How students should manage their time and stress during exams?

Racing heartbeats, sleepless nights and humongous amount of pressure. We all have been through those days when the syllabus never seemed to end. Even if it did seem to end, the feeling of forgetting every little formula that we memorized never seemed to fade away. Yes, my friend, you read it right, these are nothing but our examination days. After a long duration of hard work working on assignments, identifying essay topics, and working tirelessly to meet expectations of professors, it is the huge stress of exams that comes up as a big challenge. The ultimate success thus lies in the power of how well a student can transform this stress into productive energy and how well he manages his time during those D-days. Here are some scientifically proven tips for effective time and stress management for the perusal of you all. It is quite true that the amount of stress that we undertake differs from person to person, but what remains constant is the fact that none of us has ever remained untouched from that pressure. The ultimate success thus lies in the power of how well a student can transform this stress into productive energy and how well he manages his time during those D-days.

Yes, it’s quite true that its better said than done. But coming from someone who has been a student throughout her life makes this article a tad more reliable and trustworthy. So here are some scientifically proven tips for effective time and stress management for the perusal of you all.

• Plan your schedule for the day and try to stick to that

An organised day and a well-planned day is the first step towards any stress-free endeavour. If you plan your day in advance with respect to the syllabus or the topics to be covered, and assign specific slots to specific chapters as per their importance, it helps you to keep your anxiety in control. This not only helps in managing your stress but is also the ultimate step towards time management.

• Get good and enough sleep.

Shortage of sleep during exams seems to be a common sin. But as rightly mentioned, it still remains a “sin”. Our body is biologically made and manufactured in such a way that it functions efficiently only after a dedicated amount of relaxing sessions that it gets via sleep. This is the reason why it is very important to never compromise with your sleep and allow your body to have a proper 8 hour long sleeping session in one go. This stands true even during the examination days. This is where #Rule 1 comes into play.

•  Start your day with a 10 minutes quick warm-up session.

It has constantly been proven that starting your day with a high intensity aerobic activity session energises your body and makes it capable so as to face an exhausting day. A quick jogging, biking, walking or even a yoga session completely rejuvenates your body and provides an instant streak of enthusiasm into it.

•  Schedule regular breaks of 10 minutes after every 45 minutes study session.

This technique not only helps in rejuvenating your energy but also keeps you focussed throughout those 45 minutes study sessions. It is estimated that an individual loses his focus after every 45 minutes session of rigorous and concentrated work. This practice ideally resonates to keep your mind on track and hence increases your learning and grasping efficiency.

•  Reduce the amount of sugar intake.

Research has proven that when we are stressed, our adrenal gland releases a hormone called cortisol so as to manage the stress level. The sugar that we intake hinders the secretion of this hormone and hence prevents it from reducing the stress levels in the body. Thus affecting us more adversely.

•  Dedicate sometime to your hobby.

Pursuing your hobby is the best recreation technique. Nothing soothes a mind more than undertaking the activity that makes it happy. Having said that, this has to be done within a stipulated timeframe. During exams, a lot of time has to be dedicated to studies. So even if a person manages to steal 10-15 minutes for his hobby in a day, that serves the purpose.

•    Keep yourself up with positive and inspirational vibes around you.

Research has shown that positive and inspirational affirmations are a powerful way to calm a person down and keeps him going. Surround yourself with positive quotes and thoughts. Talk to people who spread positive vibes. This not only helps in stress and time management but also creates an aura that keeps you happy and cheerful.

•    Pen down the things that you are most worried about and prioritise them.

The best remedy for any weakness is to know it first and then to work towards it. Write down the things/activities/chapters that stress you the most and then prioritize them. Dedicate proper slots so as to complete them and not leaving them for the end. Finishing the targets that stress you the most gives ultimate relief and hence keeps you more focussed and stress free.

•    Set little-little goals for yourself.

Setting small and realistic goals at every step not only keeps you motivated but also instils the feeling of self-confidence within you. You tend to be more respectful towards you which not only serves as the catalyst towards achieving your goals but also works as the true self motivator.

•     Be kind and gentle towards yourself.

It is certainly good to set high goals for yourself so as to keep yourself determined, but it is equally important to understand that you are giving your best shot and you can certainly not control the final outcome. Just give your best shot and leave the rest to almighty.

•  Focus on getting better rather than being perfect.

In the end, we are humans, not angels. You can only work hard so as to achieve your goals. Achieving them ultimately is not in your hands. The process of learning is anytime more important than achieving the final goal. Because a goal may be achieved by hook or by crook, but what an honest and dedicated process will teach you is incomparable.

  To be able to manage your time efficiently is the most important asset any student can have. These are some of my secret mantras that keeps me going and will definitely enable you to fight with

that stress monster. Proper implication of these techniques will not only help you in your stress and time management but will make you a more calm, cheerful and happy individual for life.

Wishing you all the very best for your upcoming exams. May you succeed in every endeavour.

Source :- medium