Exam stress is pretty unpleasant, and can it feel far too inevitable at this time of year. Living in a state of agitation from now until your last exam isn’t going to help your mood or your productivity. So dedicate a\u00a0little time to relaxing in a way that will\u00a0help you feel less worried.<\/p>\n
The first step to tackling stress is to take a break from whatever it is that\u2019s stressing you out. With exam stress, the problem is often a chronic underlying awareness that exams are looming and you\u2019ve got a lot of work ahead of you. It\u2019s very hard (and probably a bit impractical) to entirely forget about exams every time you feel overwhelmed, but you can easily distract yourself for a little while. Here are our top three ways to take breaks that will relieve your stress:<\/p>\n
1)\u00a0Get moving<\/strong><\/p>\n Exercise has been shown to do wonders for a lot of mental issues, and stress is no exception. Not only will a half hour jog distract you from those exam worries (you can think about how much you hate running instead), but afterwards you\u2019ll have more energy and feel more relaxed, so you\u2019ll be ready to tackle those pesky exam papers in a healthier frame of mind.<\/p>\n 2) Think about something else<\/strong><\/p>\n One technique you can use to calm your mind when it feels like your revision notes are spinning round-and-round in your head is\u00a0conscious observation<\/em>. Much like depression is associated with concern over past events, stress is often due to worrying about future events, and both can be avoided by focusing on the here-and-now. To try\u00a0conscious observation, select any object and focus on how you observe it with each of your senses, one by one (How does it look? What does it feel like?<\/em>). This activity trains your brain to focus on the moment at hand, and spend less time worrying about what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n