How to deal with examination stress: 10 things to keep in mind

Stress is your response to pressure. While a small amount can be useful to keep you focussed too much of it makes study is impossible. Follow these tips that I have distilled from long years of learning as well as teaching: 1. Take care of your mind: Practicing mindfulness techniques, such as breathing exercises for 10 minutes, helps you to calm down your body’s stress response and shift your attention back to the present moment. If you experience panic, take six deep breaths, hydrate yourself and go back to the problem at hand, being sure to break it down into several manageable chunks. Ask for help when struggling or talk to someone or write about your struggles in your diary. 2. Your body is the vehicle of your success: Exercise regularly to feel more competent, confident and promote mental wellbeing. Stick to a routine by eating and sleeping at around the same time. Give yourself mini rewards once you achieve your study goals: watch a TV show or go for a run. Allow yourself time to rest – try out some relaxation activities like meditation or listening to soothing music. 3. Practice, practice, practice!: Lack of confidence originates from lack of practice. After studying or reading the text, immediately attempt the questions, even if you just attempt 4 or 5 so that whatever has been read gets converted to long term memory. Also prepare revision worksheets. 4. Get Organised: Don’t just study anything or pick up something randomly -create a time table to get more organized. Keep all the stationary and other items near you. It is advisable to keep a water bottle nearby too. 5. Take a break: Study for half an hour or 45 minutes and then take 10 or 15 minutes of break. During the break time listen to some music, drink plenty of water and do some exercise if possible, but don’t think about studying at all! 6. Attitude of gratitude: A good way to handle stress is to record what you’re grateful for. Gratitude may help relieve anxiety by focussing on what’s positive in life. 7. Avoid group studies- As the old saying goes: “Comparison is the thief of joy”. In a group setting you end up comparing yourself with others. So it is important to study individually and mark your doubts so that you can ask your teacher later. 8. Go break a leg!: On the day of the exam avoid last minute discussion and just quickly glance through the difficult topics. While reading the question paper focus on the questions you know and come back to the ones you don’t later. Don’t let what you don’t know affect what you know. Before the exam visualize a good outcome. 9. Believe in yourself - When being constantly faced with new challenges, we often forget to look back at how far we have come and how much we have already achieved. 10. Que cera, cera!: Discussion of answers after an exam with friends only leads to post exam nerves so avoid that. Learn your lesson and adapt yourself to the new course that you will now decide to take. Do the best you can until you know better. Than when you know better, do better.” ~Maya Angelou By Shalini Rawat, English teacher, Yadavindra Public School, Mohali

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