Every year around 38 lakh students get registered for the class 10th and 12th Board examinations from all over India. Exams are known to be a crucial part of any student’s life especially when they are in class 10th and 12th. All though exams have their own importance but the parents should not forget the stress and anxiety they bring together for the students. It is very important to deal with anxiety and stress with a positive approach.
There should be a proper understanding of how to deal with such stressful situations without having mental peace. Following some basic routine and making it a part of your daily life may help in simplifying stress. Routines such as a proper combination of a healthy diet, sleep studies schedules, and exercises can be very fruitful in the future.
Here is the list of activities to deal with Pre- Exam anxiety and stress –
1) Be hydrated
drinking less water causes dehydration and it negatively impacts brain functioning in other words it impacts the efficiency of the brain in day-to-day tasks. If possible, try taking a water bottle on your exam day.
2) try chewing
chewing something (ex. Gum) can be effective to reduce anxiety and stress as your mouth would be busy and your concentration from the stress would be diverted.
3) identify your anxiety
if you suspect having exam anxiety you may have certain symptoms such as –
- Headache
- mental Black Out
- finding trouble while concentrating
- nausea
- cramps
- repeated fast heartbeats
- unnecessary thoughts
- dry mouth
identifying your anxiety helps you to deal with it more efficiently.
4) don’t forget the break sessions
while doing the revisions for the exams make sure to have in-between gaps for around 10 to 15 minutes. You may start by drinking water, stretching your muscles, and gaining some fresh air. Performing these activities would be beneficial to gain the focus back again.
5) sleep well
due to long study sessions, our body demands proper rest. Not getting a full night’s rest May cause troubles such as stress, fatigue, or anxiety. Take a record of the hours of sleep your body demands to feel refreshed the next morning. Try reading any subject for 30 minutes before going to sleep.
6) don’t forget to exercise
aerobic exercises are known to be a great source of releasing stress. If you identify any sort of exam pressure or any anxiety try going for a run.
To improve your focus level, give meditation and yoga a try, this will just not only work on your focus levels but also would keep you calm.
7) identify your own space
even though you are at your home there is a corner where you feel the most comfortable and relaxed. While choosing any space as your study area, give priority to that comfortable corner.
Make sure your study area has good lighting, is clean, and has lesser background noise.
8) junk food, what?
While planning your daily routine for the exams, give healthy foods the top priority of all. When you are having unhealthy junk foods, they may cause negativity and make you feel low. A good food choice in between your study sessions gives you a boost.
- Have more veggies fruits and nuts.
- Say no to processed foods and lessen your intake of sugar.
- Have a balanced diet
9) Wisely manage your time
many times students leave the syllabus for the last minute before exams which is a very wrong practice. Try breaking your study sessions over days, do not give stress over one subject on a single day. Having a planned schedule of the days and subjects to cover on the day would be fruitful to retain more information.
If it is possible, try studying at the same time as your exam day when you would be taking the test.
10) rewards! Why not?
Decide some rewards for yourself after every study session is completed by you. If you have anxiety and stress about the exams, such rewards would have a positive impact and motivate you to study for the next session.
Rewards can be in any form, you may have a walk in your favorite Garden, play with your neighbor’s dog, watch a television show play games over the net, etc.
How To Deal With Post-Exam Stress?
Everybody Talks about how to deal with exam pressure before the exams but post-exam stress has also its form. How the exams were? Did I write the correct answer? How many marks would I be rewarded? Et cetera are the questions that students deal with after the exams are over.
This is also a major factor that affects student’s mental life. How to deal with these types of post-exam stress is still a question for many. Here are some points that will help you deal with post-exam stress.
1) stop thinking about the exams
we know it is easier said than it is just done. One needs to understand that the exams are now over and they can’t get back to change the stuff. Try not to call your friends to just discuss the papers. Perhaps go out with them and just hang out.
Don’t skip your exercise schedules, they would help to keep your mind off the exam pressure for sure.
2) give yourself some fun moments
Pick any activity you enjoy or just choose a spot for some vacations with your friends or family. You may also start by going to a movie, reading your favorite author or just playing your favorite sport.
Make sure to treat yourself to your favorite cuisine, it can be a pizza (with or without pineapple topping), or any Indian street food delicacy. After that try going shopping for yourself.
3) learn from your experience
the final goal of any examination is to gain information on students’ knowledge of any topic. If results are not in your favor, learn how it would help you to identify your strength and weaknesses regarding any subject. Have a positive attitude and try learning from your mistakes for better results in your next examinations.
Finally, exams do not define the worth of any person. A person is identified in society with the attitude and softness he/she carries. One can be less efficient in exams but can still be known as a good human being in society. It is all of the images you create in the mind of the people around you.
