Fight The Exam Stress

Fight The Exam Stress

Our life always offers us to take different exams - some or other kinds of trials, where we have to prove our competence, our well being, our determination and our IQ. Student having to submit his philosophy term paper, surgeon operating for the first time, unemployed, who came for the interview to his potential employer – all of them have the symptoms of the exam stress. If you are a student, there is no need for me to explain what exam stress is. Sleepless nights, troubled thoughts, loss of appetite, rapid pulse, trembling hands - these are typical manifestations of exam fear. Recent research has shown that it affects all the systems of the human body: nervous, immune, cardiovascular, etc.

The scientists from Houston Medical School proved in the course of their research that exam fear increases the possibility of cancer. Unfortunately, the negative influence of this phenomenon on the students’ body and their psychology is underestimated nowadays. Social polls demonstrate that students perceive the exams as a “duel of questions and answers”, as a “severe torture” as “intellectual and emotional overload”. Writing term papers (e. g psychology term paper) most of them compare with “killing their time“. Yes, exams are important for you as their results influence your social status, your self –esteem, grants, your further perspectives of study and probably your future professional career. Such factors as long awaiting of the exam, some uncertainty when taking your exam card ( it is like sink or swim ) and tough limit of time for your preparation maximize emotional tension. Some foreign and native scientists, having studied this area thoroughly have concluded that from psycho hygienic position exams are undesirable and they should be cancelled.

At the same time there is quite opposite point of view, stating that exams stimulate brain activity and increase cognitive and mental activity. American psychologist Sarazon determined that those students who are afraid of exam can considerably improve their achievements and even outdo those who are not scared of them. The only necessary thing for it – is the encouraging attitude of the professors – they should strengthen students’ self-confidence. Surely, praise must prevail over scolding. Only then the exams are useful. Every person has own optimal level of worry and anxiety, which helps him/ her to achieve the best results. You must learn how to control your stress and extra anxiety to graduate from the university as a healthy person. I hope that these small tips will be of practical help to you and you will forget what exam stress is in the negative meaning of the word.

If exams cause great worry, if you have some symptoms of exam stress (insomnia, rapid pulse, hands trembling and so on) you ought to do something about it. Use breath meditations, repeat formulas of autosuggestion, imagine the picture of ideal exam atmosphere. You also should take three relaxing sessions and reduce the level of stressful tension (a day before the exam, before leaving home for university and half an hour before the exam).

BONUS : Find Your Aim

It is natural that a human being should doubt in the sense of life. A person is a bio-social structure that is guided through life not by instincts but by social conditions. The only animal to kill and to torture the representatives of the same specie is a human being and there is nothing we can change about it, unless we forget about social consciousness or otherwise “Me” as Freud named it. The majority is subjected to degradation because of the absence of aim in life, a stimulus to develop. They are ignorant to various factors and prefer to go with the flow than to get their own way. Philosophers struggle over a question what humans live for. Having heard a lot of similar questions from my students, I’m convinced now that the aim can be as individual as collective.

How to find that goal to achieve? It is simple. Look inside and think over some of the positive features that are so important for you aren’t they worth living? When the life comes to the point where the burden of it is unbearable, it is time to reconsider the system of values you’ve established and find something worth fighting for. People that have obtained a goal never quit moving forward and finding new ways to become consolidated. It is quite time to think over the lifestyle and to discover something new and exciting. You have to make a promise to yourself that you are going to reconsider all the aspects you name negative and positive and try to transform most of the negative into positive. Maybe for the first time in your life listen to you heart and figure out the things you always wanted to do. Your inner desires can transform into real aims and develop a strategy to realize them. Your new aim is probably going to require extra expenses and you have to be aware of the fact and accept it with dignity. If it is more convenient for you, make up a list of things you would like to have and go through it alone or with your friends or family members. After that it is probably going to get reduced a bit, but some of the points you’ll see will be essential for you. You will not be successful from the first attempt and you have to be ready not to give up if the first attempt is a failure.

To realize your dream you have to be in a full strength to overcome hardships. Sacrifice some of your time to have rest and relax, despite the difficulties you experience at work or in your personal life. Create unforgettable moments in your life by planning your vacation to be miraculously fun and exciting. And what is important, never doubt that you can accomplish this much, that you are capable of doing miracles. The truth is one: you have your life to live and this is only your life and your choice you live, not exist to leave a trace in the history and if you prefer to go with the flow, it is not going to tell more about you as a person in the history. Share your success, be positive and focus only on pleasant and it may happen that life becomes better.