01 Jun Dealing with Exam Stress
In our latest blog, Amelia our receptionist/Chiropractic student explains how to deal with exam stress:
It is normal to feel a bit anxious and worried about exams. A little bit of stress is good to help us perform better.
However, if you feel like these feelings are taking over your life and redirecting your focus, here are a few tips
to calm down and manage them better:
1. Let your trusted friends and family know if you are struggling
Having people around you that love and support you will help you feel less alone in the stress and anxiety you
are experiencing. In the long run, keeping these feelings in will only make the stress worse. Don’t be afraid to
open up and chat to someone you feel comfortable with.
2. Be kind to yourself
Consider everything you have accomplished so far. Making a list of all the qualities you appreciate about
yourself and those of other people can be useful.
3. Eat, sleep and exercise well
Pulling all-nighters, eating poorly, and getting little to no exercise during the day can all worsen anxiety
symptoms. Make sure you get 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night, enough slow-releasing carbohydrates, less
caffeine, more water, and at least 30 minutes of exercise each day for your body to function at its best.
4. Don’t forget to breathe!
To calm down your body’s stress response, set aside a few minutes each day for mindfulness and meditation.
This will help you ground yourself and refocus your attention to think rationally over the anxieties you have.
5. Try to find balance
Make sure you are taking regular breaks and be realistic about the goals you set for yourself while you study.
It can be overwhelming when you have a super long to do list but breaking it into chunks and creating a plan
will help.
And remember, exams won’t last forever! Keep going, it will all be worth it!
