Stress during exams, what should I do? – Online Psychologists

98% of students experience stress and anxiety before exams, something that can be solved with help.

The months of May and June, December and January, are usually the months in which we study the most due to the large number of exams we have. School, university and language courses, among many others. This period is when final exams are concentrated and most students spend the day studying at home or going to a library to prepare.

This time can generate anxiety, stress, anxiety and frustration.something that can affect the emotional state of students, but not only that, it can also generate negative results in exams.

Academic stress usually occurs during periods of many exams and is suffered by most students. The student feels overwhelmed by the academic demands he has to faceThat is, he has a hard time adapting to all the work that is asked of him.

Your environment may be responsible for this.both teachers and short deadlines for assignments or little time to study. Or also, the student himself. Sometimes we demand more from ourselves than we should and that makes us stressed.

According to Scielo, a famous neuropsychiatry journal, 98% of students suffer from stress and anxiety during exam time due to the overload of work and study. Therefore, it is most likely that when you are at this stage you will suffer, especially if you are facing an important exam such as the University Entrance Exam.

If it is true that It affects each person differently and there may be many symptoms that indicate that you are stressed. You may have trouble sleeping, lose your appetite, or just the opposite due to anxiety. You may also have trouble concentrating, be in a bad mood, or feel sad and down.

It is clear that being in primary school, in secondary school, in high school or in university is not the same. Stress and anxiety triggers are not the same. Neither will the demands or importance of the final grades.

We have to know that demand is good and always has to exist so that we can give the best of ourselves, but in the right measure, because When it goes beyond that limit, we are talking about pressure, something very negative for us emotionally and for academic results.

Between these levels of demand It is very common for students to think that exams are a problem that they have to solve in order to pass the course. instead of seeing tests as a challenge.

The first thing is change this vision What do we have about the exams? and know how to organize ourselves correctly.

As we have already mentioned, We must plan the time we are going to dedicate to studying for that exam. Once we know this, we have to set goals, for example, one topic per day during that week. It is very important that the goals are realistic, otherwise we will most likely not achieve them and we will become more overwhelmed.

Almost always, the students with the most stress are those who are best prepared. A little tension in a reasonable measure is not bad as it makes us concentrate. and consequently, think clearly and quickly. This dose improves our performance during an exam.

Of course, that's only good in moderation, If we go beyond a certain point it will turn against us and anxiety will appear.the feeling of blockage, the stress and the anticipatory negative thoughts.

If after the day you have met the goals you had set for yourself, do not do anything else. With that free time you can clear your mind by doing sports, watching a movie, being on social media, etc. Do whatever you want since you have already finished your studies for today and that should be your reward.

It is not advisable to continue studying as we will probably end up saturated and not feel like continuing the next day. The best thing is to meet your goal and treat yourself.

When we are studying for exams, being stressed, we tend to eat and sleep poorly and little. Although it may seem untrue, These two concepts are closely related to exams.

There are many foods that are recommended to reduce stress such as chocolate, buns, eggs, chips, etc. Hearty meals that we don't usually eat but that will make us perform better. You have to respect all daily meals and eat whatever your body asks for, after all, it will only be for a few days.

Sleeping less than 8 hours a day makes us more stressed emotionally and consequently, we perform worse in exams.

Eating and sleeping well are two essential things to face an exam in a productive way.

“Cognitive distortions” consist of the appearance of stressful and negative thoughts that are not real and do not make sense. However, by having them, we interpret that a fact will have many negative consequences.

When these thoughts appear, it is best to write them down in a notebook and see what alternative, positive and logical thinking we can replace it with.

At , our psychologists will help you combat exam stress.