How to Beat Exam Stress
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2018/12/08/student-life-how-to-beat-exam-stress/
How to Beat Exam Stress: A Guide
Being organised for an exam is one thing, but being relaxed is a whole other ball game.
When you are studying, all your attention is locked in on your exam. It doesn’t matter if you
are the most organised person in the world. It does it matter if it is your first or your last exam,
stress tends to rear its ugly head. Here are a couple of things you can do to bring your heart
rate down and your concentration up.
Walking
Getting a headache because you are grinding your teeth? Sitting at your computer and your
shoulders hurt? Get walking.
A little fresh air and a bit of headspace will help with not only the pain in your head but the
physical pain that come with studying. Walking gets you active but it also takes your mind
away and gets it to focus on your moving your body. 10 mins even helps.
What you do on your walk is up to you. Here are some suggestions:
Music
Music is by far my go to relaxer. Depending on my mood or the amount of concentration I
need to put into a subject, the music I listen to can change.
For the subjects that I need all my energy and concentration for, I play this on loop.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/CYk3A2jQSU0
Podcasts
If you really want some headspace and want to get away from 10 mins, podcasts are your
friend. Whatever your poison, whether it be spirituality (Krista Tippett - On Being), creativity
(Elizabeth Gilbert - Magic Lessons), the Irish language (HeadStuff- MotherFoclóir) or mystery
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2018/12/08/student-life-how-to-beat-exam-stress/
(Two-Up Productions - Limetown), you can use podcasts to relieve stress for a couple of
minutes.
Nothing
If listening to other people talk while your mind is racing doesn’t calm you down, I suggest
listening to what is going on around you as you walk. Take it as a mindfulness exercise. When
you leave your house or the library, find the loudest noise, focus on that and just start
walking. Following birdsong as you walk can really take you out of your head and refocus you.
Meditating
If, like me, you have difficulty leaving study behind at the end of the day a great way to
ground yourself after a busy day is to meditate. I know when I started practising meditation, I
thought “this is never going to work. I won’t be able to make my brain stop”. And it’s true, you
can’t, for a while.
Like everything else, meditation has to practiced and the more you practise the better you
get at it. I am using an app called Calm to meditate. Certain programs on the app can be
used for free but if you want to up your meditation game you can get a subscription.
If you want to merge your meditation and exercise into one session, you can find free yoga
classes on DoYogaWithMe. Whilst getting fresh air can do you the world of good, when you
get closer to exam time, you may feel a pinch for time and these classes can be accessed
easily.
Reading
Now you may ask, why would I want to read for relaxation when I have read ALL SEMESTER
LONG?? Hear me out.
The simple act of sitting in silence, reading can be a meditation practice in itself. You don’t
have to read War and Peace, you can read anything that is going to take your mind off
studying. Like fan-fiction or an Amazon single.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2018/12/08/student-life-how-to-beat-exam-stress/
If you want to read something online, keep in mind that you have stared at a screen for a
while. You may need to give your brain a break but make sure that your eyes get a break too.
Planning Time
One of the most difficult parts of studying is trying to find the time to do it. Studying for an
exam can take a while but remember, it’s not forever so make sure that the time you do have
is spent wisely. The first thing I do when I get my exam timetable is plan out my time over the
remaining weeks.
I make sure to include social events that have already been planned and make sure to plan
some recreational time.
Be realistic of the time your planning to study. If you have 6 topics to learn and 12 hours free
during the week, make sure that you schedule social and exercise time during this period.
Any time you have left over should be allocated to a topic. By using this method, it may feel
like you are not giving yourself enough time to study. But you will find that you will spend
your time studying wisely when you have less of it. This helps avoid the number one cause of
guilt during studying, which is…
Procrastination
Once you have allocated your time and k
now what you need to study, you need to stick to
your plan. Remember studying for an exam is only for a short time and the outcome
out-ways the negative aspect of studying so keep it going.
Elisabeth Gilbert has described procrastination as stemming from the fear of failing. But
remember if you don’t prepare for an exam, you are definitely going to fail so make sure that
you make the most of your time.
Make the Most of Your Time
Halfway through studying, you may ask yourself, why the am I doing this? If this happens
(and it is bound to), write down what your goals are on a post-it and keep it near your study
area for quick reference. It doesn’t matter what your goals are, whether it is to become
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2018/12/08/student-life-how-to-beat-exam-stress/
President or to buy your own home, your goals are your own so own them. No one is going to
do them for you. So take you life by the dog eared pages of your book and study!
Make the Most of Your Commute
For some people, me included, I find that time commuting seems like a waste of time. To this
I would say, you can view this time in two ways. You can use it to relax or you can use it to
study.
For those of you that walk or use public transport to get to and from school/college, take
advantage of alternative sources of information. For example, if you are studying P
sychology,
Crash Course, is a funny and effective way to become familiar with major Psychological ideas.
If you are studying business, why not listen to an audiobook by someone like Warren Buffett.
Alternative methods of learning can sometimes have a more positive effect on your learning
outcomes then traditional means.
Socialising
Friends. Remember them? They are those people that are outside of your study bubble and
they are dying to talk to you. You have been under a study rock for so long that they have
wondered if you have left the country. Do yourself a favour and send them a text or even a
funny gif. Or even better, get yourself down to your local coffee shop or pub and catch up.
Give yourself some time to turn off and reconnect with the outside world.
Sleep
Sleep may seem like the most ineffective and counter intuitive thing you can do when you
are studying, but believe me, you ain’t passing that exam without it. When you are sleeping,
you consolidate and store the information you have learned. Without it, you won’t retain all
the information you are attempting to learn. What’s the point in that?
Make sure that you get 8 hours per night and if you feel like a 20 min nap will help in the
afternoon, take that opportunity as well. When you are studying, your brain is taking up the
more energy than normal so what not give it a break and let it rest once in a while.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2018/12/08/student-life-how-to-beat-exam-stress/
Whether you love to read, walk or listen to music, I hope this guide helps you even a little bit.
If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear from you.
Photo Credit: W
illiam Iven