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Exams approaching? Exam pressure might cause you to get stressed. Stress is your body's reaction to pressure, and while a tiny bit of pressure might help you stay focused at exam time, too much pressure can make studying seem impossible.
Stress activates your fight-or-flight response. This means you take action and fight what is causing you stress or run away from the problem and ignore it completely. Our body should relax when the reaction has occurred as constant stress can have harmful impacts on your long-term health.
Recognising you're stressed is difficult but with this guide, you can hopefully recognise and find a way to deal with your stress.
The worst thing you can do is pretend you are okay and wait for it to go away!
Recognising you're stressed out
Recognising you're stressed out
Recognising you're stressed and finding tips to help is the first step of overcoming it, so if you're reading this you're already on the right path!
What are some signs of stress?
Losing touch with friends and the activities you enjoy
Feeling moody, low, or overwhelmed
Having trouble making decisions losing your appetite or overeating
Sleeping poorly and struggling to get out of bed
Difficulty getting motivated to start studying
Tense muscles or headaches clammy hands or feeling butterflies in your stomach
A racing heartbeat or feeling sick fidgeting, nail-biting or teeth grinding feeling confused
Exam anxiety is both natural and common. You could be affected because:
You are concerned about your exam performance.
You have trouble comprehending what you're learning
You don't feel prepared or don't have enough time to study
Exams are often full of uncertainty.
For admittance into another degree or job path, you'll need a certain exam result.
Your family puts a strain on you to succeed.
You're stressed out in another area of your life.
Keeping your work organised
Keeping your work organised
It's important to ensure all your work is kept organised and easy for you to find. This saves you time having to look for all your work. It's a great skill to create an exam timetable, which is essential to keeping organised. It helps you to know what you’re studying and when to take breaks. This even saves you time from having to pick what to study and what to prioritize when.
TIP: Try revising the units you find easier at the beginning of your revision timetable and slowly build in complexity
OR try creating a checklist and tick off what you're confident in?
Going to bed early and getting the right amount of sleep
Going to bed early and getting the right amount of sleep
It's important to sleep at least 8-10 hours every night. Sleeping is better than staying up and studying all night. It's important not to revise under the duvet - your bed is a sanctuary, not a desk!
Not getting enough sleep could lead to many effects such as moodiness or even weaken your immune system which could add to your stress. Pulling constant all-nighters isn’t a great idea. It leads to worse effects of sleep deprivation, and in fact, you’ll be making the stress worse by having no sleep.
Keep your health up with a balanced diet and plenty of water
Keep your health up with a balanced diet and plenty of water
We all enjoy our treats and snacks, but eating too much junk food, especially during your revision time, can affect you negatively.
Nourish your body with lots of healthy grub. Fuel your body and mind with lots of greens, fruit, nuts, and seeds for healthy energy-boosting snacks, and make sure you have a balanced diet of three meals a day. The NHS states that "the European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day".
TIP: Try treating yourself when you finish a revision session or a unit of work 👀
Take Breaks Go out! Meet friends! Have fun!
Take Breaks Go out! Meet friends! Have fun!
Be sensible with your workload and make sure you take a reasonable amount of breaks. There is nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while. Research shows short bursts of revision are much more effective than long periods of revision. (Click here to read more)
These can be periodic 15 minute breaks every 45 minutes where you get small snacks to keep yourself energised. Or it can be a whole day break where you can spend the day with friends or family. You could always go cinema or play sports or even simply go for a stroll in the local park.
Remember, stressed spelled backward is desserts.
TIP: Try doing a different subject after each break! This will keep your brain active and you won't get bored as quickly!
Talking always helps
Talking always helps
There is nothing wrong with talking to others about your struggles and stress. It is actually better to talk to others about what you're stressing over, and sometimes you'll find that you’re not the only one that’s struggling.
Approaching your teachers and asking for help is always a great place to start! They will have additional resources to help you overcome your struggles and will spend time helping you with whatever you are struggling with.
Try speaking to your family about your exams and your timetable, this could help them understand when to give you space and offer additional support
Trying your upmost best
Trying your upmost best
It sounds weird but many students spend more of their energy worrying about their exams rather than actually doing any preparations towards them. It’s important to just accept the things that you can’t change, your exams are coming and they will happen, nothing can change that but they will be over.
So instead of wasting energy on worrying about them, focus your energy on the things you can control such as your revision timetable, working to achieve your goals but ultimately remember to give your 100% on the day of you exams and stay optimistic.
Don't be this guy
If you need help dealing with stress or need more help, come and find Mr Islam in the ICT office.
Click here and get revision tips now
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