How to cope with examination stress
By Monarose Sheila Pereira | Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Exam season is on and stress is a part of it. To handle stress it is important to understand what stress is. Do you know that stress is absolutely healthy and positive? Stress is a natural positive response that helps to complete tasks efficiently and quickly.
Psychiatrist Dr. Nirmala Rao, explains “Stress releases adrenaline which goes to different parts of the body to bring about changes which are meant to trigger our fight or flight reaction. It is an instinctive reaction to put the body on alert in perceived danger situations for self protection. Today the perceived danger has increased manifold not for preservation of the body, but for self esteem, materialism, etc. All these cause increase in the adrenalin levels which spikes up the blood pressure, heart rate and sugar levels. When these changes are not utilized by the body and remain in circulation they cause stress.”
Therefore stress during exams is nature’s way to prepare you to face the challenge ahead. This is healthy stress. When stress ceases to be natural and when it becomes dangerous, it needs to be addressed. Managing stress is extremely important. Here are some ways to help you handle stress during exams.
Get dressed
It is important not study in your bed time clothes as this makes you feel lazy and lethargic. Get dressed as soon as you wake up. Even casual clothes will do the trick. This will put you in a professional mood and make you feel brighter and better equipped to study.
Be prepared
The secret to success is being prepared. It is almost 90 percent of the job. Stress occurs when you are not organized and prepared for the exam. Then you worry about how you will finish the portion. Senior Teacher, Smt.MMK College, Naresh Matai, says, “There is an old saying ‘well begun is half done’. It has a significant meaning and this saying is more relevant for students than anyone else. Just as each and every drop contributes to form an ocean similarly if a student does his studies, home-work, regularly and daily every single day for a small duration of time say for only 50 minutes a day, he/she will be relaxed and at ease on the day of the exam. Ideally a student should do a re-cap of the topic learnt in college every day at home so that the concepts are clear in the mind. Before the exams it is also essential to solve past 3 years’ question papers.
Eat healthy
A good diet goes a long way in helping you stay focused and avoid getting sick during exams. The tendency is to skip meals because you are busy. Do not skip meals. You need good energy levels to focus and concentrate better on your studies and exams. Another common tendency is to keep munching snacks due to the stress. Psychologically you feel eating helps to relieve stress. However there is a flip side to it. It is important you eat good, nutritious and healthy food. Good food will provide you with the necessary energy you need to feel refreshed and energetic which will help you study well and stay calm during your exams. Unhealthy and oily food will make you feel sluggish. To get the necessary energy your body needs, a balanced diet of proteins, minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates.
Exercise
Exercise helps you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. It is considered the elixir of good health. Fitness Coach Alkesh Pathak says that one of the many benefits of exercise is that it is a stress reliever. When you have pain in your body, the endorphin hormone is released from your pituitary gland and central nervous system. Endorphin is contracted from two words - endogenous and morphine. Morphine is also released when someone does moderate to intense exercise for 5 minutes. The major work of morphine is to inhibit the pain signal and to give you a positive and happy feeling. It also helps to facilitate good sleep. Therefore by releasing Morphine, exercise helps to relieve stress and maintain a positive attitude.
Yoga
Yoga offers many benefits. International Yoga instructor Manjeet Keshwani, informs, “Yoga and Pranayama play an important role in de-stressing. They help to remove toxins from your body and give a positive energy. Pranayama and Yoga bring stability, calm the mind, improve blood circulation and cure depression, stress and anxiety. Meditation and emotional well-being are connected. When you meditate, you clear the information overload that builds up every day and which contributes to stress. Science has shown that brain plasticity, the brain’s ability to change throughout life is extraordinary; therefore by training our minds through meditation techniques you can increase your mental resources and become more capable.
Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to relax the mind. When you are studying for long hours they provide the necessary break to refresh the mind. R.D. National College student Eshaan Pant, says, “To beat stress, I prefer going for a brisk walk or having tea, or listening to jazz, Indian classical or any instrumental music.” CEO of NOMADS Trekking Institute Sumit Solanki says, “Trekking is strenuous and requires will power and good physical ability. When you trek you challenge your physical ability. You mentally prepare yourself for a non regular task. Completing the task boosts your morale and increases confidence. and helps you face life's challenges. When you accomplish a huge task you feel good about your achievement. Going out in nature connects you to nature and takes away the stress of the fast city life.
Music
Music plays an important role in de-stressing too. Both playing an instrument and listening to music helps to soothe your mind, body and soul. Musician Ashley Rebello says, “When a student learns music, it keeps the brain functioning at its optimum speed and improves learning, memorizing and recalling skills. During exams, a student can de-stress by listening to or playing music as this improves emotional development and the student can have less anxiety than usual during the exam period. Therefore it not only develops a child’s brain but also the imagination of a child.”
Pets
Pets are extremely relaxing. Romanica Ferrao has about 27 cats at home. She says that she understands them and they understand her. They share a great bond and the cats are a great source of relaxation.
Sleep
Do not compromise on sleep during exams. Students usually stay up late studying into the night. This is a big mistake. Remember your mind and body need to rest to perform well. An exhausted mind and body cannot function and focus well. Working when you are tired makes you slow down and you will not be able to remember what you have studied.
Good support systems
Parents and teachers play an important role in helping the student stay positive and relaxed. Psychological Counselor Sylvia Dmello, informs, “It is the parents who very often need to be less stressed. Students go through immense pressures from parents and teachers to achieve unrealistic goals. If a child is not up to their expectations they are labeled and considered 'a no good'. Parents and teachers need to understand the capacity of each child. By being present for the child, through attentive listening and by giving them positive strokes will help to reduce examination stress. Also a very effective method is to help the child to create a weekly study timetable with good enough free time to relax and play.”
