all, let us see how much stress you are in:
Answer these twenty questions: Yes or No. (Every Yes answer scores one mark.)
- Do you frequently neglect your diet or eat too much?
- Do you frequently dreaming about bad performances in exams?
- Do you frequently blow up easily?
- Do you frequently seek unrealistic goals?
- Do you frequently fail to see the humour in situations others find funny?
- Do you frequently get easily irritated?
- Do you frequently make a “big deal” of everything?
- Do you frequently get complains that you are disorganized?
- Do you frequently keep everything inside?
- Do you frequently neglect exercise?
- Do you have few supportive relationships?
- Are you always restless?
- Do you easily get aggressive?
- Do you frequently ignore stress symptoms?
- Do you frequently put things off until later?
- Do you always think that there is only one right way of to do something?
- Do you usually fail to get relaxed?
- Do you always complain about your past?
- Do you frequently race through the day?
- Are you unable to cope with all you have to do?
Here’s you score!
Scores of 1-6: Few hassles
Scores of 7-12: Pretty Good Control
Scores of 13-17: Danger Zone. Watch Out!
Scores of 18+: Stressed Out. You may need help.
Don’t worry whatever is your score. Here are few techniques to rejuvenate yourself.
- Mentally yell “STOP” or “NO” to unwanted thoughts. This will give a momentarily break.
- Visualize your success. According to researchers if you mentally rehearse your failures lot of time, you increase your chances of failure.
- Listen to the music you like. It will help you in getting relaxed.
- Share jokes with your family and friends during breaks. Laughter is great stress buster.
- Praise yourself. Give positive statements to yourself – “YES, I CAN DO IT!” or “I’M VERY RELAXED.”
- Take a Deep Breath: Breathe easy for a few minutes, the longer and deeper; the better it is for you.
- Relax your Muscles: Tense every part of your body from top (head) to bottom (toe) while breathing-in and relax while breathing-out.
- Take a Break: Close your eyes and go into your fantasy world for a few minutes.
- Do Exercises: Spend at least 30 minutes a day on some sort of physical activity like aerobic exercise, outdoor games or yoga. Or, at least put on some music and spot jog or dance for 30 minutes. Exercise releases good hormones in our body called endorphins which counter the effects of stress, anxiety and depression.
Importance of good diet during Exams
Good diet is very important during exams because most of the students have bad food habits, skilling meals or eat extra meals.
Healthy tips for healthy eating
- Students often miss breakfast, by the time you take lunch, nearly 10-12 hours would have gone by since your last meal, which makes fall on blood sugar level and low energy which results in short term memory problems and lack of concentration.
- Do not eat high-sugar items. Breakfast should contain complex carbohydrates, such as cereals, which can maintain blood sugar level for long time.
- Take lot of fresh fruits, which makes you more energetic than to take heavy which make you lethargic.
Say no to stress and sleep well
Students often sleep less during exams. 6-8 hours of sleep is very important. Less sleep for many days can cause sleep deprivation syndrome with this you feel tired, sleepy, irritable and short tempered. You may have physical problems like poor digestion, headaches or body aches.
Tips for having good sleep
- Fix a time for sleeping every night. Take a short nap; don’t sleep too much in the afternoon.
- Avoid taking any food or drinks like coffee immediately before sleeping.
- Do not involve yourself in any argument or fight.
- Do breathing exercise to relax yourself before you sleep.
Quick tips during exams
- Make a timetable and stick to it.
- Make notes for revision, the day before examination, do not leave it for last moment.
- Sleep properly and eat healthy food.
- Focus on understanding the concepts rather than mugging. Use mnemonics if rote learning is the only way out.
- Breathing exercise and positive affirmation can relieve your anxiety.
Parental Role in keeping Stress Away from their Children
Parental support is very important in reducing stress during exams.
- Children learn from their parents and even imitate them. So, parents should themselves learn the right way of dealing with stress first to act as a role model for their child.
- Every child has his/her own capabilities so don’t force them to get higher percentages.
- Make the home atmosphere tension free and peaceful.
- Parents should encourage a child to perform well by giving positive statements.
- Parents should understand and accept that they should not try to live out their unfulfilled dreams and ambitions through their children.
- Never compare the child with other children, as every child has his/her own unique qualities.
Ask for support or help: If stress remains and get worsen and uncontrollable, or if you get frequent thoughts about death or suicide, you may discuss it with others or take a medical help.
Your cold facts are not that bad as your worst fears, you just need to shine a light on your fears and watch them becoming more manageable.
ENJOY YOUR EXAMINATIONS !!!