The term exam stress sounds familiar. At some point in your life you must have used it in a conversation, maybe as an excuse or maybe because you actually felt tensed and breathless while you were sweating with confusion, standing sleepy right outside the exam room. But do you actually know what it is? If Yes, do you know what causes it?
Here are some triggers that might be causing you Exam Stress.
YOUR THOUGHTS CAUSE YOUR STRESS: Exaggerating The Negatives of the Outcome: Overthinking about the outcome and aftermath of the results, mostly the bad ones. “What if I don’t score well? What if I fail? Will my parents still love me?”- It’s not the end of the world. To an extent these thoughts don’t matter, but this does not mean that you neglect such possibilities and start relaxing like there is no shadow in the sunlight.
UNDERESTIMATING YOUR ABILITIES / LOW SELF CONFIDENCE: The fear of not performing up to the mark or slipping away in an exam even when you’re prepared properly can also feed the stress like Spinach to Popeye.
BEING HANGRY: Food is the most overlooked element present in the formation of stress. A good diet is important for the body as well as the mind. Absence of food agitates the body processes leading to lack of concentration, feeling of fatigue and mild panicking or dizziness at times.
UNDERPREPARED FOR THE DOOMSDAY: Lack of preparation for your exam is one of the major causes of Exam Stress. If you have not studied your course material adequately, feelings of nervousness may sweep over you as you walk into the exam room. Rushed, last minute studying might be a pattern of cramming but also be the ghee to your fire of your stress.
SLEEP: Proper amount of sleep i.e., at least 7 hours of sleep is a must during exam time (and also on regular days, duh). You might think that staying up all night to study would be good idea, but hold that thought. Sleep is so crucial that even slight sleep deprivation can affect memory, judgement and mood. So by studying all night and losing sleep, you’re actually forgetting what you’re trying to study. Ironic, isn’t it?