#examtension

In the upcoming sections, you shall learn about how to reduce stress and anxiety during exams.

What is exam stress?

A lot of people talk about exam stress. What is it? To understand this term, first we need to understand What is stress?

Stress is a state of mind that causes restlessness, anxiety, and tension.

The stress which is caused before, during, or sometimes after exams and before results is called exam stress. It is a very common feeling that is experienced by most of the students. Not only students but this stress is also experienced by parents and teachers.

Why do Students feel exam stress?

There are many reasons due to which a student feels stress and anxiety during exams –

1- Fear of difficulty level –

Many students fear the toughness of the exams. Even after full preparation, many fear that the questions would be hard to answer.

2- Studying for marks –

This is one of the root causes of exam stress and anxiety. A lot of students study to get good marks and top the exams. This leads to intense competition among the students and in the face of it, they feel stressed out before exams.

3- Expectations of parents and teachers –

Parents have high expectations from their children. They always want their children to get good marks for “them” and in an attempt to stay on their expectations, children feel tensed and anxious before exams. Even teachers tell some students that they have high expectations from them. This may motivate them but ultimately it becomes a major reason for exam stress and anxiety.

4- Comparison –

It has become a habit of parents, teachers, and students to do comparison of marks of different students.”Who scored the most?” is the first question that most of the parents and students ask after results. This comparison is one of the reason of exam tension.

5- Lack of preparation –

Another reason for “exam ki tension” is lack of preparation on the part of students.

6- Thinking about the result –

“What if I fail?“, “What if I don’t get good marks?” These are the questions that run in many students’ mind after giving exams and while waiting for the results. Thinking negative about the outcome leads to tension among students.

7- Lack of enough sleep –

This is true for many students. Studying for whole night before exam has become a common thing but they don’t realise how important is a an 8 hour sleep for students. This causes restlessness and hence tiredness while giving exams.

Is exam stress bad?

One question that a lot of people ask is, “Is exam stress really bad“. The clear-cut answer to this question is “No“. To understand the reason, you need to know about two types of stress i.e. Good Stress and Bad Stress.

Good stress – Good stress motivates a person to work harder and achieve his/her goals. This stress proves to be very helpful for a person.

Bad stress – Bad stress is different from good stress. It causes tension, anxiety, and restlessness. It obstructs the ability of a person to work effectively. Rather, it makes a person lethargic. The work is not done and the person is stressed out.

Good stress is a motivation factor for students. It helps them to study hard before exams. Only to a certain extent, stress is your friend. Beyond that, it becomes your enemy. It is upto you to decide that whether you want it to be your friend or enemy.

Signs of stress and anxiety during exams

Common symptoms of exam stress are –

Overeating or undereating

Stomach ache

Sleeping a lot and feeling sleepy the whole day

Headache

Not doing anything else than studying

Losing contact with your friends

Argumenting with parents

Teeth grinding

Nail biting

How to reduce stress and anxiety during exams?

“How to overcome exam stress?” There are many ways to reduce stress and anxiety during exams.

1- Stop comparing –

Can we compare a fox with a bird? Not at all but does that mean one of them is inferior or incapable. Not at all. Both are special and superior in different ways. One is the fastest while the other knows how to fly.

Similarly, each and every individual on the earth is different. No one is same. Everyone has his/her own abilities and talents. Then how can we compare two students? Parents have a habit to compare the marks of children which leads to stress among the children. It is advised to students to please stop comparing your marks with others. No one in your life is going to ask you your marks. What will matter in the end is your real knowledge, communication skills, leadership abilities, and your skills. Have faith in your own abilities. Work on your weak points. Do what makes you happy. Follow your passion and make it profession.

2- Become fearless –

It is very important for students to become fearless in life. Being fearless doesn’t mean disrespecting your parents, teachers, and friends. Here, fearless means ‘without any fear of the result‘. Put your full focus on the process of preparation rather on results. As earlier said, marks don’t define you. What truly defines you is your hard work. It is very important to understand that most of the things you are learning in school won’t help you in life. That may sound harsh but this is the truth. Schools teach the true meaning of hard work and sacrifice. So, next time you have exams, don’t worry. Don’t think about the result. Enjoy the beautiful process of learning, and study to understand, not to learn.

3- Be consistent –

It is very rightly said that ‘Consistency Is The Key‘. The secret to not feel stressed out during exams is being consistent from the beginning of the session. Procrastination always leads to regret, and stress in the end. Make a proper timetable and start studying from day 1. If you study daily, till the time of exams, your course would be covered and you would definitely feel relieved.

4- Physical exercise –

During days of exams, don’t study continuously for the whole day. Find 1 hour in the day in which you do any physical activity like cycling, walking, or playing a sport. It will help to increase blood flow and improve concentration. Thus, it will help to reduce stress and anxiety during exams.

5- Enough sleep –

It is very important to have enough sleep during exams. Have a 7-8 hours sound sleep during exams.

6- Drink water –

Water fastens the chemical reactions in the body and thus it helps the brain to process the information faster. Drink 8 glasses of water in a day to stay hydrated.

7- Avoid chapati intake and eat more salad and fruits.

8- Dark chocolate is an effective stress buster as it contains antioxidants that help to lower cortisol levels in the body.

9- Avoid last-minute revision –

It has become common for the students to revise until the start of the exam. This instead of helping the students, exhausts their minds. Avoid revising on the day of the exam. Give your exam with a relaxed mind.