Psychiatrist Dr. Nirmala Rao, explains “Stress releases adrenaline which goes to different parts of the body to bring about changes which are meant to trigger our fight or flight reaction. It is an instinctive reaction to put the body on alert in perceived danger situations for self protection. Today the perceived danger has increased manifold not for preservation of the body, but for self esteem, materialism, etc. All these cause increase in the adrenalin levels which spikes up the blood pressure, heart rate and sugar levels. When these changes are not utilized by the body and remain in circulation they cause stress.”
Therefore stress during exams is nature’s way to prepare you to face the challenge ahead. This is healthy stress. When stress ceases to be natural and when it becomes dangerous, it needs to be addressed. Managing stress is extremely important. Here are some ways to help you handle stress during exams.
Get dressed
It is important not study in your bed time clothes as this makes you feel lazy and lethargic. Get dressed as soon as you wake up. Even casual clothes will do the trick. This will put you in a professional mood and make you feel brighter and better equipped to study.
Be prepared
The secret to success is being prepared. It is almost 90 percent of the job. Stress occurs when you are not organized and prepared for the exam. Then you worry about how you will finish the portion. Senior Teacher, Smt.MMK College, Naresh Matai, says, “There is an old saying ‘well begun is half done’. It has a significant meaning and this saying is more relevant for students than anyone else. Just as each and every drop contributes to form an ocean similarly if a student does his studies, home-work, regularly and daily every single day for a small duration of time say for only 50 minutes a day, he/she will be relaxed and at ease on the day of the exam. Ideally a student should do a re-cap of the topic learnt in college every day at home so that the concepts are clear in the mind. Before the exams it is also essential to solve past 3 years’ question papers.
Eat healthy
A good diet goes a long way in helping you stay focused and avoid getting sick during exams. The tendency is to skip meals because you are busy. Do not skip meals. You need good energy levels to focus and concentrate better on your studies and exams. Another common tendency is to keep munching snacks due to the stress. Psychologically you feel eating helps to relieve stress. However there is a flip side to it. It is important you eat good, nutritious and healthy food. Good food will provide you with the necessary energy you need to feel refreshed and energetic which will help you study well and stay calm during your exams. Unhealthy and oily food will make you feel sluggish. To get the necessary energy your body needs, a balanced diet of proteins, minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates.
Exercise
Exercise helps you feel rejuvenated and refreshed. It is considered the elixir of good health. Fitness Coach Alkesh Pathak says that one of the many benefits of exercise is that it is a stress reliever. When you have pain in your body, the endorphin hormone is released from your pituitary gland and central nervous system. Endorphin is contracted from two words - endogenous and morphine. Morphine is also released when someone does moderate to intense exercise for 5 minutes. The major work of morphine is to inhibit the pain signal and to give you a positive and happy feeling. It also helps to facilitate good sleep. Therefore by releasing Morphine, exercise helps to relieve stress and maintain a positive attitude.
Yoga
Yoga offers many benefits. International Yoga instructor Manjeet Keshwani, informs, “Yoga and Pranayama play an important role in de-stressing. They help to remove toxins from your body and give a positive energy. Pranayama and Yoga bring stability, calm the mind, improve blood circulation and cure depression, stress and anxiety. Meditation and emotional well-being are connected. When you meditate, you clear the information overload that builds up every day and which contributes to stress. Science has shown that brain plasticity, the brain’s ability to change throughout life is extraordinary; therefore by training our minds through meditation techniques you can increase your mental resources and become more capable.
Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to relax the mind. When you are studying for long hours they provide the necessary break to refresh the mind. R.D. National College student Eshaan Pant, says, “To beat stress, I prefer going for a brisk walk or having tea, or listening to jazz, Indian classical or any instrumental music.” CEO of NOMADS Trekking Institute Sumit Solanki says, “Trekking is strenuous and requires will power and good physical ability. When you trek you challenge your physical ability. You mentally prepare yourself for a non regular task. Completing the task boosts your morale and increases confidence. and helps you face life's challenges. When you accomplish a huge task you feel good about your achievement. Going out in nature connects you to nature and takes away the stress of the fast city life.
Music
Music plays an important role in de-stressing too. Both playing an instrument and listening to music helps to soothe your mind, body and soul. Musician Ashley Rebello says, “When a student learns music, it keeps the brain functioning at its optimum speed and improves learning, memorizing and recalling skills. During exams, a student can de-stress by listening to or playing music as this improves emotional development and the student can have less anxiety than usual during the exam period. Therefore it not only develops a child’s brain but also the imagination of a child.”
Pets
Pets are extremely relaxing. Romanica Ferrao has about 27 cats at home. She says that she understands them and they understand her. They share a great bond and the cats are a great source of relaxation.
Sleep
Do not compromise on sleep during exams. Students usually stay up late studying into the night. This is a big mistake. Remember your mind and body need to rest to perform well. An exhausted mind and body cannot function and focus well. Working when you are tired makes you slow down and you will not be able to remember what you have studied.
Good support systems
Parents and teachers play an important role in helping the student stay positive and relaxed. Psychological Counselor Sylvia Dmello, informs, “It is the parents who very often need to be less stressed. Students go through immense pressures from parents and teachers to achieve unrealistic goals. If a child is not up to their expectations they are labeled and considered 'a no good'. Parents and teachers need to understand the capacity of each child. By being present for the child, through attentive listening and by giving them positive strokes will help to reduce examination stress. Also a very effective method is to help the child to create a weekly study timetable with good enough free time to relax and play.”
Managing stress is not easy but if you work at it you can surely know how to master it.
Source : http://www.afternoondc.in/education-careers/how-to-cope-with-examination-stress/article_221570
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