How to deal with exam pressure and stress?

There is a lot of pressure on students to succeed in exams and sometimes this can begin to feel a little overwhelming.

For some students exam times are a real nightmare as they are under tremendous pressure. Unfortunately we don't have a magic wand that can make exams go away but we do have some tips that will help you stay well, focused and prepared for your exams. Every student has to realize that exam is part and parcel of the system under which his / her performance is evaluated.

What's the difference between feeling under pressure and feeling stressed?

You can begin to experience stress when you feel really under pressure mentally or emotionally. It's natural to feel under pressure during exam season and if you can learn to manage it you will keep the stress away. Some of you may thrive under pressure, it can motivate you and help you to perform at your best. For others, they may feel the total opposite and struggle with pressure, feeling as though they are unable to manage. Pressure becomes stress when you feel as though you are no longer able to cope day to day.

Changing the way you think changes the chemicals in your body

When you feel under pressure your body releases hormones which induces a stress response. Adrenaline pumps around your body to prepare you for the task ahead. Whether this is running away from something, walking into an exam hall, playing a cricket match etc. Your body does this to help you cope with the pressure or "threat". As soon as you have dealt with this your body naturally re-balances and you feel calm again. Once in a while this kind of hormonal reaction is ok, but if you are constantly firing off this stress response over a long period of time your body will become flooded with these hormones which will lead to feeling and being stressed.

By changing your perceptions about an exam or your abilities to perform in an exam you will be able to manage your body's natural response to the things it perceives as a threat.

Manage your pressure or stress triggers

By understanding what triggers you to feel stressed you can begin to identify unconscious perceptions that you hold and identify some super coping strategies to help you deal with these safely and quickly. By taking control you will feel empowered to manage the situation and this will improve your well-being and resilience.

Note down the last time you felt really under pressure or overwhelmed
Note down what you were doing and where you were
Note down whether you were with someone
Note down how you felt emotionally at that time
Note down how you felt physically i.e heart started to race, tummy felt
What happened next i.e. what was the result, what did you do and how did you feel for the rest of the day
What made you feel better.

How to spot if you're stressed

You could be showing signs of stress if you're: funny

Feeling more tired than usual
Struggle to focus and feeling overwhelmed
Feeling anxious and feeling as though your self-esteem is crumbling
Feel teary and more emotional than usual
Struggling to sleep or stay asleep throughout the night
Waking up from sleep and feeling exhausted
Suffering from regular stomach upsets
Loss of appetite
Feeling run down
Begun to experience panic attacks

Experiencing one or more of these things doesn't necessarily mean you're "stressed"; we all have very different levels of tolerance to exam situations. Have a think about how your body and mind feels day to day and if you start to notice that you are developing these kinds of signs here are some positive actions you can take to keep yourself well.

Make Your Study Effective-Ideas to Improving Concentration

Please have a look at my previous article

GET READY FOR CA CMA EXAMINATIONS-All is well

Studying without concentration is like trying to fill a bucket with water when the bucket has a hole in its bottom. It doesn’t work.

Study in a quiet place that is free from distractions and interruptions. Try to create a space designated solely for studying.
Make your study schedule that shows what tasks you need to accomplish and when you plan to accomplish each task. This will provide you with the structure you need for effective studying.
Try to study at the time of the day you work best. Some people work well early in the morning, others late at night. You know what works best for you.
Make sure, you are not tired and/or hungry when you study. Otherwise, you won’t have the energy you need to concentrate. Also, maintain your physical fitness
Don’t try to do two tasks at the same time. You won’t be able to concentrate on either. Concentration means focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all else.
Break large tasks into series of smaller tasks that you can complete one at a time. If you try to complete a large task all at once, you may feel overwhelmed and will not able to maintain your concentration.
Relaxation and physical fitness: - Relax; it’s hard to concentrate when you’re tense. It’s important to relax when working on a task that requires concentration. Physical fitness and health are one of the essential pre-requisites for concentration on studies, as for any other activities. If you are physically fit, your mind will also be alert and active. The secret of keeping oneself physically fit and healthy is very simple: eat healthy and energy-giving food in moderate quantity at regular intervals. Do regular physical exercises including Yoga Asanas, brisk walking or jogging, deep breathing etc. for a brief period daily. These exercises will also help reduce your physical and mental strain and stress, and maintain your equilibrium.
Clear your mind of worrisome thoughts. Mental poise is important for concentration. You can get distracted by your own thoughts. Monitor your thoughts and prevent yourself from following any that take you off track. Don’t daydream.

9)Develop an interest in what you are studying. Try to relate what you are studying to your own life to make it as meaningful as possible. This can motivate you to concentrate.

10.)Relaxation and Recreation:-Take breaks whenever you feel fatigued. There is no set formula for when to take breaks. You will know when you need to take a break. The mind should not be kept too busy all the time, whether on studies or something else. It is necessary to allow the mind to liberate itself from serious matters for a while at regular intervals; relaxation, rest and recreation are like rich food for mind since they infuse the much needed energy and freshness. There are several ways to experience relaxation and recreation: sleeping, deep breathing, watching useful educational programmes on TV, reading light novels and other general books, playing with children, early morning walk, visit to uncrowded places of worship etc. However, each student has his own concept of relaxation and recreation.

11.)Keep Your Mind Open and Healthy: - Our mind has and enormous capacity for absorbing knowledge, ideas and information. Therefore, one should not foreclose any opportunity for learning new things or relearning already known matters. Students, especially should be receptive and responsive to acquire the required amount of knowledge.

An open, receptive and healthy mind is a prerequisite for concentration on studies.A regular meditation for a few minutes may help the student to train the mind to remain cool, calm, clean and clear.

12.)Develop Deep Love, Interest and Respect for Learning :- This is matter of emotions and attitudes. Most students are in love with something or the other. So is the case with interest and respect. They respect their parents and other elders, teachers and other well-wishers. Simularly, they can be presumed to have a few interests or hobbies, capacity for emotions like love, interest and respect are thus in the blood of most humans, including students. Thus , with a little effort, it should be possible for students to develop a deep love, interest and respect for their studies and different subjects. It is only a matter of extending the above mentioned emotions to studies which are in fact more critical than everything else for their survival and success in life. Just think back why you have join in this course, may be it is dream of your parents or you want to be in good position in career so think about that again and just imagine how it feels for your parents if you successfully qualified in your examination.

ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR EXAMS

ALL IS WELL

Ganesh babu K