Exams are one of the most stressful things that people have to go through in their lives. With most tests, you only have one shot. So you better bring your A-game on the day itself.
But, of course, if you’re the type of person who worries a lot, you can’t bring your A-game. The moment you know that there’s going to be an exam, you clam-up, you can’t sleep, and nothing in the exam itself flows.
Beating exam stress, therefore, it is tricky. You want to go into the test room absolutely fresh and at 100 percent. But your own mind is working against you. It’s totally paradoxical.
The reason we get so stressed in exams comes down to a number of factors, according to onlineschoolscenter.com. First, we worry about the effect that the outcome will have on our lives. We’re being judged, and society is using the results to allocate us future roles, however indirectly.
Second, we feel personally invested in the process. For some of us, our value as individuals is linked to how well we perform. And this, again, can have a massive impact on our levels of stress beforehand. Our heart rate goes up, we start sweating and our glands start pumping out massive doses of adrenaline.
Fortunately, there are some ways that you can deal with pre-test anxiety and ensure that you do your best. Here’s what to do:
Start Breathing Properly
You’re probably thinking that you’re already breathing and it isn’t making any difference. But pay attention to the way in which you’re drawing air into your body.
Most people we pre-exam stress tend to breathe high in the chest. Their lungs and sternum expand up and down and the entire region heaves.
But breathing properly involves allowing the navel to move inward and outward with each breath and the chest should hardly move at all. You’ll find that after a few slow, long and deep breaths this way, you feel more relaxed and at ease in your body. Your nervous system begins to calm down and you’re able to concentrate more on the task ahead of you.
Change Your Routine
It’s also a good idea to think about whether your routine is serving your examination ambitions. If you’re going to bed late, spending all day studying, and not getting any exercise, then you’ll naturally feel a lot more stressed and tired.
Sites like bloomfarmswellness.com have more information on how you can change your routine for the better and add to it. Concentrate on eating well and taking supplements that help you relax. Make sure that you get plenty of movement throughout the day to assist with your revision work.
Interpret Anxiety As Excitement
Lastly, you might want to try doing what professional athletes do and start interpreting anxiety as excitement. Often how we think about our emotions changes how we perceive them. Sweaty palms, racing hearts, and butterflies in the stomach could describe either a high state of stress or excitement. So why not just look at it as excitement and see your exams as an opportunity?