Short-temper, dark circles, insufficient sleep, and irregular dietary habits are some issues that many students encounter in the hard days ahead of the exam season. The CBSE Class 10th and Class 12th have their Term-2 board exams from 26th April 2022. Furthermore, students have NEET 2022, JEE Main 2022, CUCET, and NTA 2022. Students also have the NTSE and KVPY exams in the other half of the year. The students have to do effective preparations for the boards. At this time, the question paper will be subjective.
Many students are preparing for NEET-UG 2022 or JEE 2022 with Class 12th boards. With so many things to prepare for, the students feel stressed out. Securing a good rank in both boards and the upcoming entrance exam is imperative for students. Today, we will discuss the stress signals that students should not ignore. Also, in this article, we will explore how to combat stress and keep ourselves motivated.
Often exams are perceived as a threat by many students. Exams can cause potential loss to our self-worth, commitments, goals, and dreams. If a student fails or starts feeling like a failure, he may not get the future of his dreams. The merit of the CBSE board exams is highly significant. Scoring a prestigious aggregate in the board exams is inevitable for students who want to achieve something big.
But, students become stressed due to this exam pressure. Experiencing stress is normal in a challenging situation. What is important is that the students should learn how to tackle this exam pressure. They must become concerned about optimal performance but should not take stress for that. Stress is not good for our mind & body both.
| Fact to Consider:
As per the research stats of a Mental Health Organisation, around 66% of young people or students experience exam stress, which is a matter of concern. |
Notably, various researches show that high levels of exam stress can impact students’ attention. It reduces their memorising capacity. This leads to a lower performance level. Moreover, students may also encounter mental-health problems in adulthood due to early experiences of anxiety and stress.
Hence, students should not ignore the stress signals. They should address their stress issues and stay stress-free and calm. It will also enhance their performance.
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Some Common Stress Signals Ahead of Exam Season
There are some stress signals that students should not ignore. Let us discuss such signals of stress.
- Anxiety: Anxiety is one of the common stress signals many students experience. It is experiencing an intense moment of fear before and during the exam or test. If a student becomes highly anxious before an exam, he should opt for self-care strategies for himself during such time. It includes having the right nutrition, getting proper sleep, daily exercising, and a few relaxation routines (such as listening to music, going for a walk, etc.).
- Lack of sleep: Insufficient sleep leads to disturbances in the routine life of an individual. Many students face this problem. They reduce their sleep duration to allocate more time for their studies. Students study till late at night and wake up early in the morning for studies. Due to the shortening of sleep timings, students may feel uneasy or dizzy. It subsequently affects the efficiency of preparation. Students should set their routine sleeping and awakening times. They should strictly follow this sleep time and awakening time without any change. Long naps in the daytime should be avoided as a long nap may cause a delay in your sleeping time at night. However, a quick nap between study time proves helpful to freshen you up.
- Inability to maintain concentration: It is often observed that stress makes the students unable to maintain a high concentration for a longer period. So, students find it difficult to concentrate on one subject continuously. A high concentration is imperative for exam preparation, specifically while preparing for complex subjects. Read NCERT Solutions and important concepts of all the tough subjects here. Students should try to avoid distractions. It is easy to find distractions when a student knows that he has to study and concentrate for a longer period. If students are sitting for a long duration, gravity will cause the blood to accumulate in their lower bodies. So, it will not provide adequate oxygen supply to their brain. Proper oxygen supply helps to boost concentration. Hence, they should take short walks to maintain proper blood circulation.
- Headache or Migraine: For the students, exams can be hard times. Sometimes, the exam pressure on the students can be so immense that it starts to impact the students’ health. Headaches frequently occur to students during exam time. Many students start feeling low while experiencing such problems. It is very challenging to study with a headache. Students should indulge in self-care like aromatherapy to treat headaches. Keeping the body hydrated is also significant in preventing headaches. Besides, a proper 7-8 hour sleep also helps.
