Revision and exams and how not to get stressed
It’s very normal to feel worried and nervous when it comes to revision and exams. There is a huge amount of pressure to succeed and that can lead to feeling anxious and stressed. Here are a few tips that I find helpful.
Organisation is essential. Focusing on deadlines can be overwhelming and leaving revision to the last minute or letting work build up will cause more stress further down the line. By setting small goals and ticking them off as you go along, it will prepare you for when the time comes to sit your exams.
Exercise is a fantastic way to destress whether you go to the gym or for a short walk in the fresh air, it’s a great way of clearing your mind. Eating healthy gives us more energy, however tempting it can be to grab fast food it can contribute to causes of anxiety and make us feel letharigic. Also, sleep is vital and if we don’t get enough sleep, we won’t be able to perform to the best of our abilities.
Walk away from it and take a break. Do not turn down all opportunities to socialise with family and friends, this is not productive. It’s impossible for anyone to work all the time and have no down time, it’s just not an effective way of studying. You should go out and enjoy yourself, your work will still be waiting for you when you return. University is a big part of life, but should not consume you.
Think about why you are you are doing this in the first place. Its so easy to let the stress build up that we often forget how far we have already come. If we take a step back and put things into perspective, they often seem less stressful than we originally thought. If we don’t achieve the grades that we expected it does not mean all of the hard work has gone down the drain. Employers do not simply look for good grades when hiring people. They look at transferable skills which we have acquired over the years, personalities and attitudes. It’s impossible to gain all job requirements from exams alone.
Worrying will not change what is going to happen or help in any way. Once we have finished our exams, there is nothing we can do about them. The best thing is to put them out of our minds and deal with the situation when it arises, worrying will not change our results.
Don’t let the expectations of family or friends stress you out more. You are doing this for yourself and unrealistic expectations cause more anxiety. Set yourself goals to work towards but don’t be disheartened if you don’t achieve them, all we can do is our best and that is always good enough!
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