Stress & Anxiety During Exams; Tips To Cope Up With Stress During Competitive Exams Journey

Competitive examination accounts for rigorous hard work and dedication. A lot of times, it happens that this over-productivity takes the form of stress and starts hampering the overall learning process. This negatively affects the overall performance in the examination. Preparing for any competitive examination can lead to a lot of stress due to the long period of preparation and vast syllabus to be covered in a short time.

What is Stress?

Before diving into the tips to tackle stress during competitive examination preparations, let us know what stress exactly means. Stress is a feeling of intense pressure surrounded by negative feelings that hampers the overall performance. It is also accompanied by low self-confidence, low self-esteem, negative thoughts and a feeling of being drained out mentally and physically.

We often think that stress is a common phenomenon and can go away easily. However, a prolonged period of stress is the first stage of a mental illness as it starts decreasing the active brain cells. It significantly reduces productivity.

Tips For Parents To Make Children Study On Their Own

How Does Stress Affect One's Productivity?

• Stress is one of the primary factors that affect the physical as well as mental well-being of a student. This inversely leads to a lowering of the overall productivity during the examination.
• Stress induces a negative burst of adrenaline that drains out the energy from the cells and leads to a tired and poor lifestyle.
• Stress, as mentioned earlier, is known to kill the brain's healthy cells. This is the first reason that leads to poor concentration among students.
• It is also known to negatively affect a student's mood, due to which they start losing interest in their studies.

Highlights of NCERT's Manodarpan

Also Read: Studies, Examinations, and Results Major Causes of Anxiety Among Students: NCERT Survey Reveals

To provide psychological support to students, the Ministry of Education (MOE) launched Manodarpan. This cell conducted several surveys to study the mental well-being of the students. Check out the major excerpts of the survey in the section below.
The survey revealed that 41% of students could easily adapt to the surrounding changes.
Around 81% of students said that exams and results are the primary reason for stress.
51% of students responded that they find difficulty studying online, and 28% of students find it hesitant to ask counter-questions.

Tips to Tackle Stress During Competitive Examination

1. A stressful mind is often caused by performance anxiety, a bad lifestyle or external pressure. The following section consists of the tips suggested by toppers who have managed their stress while preparing for competitive examinations.
2. Indulge yourself in any form of physical activity. Regular walking or cycling can be a good option if you are not a fitness freak. Participating in any outdoor sports, i.e. cricket, football or badminton can also do the work.
3. Adhere to cleanliness guidelines, and always keep your study station clean.
4. Decluttering is also therapeutic and thus helpful in keeping the mind fresh.

Tips To Make Your Child More Confident

1. Organised with your studies. Try to stick to a study plan and time for each activity. Do this by assigning timing to everything, like devoting three to four hours to practising, then at least one hour to revision etc.
2. Take regular and frequent breaks. Studying for too long for a competitive examination can induce lethargy in mind. Hence, breaks or short naps help rejuvenate the mind and body.
3. Keep track of your preparation levels. The primary reason for stress is being unaware of one's strengths. Hence, tracking down preparation levels helps induce self-confidence, which deals with unnecessary stress.
4. Take proper sleep of at least 7 to 8 hours a day. A healthy brain accounts for an increased level of concentration and retention power.

Reasons: Why Should Parents Not Decide On Their Child's Career?

How to prepare for competitive exams without taking stress?

Below are the tips which you can practice to ace any competitive exams without taking much stress:

1. Plan a preparation strategy, keeping the concerned exam syllabus in mind.
2. Go through the previous year's question papers and practice a lot.
3. Devote time for self-study and to the things that you love. It could be anything like writing, painting, playing, etc.
4. Be Motivated & Stay Positive: Have faith in yourself, your strategy, study plan. Work hard, maintain confidence & trust in your preparation and inner self. Always try to have positive thoughts in your mind to stay motivated in the long term.

For more tips and the latest updates, get connected with us on telegram, click here.