How To Combat Exam Stress

By: Jamie Dowling

Imagine you’re looking at your books in the middle of the night, wondering where to start? What to study?

And then your heart starts beating fast, you begin over-thinking and therefore, creating more problems that don’t even exist in the first place.

You finally, start to flip the pages of your book, analyzing the syllabus in your mind and then you realise that you are not even reading the book in your hands.

The count down has already started, and you have no idea what is going to happen next! Scary enough, right?

Mental pressure or what we call stress is quite normal in a situation of fear, sorrow, anxiety which results in an unbalanced state of mind.

For students, stress is quite apparent due to high workload, busy routine and pressure to be right in extra-curricular activities and stand apart from the throng.

Here, completely ignoring your studies to relax your mind is not a good idea to be true – below are some ways to relax and help with stress.

1. Sports and workout can be the change in you.
Apart from studying hard for your exam, engage in physical activities that keep your mind away from all the worries of your exam at least for some time.

It will help your reduce stress and also when you will get back to studies; you will have a fresh mind which will let you learn everything faster.

There are many case studies available over the internet that will tell you how many students have used sports and workout sessions as a medium to reduce stress.

Not only during the exam season but adding sports and workout sessions in your daily routine will help stay stress-free all the time and you will feel more calm and peaceful.

2. Leave your books for a while.
This sounds weird but trust me – it is essential to keep your books aside for some time especially, to keep your mind fresh.

Do everything that comes to your mind, but just leave the place where you were busy studying.

You can have a chat with your friend, go on a walk in the park or simply watch your favourite movie to avert your mind from the exam stress.

Having a chat with your best friend or if possible, meeting him or her will make things easier for you.

Indeed, spending some quality time with your friends before the exam is all you need to reduce stress and study harder.

3. Plan it before you do it!

Planning what all you must do before the exams in advance will help you prepare for the exam – smartly.

Make a list of everything that you want to do! Make a proper strategy; how you are going to prepare for the exam, look at past exam papers to understand better what to expect what’s going to come up in the exam.

It will give you an additional advantage when going into the exam. I know everyone hates the saying, but it’s true: fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

4. Again, do what you love!

Doing what you really love will help forget all your worries.

Keeping everything aside and spending some time doing what you enjoy doing will freshen up your mind and let you go back to studies with a happy face.

Look at some other stuff apart from studies, see what’s left pending and complete it!

Once you start feeling better, you can go back and hit the books.

Also, remember that your mind is on the task that you are completing and not on your studies, for example – if you’re writing a story, focus on the story only!

You will start feeling relaxed.

Keeping your mind away from studies and doing something else will at least help you forget all the tension in your mind and refrain you from over-thinking.

You’ll have a positive mindset, and score better.

During the exam season, stress in normal but in the end, you have to deal with it anyway!

Working hard and studying hard is good but you need to learn how to work smart and study efficiently.

It is nearly impossible to cover the complete syllabus in one night.

Therefore, it would be a much better idea to study in parts everyday.

During the exam days, you will know better what you have studied earlier and what all is left untouched.

Also, learning every day and studying every day will reduce your pressure and stress before the exam days to a great extent and when you enter the exam hall, it will be with a relaxed mind.

You are more likely to score much better than your expectations.

It is all worth it in the end – summer is just around the corner after all!