How to deal with examination stress

Wetumwene Shikage

Examinations can get very stressful when not well prepared for

Do you have exams coming up? The pressure you may feel can become motivation to stay focused. When poorly managed, it can cause stress. Managing stress should not be a difficult task when you find yourself in this sticky spot. It is manageable.

Many of us get feelings of uncertainty, fear, anxiety or even stress because of upcoming exams or assessments. Causes of stress may be because you worry you might fail, find it difficult to understand important fundamentals of a subject, have limited time to study or feel pressure from family and friends to get good grades.

If you have to study and you don’t, there is only one consequence. That is simply failing a subject if not subject(s).

· Some signs of stress include:

· Feelings of confusion

· Feeling low and moody

· Having trouble making decisions

· Feeling overwhelmed

· Trouble sleeping

· Tense muscles or headaches

· Fidgeting, nail biting, teeth grinding

Knowing the signs of stress means you can detect and tackle them as they come. These are some of the things you can do to calm yourself whenever you may feel stressed.

· Stick to a routine of eating well and sleeping around the same time every day.

· Give yourself small rewards once you achieve study goals.

· Allow yourself some time to rest e.g., relaxation and listening to music between study times.

· Keep a clean study environment and get enough air while studying.

· Ask peers who understand the subject and teachers for help when you feel overwhelmed.

Your final-year examinations matter just as much as you think they do. But do not overthink things to stress and overwhelm yourself. Set up a study plan to accommodate all your subjects and you will see the results of so doing.

These tips may help you manage stress and study with ease. Learners and students can easily envisage the future based on current actions and decisions made.