How to manage stress during exams

Madam, I am a class 12 student. My term one exams are fast approaching and I am really stressed about the preparation for my exams. I am not able to cater the required time for all the subjects due to my busy schedule of school and tuition. Since I haven't performed well in my previous tests I have extra pressure building up. Also, I am getting affected by the tough competition in my class. So, I request you to provide me with a solution.- Lalitha, Sainikpuri.

Every student experiences some form of anxiety or panic during their student life and this is likely to occur more during exam time. Study/Test anxiety primarily de motivates and corrodes confidence. Roger Mead, stress management consultant and the general secretary of the International Stress Management Association, agrees, "Up to a point, pressure improves our performance.

But as it increases a bit more, it reduces our effectiveness. Handling it well is about recognising that point.”Study anxiety makes it difficult for you to concentrate on a range of tasks such as reading, writing, or listening. Repetitive and intrusive thoughts occur and make it hard for you to think clearly and you may notice symptoms such as muscle tension, headache, shallow breathing, heart palpitations and nausea.

These symptoms in turn inhibit your thought process and stop you from doing what you want. As Roger says that anxiety to some extent will help you remain focused and productive but once it crosses a limit then maintaining motivation becomes difficult. You will have to understand, make a conscious choice and take control to let go your anxieties and stresses. A few strategies are mentioned below to do the same but then these techniques will work best like most other things only if you deliberately practice them.

What is anxiety? It is worrying for no cause, therefore stop worrying and feeding in negative thoughts and instead focus on what it is you have to do. Think rationally and avoid panicky or negative self-statements such as, “I cannot cope with the tough competition” or “I will again under perform as I have done earlier”

Every successful performance demands a little bit of tenseness, it can be an ally and a reminder to cope. The moment you start worrying, just self counsel yourself, take a slow deep breath and relax. You can’t eliminate fear totally, but then you can reason your fear away. Focus on the present and understand what has to be done on the present and this can help you effectively manage fear.

Later, you can reinforce self statements such as ‘you could triumph over fear and you are learning to cope more smoothly’. Keep asserting yourself that you can handle anxiety or stress and are pleased with your progress.

The above technique can be complimented with some breathing techniques. This may sound simple and maybe you’ve heard before but then still it works. 85 per cent of all anxiety responses can be controlled through breath control. Anxiety leads to shallow breathing and this in turn leaves the brain to oxygen starvation and therefore you have to fill up your lungs slowly, deeply from bottom to top and then exhale slowly and relax. Try to incorporate deep breathing as your normal breathing and this will be loved by your brain and memory.

Do away with ‘rush sickness’ and deliberately slow down your movements in anxious situations, slow down thinking, writing and reading. This when coupled with controlled breathing will help you regain your physical and mental control. It will decrease your anxiety levels and help you study better and keep your studied memories alive during tests.

Exercising and simple breathing relaxation technique’s has proven to be effective in heightening concentration levels and performance, hence add it in your daily schedule and get an extra boost of energy and liveliness.

All this cannot be supplemented for a poor preparation or realistic goals. Under-preparedness is a key reason for study and test anxiety and one has to plan his studies, follow a daily study schedule and avoid last minute test preparations. Whenever you set goals, put them in writing and this will keep you committed and help you keep sight of them in the shuffle of daily activity.

Remember that a goal is not a goal if you do not set a deadline for its accomplishment. Therefore, let all your goals have a target date and see that they are challenging as this will keep you motivated and hold your interest level.

When you sit to study see that your approach is one with a positive attitude and is full of interest. It is understood that it is impossible to be interested in all subjects but then you cannot memorise and store the matter as long term memory if you study without interest. When dealing with subjects of less interest, you should consciously counsel yourself that I cannot escape studying this and therefore I shall try and develop interest in it. It is likely that your concentration span may decrease for it, therefore cut study times into shorter sessions for that subject. Say for example for a two hour session (which can drain you if you are not interested) you can split it into four sessions of forty minutes each. This leads to less anxiety and stress and allows the brain to grow dendrites needed for learning.

Every individual has a biological clock in his body and therefore some are more productive when they study in late night, some in the early morning. Study in your peak concentration hours.

Develop time management skills to help meet deadlines and stay motivated. Balance study, tuition and recreation hours as it should be and this can be done by following a daily schedule.

Avoid stressful people. Stress is contagious, so resist the urge to have a study session with your apprehensive friends before an exam, especially if they are complaining about all the work they have left to do and pulling their hair out. Their stress will only add to your stress and make you doubt yourself.

Do not allow past negatives to nag you nor have any thoughts of “what ifs.” These will only build up more anxiety and inhibit your natural gift to learn and also decrease your ability to retain and recollect what you’ve learnt.

I once again stress the fact that only through conscious practice will you be able to overcome feelings of panic and anxiety and avoid diminishing your brain’s capability to use stored memory and its thinking power. Consciously working for a dream demands the dream to be powerful, strong and compelling.

Such a dream will drown out all your anxieties and stress and will help you live in the ‘NOW’ moment, enjoying each moment of your journey moving from one challenge to the other. All the best!!

By:Shehre Banu Kagalwala