- Panicking: When a person experiences intense anxiety, he may have to deal with panic attacks. Panic attacks arise unexpectedly. If a person does not know what is happening, he may think that he is going crazy or having a heart attack. Panic attacks are not harmful but can be very frightening. Panicking is a response to a sudden & excessive release of adrenaline hormone in your bloodstream. If a person waits and tries to keep calm, the symptoms of a panic attack will subside. He will be back to normal. This can take up to a few minutes, and many people can’t wait or control their behaviour. One should be conscious of their response to such symptoms (if they occur) and try to normalise them.
Some Other Signals of Stress
- Having mood swings.
- Feeling confused and having trouble in decision-making
- Lack of motivation to strive for achievements
- Lack of interest in everything
- Tensed muscles or upset stomach
- Nail-biting & grinding teeth
- Losing touch with friends or relatives
How to Combat Exam Stress?
A calm mind leads a person to de-stress himself. Good stress pushes an individual to work harder and move towards his goal. Now, how to achieve such a calmness or stillness of mind?
The calmness of mind encourages productivity. Three key aspects lead to the stillness of mind. Those key aspects are:
- Time Management
- Physiological Balance
- Psychological Self-Care
Time Management
Time Management is an important skill to hone. Once a student learns how to manage his time effectively, he can achieve calmness of mind. A student should prepare a systematic schedule that will include time for study, recreation, and self-care.
Physiological Balance
Physiological balancing requires a student to follow a proper routine. A routine that helps to maintain body balance. It involves a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and the necessary amount of exercise to keep our bodies active. Follow a suitable bedtime routine. Read a novel or listen to soothing music before sleeping. Also, students should keep their smartphones and other devices away while sleeping.
Psychological Self-Care
Another aspect that is often ignored is psychological self-care. A student needs to soothe himself internally. Keeping yourself happy from the inside is significant. Besides, taking note of your achievements is important. Self-compassion is essential, not only during exams but even in normal phases of life. A student should believe in himself.
Conclusion
The students are rigorously preparing for the board exams. CBSE board exams are around the corner. Also, students have to prepare for the national-level JEE, NEET, or the CUCET, which will take place after the boards. Students are preparing for the entrance test along with the board preparations. There is so much exam pressure due to the high level of competition. Amidst the tiresome preparations, students should not take much stress. Notably, it affects our productivity & reduces our concentration. Students should not ignore the major signs of stress, as discussed in this article. Students should try to keep their minds calm. It is the key to bear through these days of hard work. With a calm mind, students can fully utilise their capabilities.
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FAQs
Q. Why do students become stressed before their exams?
A. Many students take stress before appearing for an exam and while giving an exam. It is because, in stressful situations, our body releases the adrenaline hormone. This hormone helps our body to handle what is about to take place. It is generally known as the fight-or-flight response. As the name suggests, this response readies you to either tackle the stress or escape the circumstances entirely. Notably, being anxious or nervous are completely normal reactions to stress. Students should check that such stress must not interfere with their performance.
Q. How does exam stress impact the ability of the students?
A. A small amount of stress when the exams are approaching can be good. It is beneficial as it pushes a student to put in the effort. Sometimes stress becomes very intense, especially when a student has to appear for his boards or any national level competitive exam. Such stress leads a student to worry a lot, experience depression & panic attacks, become irritable & exhausted and more. All these can affect the abilities of a student. It can affect the performance level and general well-being.
Q. What are the things a student can do to combat stress during exam preparation?
A. To combat stress during exam preparation, students should primarily develop a practicable action plan. It should involve efficiently organising the time and work for excellent preparation. This will help to increase confidence. Secondly, students should understand the physiological responses of their bodies. They must try to address them. Practising mindfulness, yoga, mediation, and breathing techniques can help the students to keep their body & mind healthy. Students should observe their feelings before and after practising such techniques. It will help ascertain the effectiveness of a technique for an individual.
Q. What is good or positive stress?
A. When we face a challenging event or circumstances, experiencing a bit of stress is normal. An individual can experience stress in various situations, such as when starting a new endeavour, learning something, etc. Notably, how we perceive stress can make a difference in how it impacts us. Various researches show that it is beneficial if we perceive stress as a thing that elevates our performance in a difficult circumstance (as a helpful response). In simple words, stress can be good if we see & believe it as good. Students should consider stress as a performance booster for them.
