7 Ways to Cope With Exam Stress

Students often live under a lot of stress. School, exams, work, personal life, and the first steps in adulthood are not easy to take at such a young age. However, it doesn’t mean you have to deal with stress throughout all your college years. Fortunately, you can develop a solid coping mechanism that will not only help you cope with stress but prevent it altogether. So here are seven ways you can cope with exam stress in college.

  1. Eat and sleep well

Now, stress preys on the vulnerable. Of course, all students are somewhat stressed and vulnerable during their exams. Yet, you can help your body and mind to deal with that pressure. First, start by eating well and having plenty of sleep. What you eat affects your brain work, mood, and physical state.

So, start by eliminating anything that can provoke anxiety, like sugary products, especially drinks and highly-processed food. Add more greens, veggies, complex carbs, and fatty fish into your diet. Drink plenty of water and have healthy snacks whenever you’re hungry.

Take care of your sleep. It’s the time when you get energized and recharged. Skip those hours, and your mind will become vulnerable to depression and anxiety while you will feel stressed and exhausted fighting it.

  1. Exercise

Exercising is a great way to cope with stress. First, you get to move your body and get the blood going. So, your brain and organs receive more oxygen to enhance their work. Secondly, it releases dopamine, which helps you feel better and happier. Lastly, it’s a perfect method to get distracted from your worries and focus on yourself and your body instead. Stress will have no place in that arrangement.

  1. Start early

Part of the stress comes from you being unprepared for the exams. So, to prevent that, start early. It’s easy to see how early preparations can help you reduce the pressure and increase your chances of success during exams. You can create a study plan and revise it throughout the semester. So when the exams come, you are not only calm but confident in your abilities.

Your study plan should have all the essential dates, like exams, deadlines, tests, etc. Stick to the plan and break down all large projects into smaller pieces.

However, don’t be too harsh on yourself and leave plenty of room in between each activity. First, more space will give you more room for emergencies. So, you will be flexible with your time. Secondly, you won’t endure additional pressure from an overstuffed schedule.

  1. Get organized

Chaos is the best friend of stress. You don’t want to let any of them into your life, do you? So, the best way to avoid both of these states is to get organized. Efficiency and productivity will keep you busy without adding more pressure or stress into your life. So, start with a daily routine.

Find the hours you are most comfortable waking up, going to bed, studying, exercising, etc. Create a schedule where you can fit all your activities in with a little room for spare time. Organize your day in a way where you have time to work and rest, study and dedicate hours to hobbies and friends.

  1. Talk to someone

You don’t have to bottle up your feelings or deal with pressure all alone. Isolation will only increase your anxiety. So, try to stay social during hard times. Talk to your friends and family. Share how you feel and seek support and encouragement. Your close ones care about you and can share your burden with you.

Consider going out to social events more. They can help you recharge and change your focus for a bit. So, you will get out of your head and gain a new perspective on things that bother you. Also, when stressed, seek any chance to have a good laugh. It’s the best remedy you can find out there.

  1. Get help

Stress can signal that you are not managing all the workload by yourself. However, it’s okay since you can always find help. Perhaps, consider studying in groups. This way, you can share your concerns with others, test your abilities, share notes and collected information, etc. Perhaps, you should hire a tutor. These specialists will quickly pick up where you are missing and give you enough lessons and information to pass the test. Of course, you can also consider ordering an essay at SpeedyPaper. Their professional writers will help you achieve desirable results at a low price and high speed.

  1. Just breathe

Finally, don’t take everything so seriously. Exams are not the end of the world. You will manage to go through them. Just don’t forget to breathe and relax a little bit. Students should learn how to take care of themselves and their mental health before everything else. That’s how you can avoid burnout later in your job.

So, whenever you feel stressed and overwhelmed, take a step back. Take a breath. Regroup. Have a rest and ground yourself. You will see how things that worry you disappear as you analyze them. Slowing down and breathing is a valuable and rare skill to master at such a young age. Yet, if you achieve that, you’ll never freeze during exams or suffer from study pressure again.