Words by, Dr Francesca Falzon Aquilina (Trainee Psychiatrist)
We’ve all been there. We’ve all done them. However, exams remain a most challenging and nerve racking experience for most of us. So how do we surmount these nagging mountains of stress?
When not in excess, anxiety can actually help our body prepare for a fight and flight response which is needed to improve our performance. The threshold varies depending on our own individual self. Moreover, there is usually only a fine line separating the “good anxiety” from the “bad anxiety”. The latter can make us swirl into a spiral of poor concentration, loss of control over our thoughts and concomitantly make us underperform.
Here I offer you a few tips on how to deal with stress related anxiety in preparation to fight these monsters.
Preparation
Ideally, start preparing yourself as early as possible during your semester or scholastic year. Preparation is key to keeping in mind that you’ve already learnt the stuff! Procrastination might not leave you enough time for revision and this may peak your anxiety. On the other hand, if time is limited draw up a schedule and divide the workload accordingly for each day of studying you have available.
Get organised
Panic can predominate if your material and notes are all over the place. Being organized and having everything in order can reduce the anxiety to a considerable level. Having easy access to the material you have to study can greatly ease your way through the preparatory phase.
Take breaks
Overdoing it is not the solution. The brain has a limit as to how much new information can be consolidated in a span of time. Frequent and short breaks such as watching some tv or even better exercising can give a break to those neurons which are constantly working overtime.
Eating and sleeping
Adequate rest is crucial. Your mind and body need enough sleep to be able to function and focus properly. Also, as much as it might sound cliché, but ‘we are what we eat’. So yes, choosing clean and nutritive food will boost your mental functioning and optimize your executive abilities.
The night before
Do not overdo it the night before an exam. Being in a calm state is ideal in such situations so do take time off and seek an adequate bed time prior to the big day. One may choose to choose to relax the night before by taking a warm bath, go for a walk or practice some mindfulness. There are plenty of guided mindfulness exercises and meditation one can use off Youtube.
Finally, take a deep breath and go for it ! Remember that exams are there for a big part of our life and the sooner one learns to cope with these anxiety provoking situations the greater the likelihood of a positive outcome. Goodluck!
This article was submitted as part of the public awareness campaign “Serraħ il-Menti”, aimed at providing the public with accessible and reliable information on mental health.