How to deal post-exam stress, anxiety?

Every student who wants to be an achiever, will experience examination stress. It affects the students in most variant ways. It is important to manage this stress and find the ways to eliminate the negative thoughts for the better performance in the ultimate monster known as exam. Anxiety and stress can ruin your future aspirations and plans. One of the reasons behind this is we always think about the outcome well before the exam rather than concentrating on the tasks ahead.

To combat stress, there is need to understand the reasons behind the heightened anxiety. After finding the reasons, you can establish the methods to reduce the pressure and stress. Many researchers have found some explanations behind the stress which include lack of planning and preparation level, high expectation from friends and family, low motivation levels and competition from peers.

Some students may be relieved and confident about the outcome of the exam. While for many students this a time full of stress because some may not have done well, for some out of stress it would be a last attempt, there some may be are feeling anxious because the questions that the society is going to ask them after the results and also the family pressure. These students are unable to see few marks they missed and imagine the worst case such as failing the exam, bad grades.

Here are important some tips that might help you to deal with the post exam stress and anxiety.

1. Meditation- No matter how much boring this sounds to the students, but is the perfect exercise to relax mind and soul. It is a gift to overcome stress and anxiety level.

2. Attitude- Anxiety and stress are the parts of the journey to the exam. You can conquer anything in this world with the right behavior and attitude. Life is full of hurdles and difficulties, be confident and be around with positive thoughts and people. Rest will fall in the direction, hard work always pays off.

3. Do something you love- if you find your mind started to spiral out of control then keep yourself busy. Engage in an activity or game you love. Have a good meal, watch favorite movie or hang out with friends to keep your mind occupied. If you have a close friend then share all the thoughts and listen carefully to their words of encouragement.

3. Come back to reality- It is important to recognize that once the exam is over you have no control over the outcome. Now the ball is not in your court. Even if you do poorly in exam, your value as a human gets unaffected. At the end of day, you should know that your peers are going through the same situation. However, post exam stress and anxious feelings that manifest from situations beyond your control but it is manageable. Practicing stress management now will help you in making habitual and most important healthier.

4. Exercise and go for outdoors- One of the most frustrating things about the exam is that it occurs when the weather brightens up. Use this as a advantage and go for a walk, or a run, or head to the swimming pool. As well as keeping you healthy, exercise is known for boosting the mood and helps you to get refreshed.

5. Learn to counter Unrealistic expectations of others- One exam cannot make much difference to your life but not being assert yourself to counter the unrealistic expectation of others will definitely do. It might be difficult for you to sit and explain your feelings with relatives but once the exam is over you will get huge wave of relief.

6. Don't compare preparation with Friends- This very common student compare their preparation level with their friends. Don't do that as this will give stress and will give birth to negative thoughts.

7. Take a sound sleep- Late night studies might lead to health issues in the future. Along with the body, the brain needs rest as well. Students must make sure they take a sound sleep of 6-7 hours.

Managing stress is mandatory as it will deteriorate your mental and physical well-being. Spend your time in sports activities and things you love. Now one exam is over, it's time to explore new options and decide where you to go from here.