How To Overcome Exams Stress

Present day school students are like soldiers going to a war, that's the level of stress that's felt in every home and school. It's time to find a way to keep this killing stress at bay. Ansy Austin offers some tips

No hanging out with friends, no TV, no Internet, in short, nothing else than the books - that is the life of students who are to appear for exams. The visit to temples by the students and folks at home increases, probably a research would prove that maximum prayers are offered to God during this period.

But indeed, apart from leaving it all to God, a lot can be done at an individual level to bring down those stress levels. Most importantly parents are required to be encouraging, supporting, appreciative and understanding rather than being followers of the race for the nineties.

"I see to it that the environment at home is not tensed and keep joking around with my kids. But of course there is a fixed schedule for studying. I spend more time with them during this period , if they are too tensed I just shut their books and talk to them. I don't push them too much and don't keep too high expectations. They only compete with their previous performances ." says Sadhana Chawla whose three children have passed the board exams.

No need to fear
You fear going absolutely blank during an exam? Well that's all in the mind. Well the mantra is simple, says Francesca Aranha , teacher, General Education Academy, "You only feel that you don't remember, but it's not so. I ask students to do deep breathing before they start writing , simple pranayam, following a timetable are ways you can stay away from exam stress." Carl Laurie, principal, Christ Church School Byculla adds, "The question paper acts as prompter. It's a scientific process. We have to reassure the students that though."

Time for parents to de-stress
Unreasonably high expectations from parents, teachers, and society in general and an even higher level of competitiveness among the youth, brought on by pushy parents teaching kids to outperform their contemporaries , are the causes for stress and hypertension in today's youth. "Parents must realise that ultimately everyone will get admissions and even if you fail you can still enter class XI (as long as you give the ATKT exams)," says Aranha . "They should be allowed to spend time with friends and watch television too," she adds. Akash Vasa, class X, Gopi Birla Memorial School opines, "High expectations from parents to top the class results in cramming up more stuff than what you are capable of. Add to that, the ever increasing workload and competition from peers, makes you succumb under the mental pressure.

Light diet, good sleep
"Eat well, have plenty of fruits as they make you feel fresh and not drowsy,"advises Dr Nirmala Rao, counsellor. "Students should sleep for atleast 8 hours," adds Harish Shetty, psychiatrist. Pizzas, burgers and other heavy food items should be avoided; instead one should have lots of juices during this period. Harish also advices, "Drink lost of water and have a light diet with fruits. Clothing light can also make a difference." He points out, "Memory enhancing pills are absolutely useless,
they don't work. If you are well nourished and your hemoglobin is in the right proportion, there is nothing to worry." It is vital to be mentally and physically healthy. For this one needs to play everyday for atleast 15 minutes, this could include screaming out or even cracking jokes during lunch and dinner.

Methods to adopt
"Keep telling yourself -'I will do well' . Visualisation is another method of keeping one's mind relaxed and calm. We teach students this procedure, the mind works wonders. Be positive and believe in yourself," asserts Nirmala . Apparently, if the student keeps telling himself/ herself, 'I will get through' , then 50% of the tension vanishes. "A week before the exam don't talk to people who are negative and also don't talk to people who are too positive.Parents should talk less and smile more. Parents should not talk about the past, instead they should be cheerful," says Harish on a serious note.

Be active, be regular
Pia Sutaria, class X, The Bai Avabai Framji Petit Girls High School asserts that she de-stresses with once a week dance class and music lessons. Dr Jyoti Nair, principal, New Horizon Scholars School, believes that the formative assessment in CBSE board has reduced exam stress to a large extent. "We conducts regular discussion on various topics in the form of objectivies and crosswords - doing this regularly reduces exam fear." Neal A Iyer, one of the CBSE toppers from J H Ambani School, Lodhivali doesn't believe in studying hard. "I decided to take less tension and work smarter rather than work hard. I used to study for about 4 hours and I kept taking breaks in between," he asserts.

It's just another exam!
You need to realise that its just another exam, not an exam for life, says Carl Laurie. He says, "I conduct presentations for students on time management throughout the year and I tell them that exam success is only one facet of life." Concludes Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist, "It is the first exam of life, not the last exam. It's not a stepping stone to success,it is a stone with many miles to go. It does not tap all talents of the child, it taps the rote learning ability."

Get rid of exam fever
Start the day well with prayers and some exercises Sleep and eat well during exams Laugh, scream, and joke to release tension Avoid anxious people Wish your friends, that boosts your confidence too.(TOI)