How to Handle Anxiety/Stress during IIT-JEE Preparation?

When it comes to entrance exams, IIT JEE is one of the most troublesome ones because it requires years of preparation and dedication. Lakhs of students wait for this exam so that they can get admission to the prestigious IIT colleges. 

With exams around the corner, anxiety, stress, restlessness, and fear will likely make their way inside a student’s life. We know that this is one of the most important exams for students who have been preparing for the years. But that should not take a toll on their mental health, this is why have jotted down few tips to destress that IITians swear by: 

1. Indulge in Yoga or Physical Activities 

Been snacking all day and night during your exam preparations? It’s normal to get carried away and forget everything when you have a lot of stuff on your plate. But it’s not okay to neglect your mental and physical health. To concentrate on studies, you have to maintain a balance between your mind, body, and soul. To achieve this you need to indulge in some sort of physical activities  

2. Take Breaks in Between 

If you study for hours at a stretch you will surely feel exhausted in no time. This will drain your energy and leave you feeling overwhelmed. You won’t be able to focus and feel demotivated. To ensure you’re being productive and making the most of your time, we suggest you take occasional breaks. It could be a 20 min break after every 1 hour or whatever deems fit as per your needs. 

3. Eat a Balanced Diet & Get Proper Sleep 

A balanced diet and 8 hours of sleep are the two most important things in anyone’s life. Making adjustments to your sleep schedule or food habits to study more will only harm you in the long run. Students who get proper sleep tend to memorize things faster and wake up the next day full of energy. On the contrary, students who study for hours and sleep late tend to feel dizzy. 

4. Take mock tests 

The most important thing to keep you prepared for your exams is mock tests. They could help you a lot, especially in knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Sit in a room with no distractions, keep the timer ready and then give your mock test. It will help you in managing your time and you will be able to know in which areas you need to improvise. Keep a track of the number of questions, the time spent in solving each, and the ones that you missed. Analyze your paper thoroughly, which questions were challenging, the ones that were easy, and the ones you could not attempt. This will test your capability and keep you prepared for the actual exam. 

5. Avoid Interacting with Stressed Peers or Family Members 

During exams the students are already stressed enough, talking to peers or family members will only double the stress. There are a lot of students who don’t prepare well for their exams and start panicking, they stress themselves and others around them. Some parents are more interested in other kids and what they are doing rather than their children. The best decision would be to avoid such people to maintain your peace of mind. 

6. Have Realistic Expectations 

A lot of students don’t utilize their time as they should and then just start to panic right before the exam. They think that they can memorize everything in a fraction of time, which is completely wrong. If you have not worked hard enough, don’t expect good grades. Or if you don’t do well in one subject, don’t waste your time trying to understand it again and again. Rather just practice the subjects you understand well to ace the exam. 

7. Talk to Your Parents, Friends, or Teachers 

It’s not always rainbows and sunshine, some days you might feel low and. But that does not mean you will keep it to yourself, rather talk it out to your friends, teachers, or parents. Discuss what’s bothering you, the problems you are facing, and pay attention to whatever advice you get. Just be optimistic and everything will turn out amazing for you. 

We hope that all these tips help you in battling anxiety. But make sure you study well, revise all the important topics thoroughly before your exams. You feel anxious when you’re not well-prepared, but if you’re prepared enough, you won’t get jitters before exams. You can also check out our website for revision notes and important topics. 

FAQs

How to stay motivated during JEE preparation?

Finding it hard to stay motivated is something a lot of students go through and there is nothing to be worried about. With few tips and a little bit of focus and you’re good to go. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated during JEE preparation:

1. Don’t just study to get marks but to gain better knowledge. 
2. One reason could be that you have some backlogs and it’s giving you anxiety. It’s better to clear your backlogs.
3. Don’t go through everything just important topics. 
4. Learn from some advanced-level sources along with NCERT. They always cover the basics.
5. Work smarter not harder. 

How do I deal with anxiety and peer pressure during JEE preparation?

The best way to deal with anxiety and peer pressure would be:

• Avoiding any unnecessary conversations with peers or relatives who are constantly asking you about your JEE preparation or what score you’re aiming for. 
• Secondly, believe in yourself, don’t get overwhelmed. Just be positive and think for the best. If you will let negative thoughts affect your mental health, it will affect every aspect of your life. Not just JEE but you will feel pressured in any situation and won’t be able to fight back. 
• Don’t ask your friends about how their preparation is going, you will feel anxious if they have covered more syllabus than you. The same goes with when someone asks you about how far you have come with your JEE preparation. Just say it’s going good, no need to dig in further. 

What should we not do during JEE preparation?

Here are few important things that you should not do during JEE preparation including:

1. Focusing only on important topics and not the entire syllabus.
2. Not making your own strategy for studying.
3. Not giving mock tests at all/ Giving too many mock tests 
4. Not making short notes 
5. Studying from too many reference books