Description. Are you feeling worried because of your exams? Don’t know how to relieve stress? Read on to find helpful tips and knowledge about the most crucial factors influencing your academic success.
Students face a lot of stress during exams. Parents’ and teachers’ expectations and peers’ pressure make it challenging to go through tests. Furthermore, students themselves want to achieve the best results and feel stressed. Is it possible to stay calm and healthy during exams? Sure! Read on to know helpful tips and pieces of advice.
Good Preparation Is The Key To Success
If the student is confident in his knowledge, stress and anxiety take the back seat.
When you need help for your test prep, check options like Magoosh, Kaplan or Best My Test. Read the BestMyTest TOEFL review for more information, check reviews of other training programs, and select the most appropriate option. Keep your table uncluttered. Phones, social media, and other distractions are your number one obstacle on the way to success. Study one subject at a time, make a flexible schedule and plan ahead.
However, breaks are important. It’s crucial to take short breaks every 45-60 minutes. The best way to spend such a break is to leave your room and have a nice walk. Use flow charts and mnemonics to remember better.
How to act at the school or university before and during the exam? Don’t try to repeat everything you know before the exam when you are already in the classroom. Just calm down and be confident. Once you have the paper, read only the first question. If you know it, answer; if not – don’t waste your time and move forward. It would work best for you if you are concentrated on your task. Looking at the clock or other students in your class is not a good idea.
Always give yourself some time to relax before studying another subject and preparing for the next exam. Plan a get-together with your friends, a movie night, or a vacation somewhere exciting. This will give you something to look forward to and will keep you motivated to work hard until the finish. Remember that your health is the most crucial thing, and take care.
Maintain Healthy Lifestyle
The importance of healthy lifestyles cannot be overemphasized. The quality of sleep and nutrition largely determines the brain’s cognitive functions. Recent research in sleep neurobiology and cognitive neuroscience has provided conclusive evidence of the fundamental role of sleep in cognitive processes.
According to the National Sleep Foundation recommendations, United States, the average normal sleep duration can be counted as 7-8 hours per day. Do not stay late for textbooks. Choosing a dream, you choose health and academic success.
To feel good and pass the exams, you need to eat properly. Many students are very worried and even forget about meals. Of course, this fact harms their condition and, as a result, exam results. Experts recommend eating nuts, fruits, and berries to improve the brain. There is a lot of vitamin E in nuts.
Also, it helps to maintain brain activity and productivity and health until old age. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are powerful sources of antioxidants. These berries provide good blood circulation to the brain and also improve memory. Limit your caffeine intake. The temptation for many students is to rely on caffeine or other energy beverages to help them focus on their studies. There’s a good chance that you’ll ‘crash’ and not be able to study.
To stay healthy during exams and improve your chances of getting high grades, do sports. Even 30 minutes of exercising a day can make a difference. Regular physical activity protects from diseases and prolongs life. It strengthens immunity and muscles and preserves mental health.
By analyzing the studies on the effects of physical exercise on cognitive function, Peter Blomstrand of Jönchöping University and his colleagues have confirmed that physical activity also makes us smarter. Scientists have concluded that aerobic exercises of moderate or high-intensity increase attention, concentration, learning ability, and memory. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tsm2.190).
Physical improvements also affect:
- memorization in learning;
- planning and problem solving;
- cognitive functions requiring concentration;
- long-term memory;
- working memory;
- fluency of speech.
The Calm One Always Wins
Even if you have studied the subject thoroughly and know the answers to all questions, excitement can play tricks on you. A calm student always passes the exam better than a nervous one. Several effective techniques can help you calm down and get yourself under control. Breathing practices work well. One of the most effective techniques is called 4-7-8.
Keep your tongue on your palate behind your upper teeth and exhale through your clenched lips throughout the exercise. This will slow down the exhalation, and you can easily make it longer than the inhale.
The recommended technique 4-7-8 is as follows.
- Inhale deeply through your nose on four accounts.
- Hold your breath at the peak of your breath on seven counts.
- Exhale through compressed lips into eight accounts.
- Repeat this cycle up to 4 times, twice a day.
Do not run away from that feeling once you feel a wave of anxiety rolling over you. Tell your relatives or friends about your experiences, making it easier to deal with stress. Even a simple conversation over a cup of coffee can do wonders. Wrap your experiences in words – and you will be relieved.
Another effective way to deal with stress is to go from stress mode to action mode. Make a plan for the day, and try to comply with all the points. Live here and now, do not forget to please yourself and reward yourself for your efforts. Choose the technique that suits you. Some students are more helped by breathing practices; others prefer planning.
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