Handling Academic Stress

Academic Stress.

Stressed?
Don't worry, you're not alone. During revision and exam periods, anxiety and stress are very common problems for students - even for those who appear confident and calm. Stress is your body's natural response to a challenge, threat or excitement . It can be positive and can help prepare you for your exams. The key is to not let it turn in to Distress.
Is the glass half full or half empty?

Your interpretation of the physical symptoms of stress is important. Consider a student before an exam and an athlete before a competition: both experience the sweaty palms, the racing heart and the knot/butterflies in the pit of their stomach. The student feels distressed and views the symptoms as a sign of impending doom, but the athlete will take advantage of the rush to motivate herself to perform well.
Stress can be a barrier or a motivating agent – it all depends on how you interpret, label and manage what you are experiencing.

Challenge your thinking:
* Believe in yourself
* Base expectations on your past performance; using other people's achievements to set a standard will almost always set your expectations incorrectly; either too high or too low.
* Be positive about what you do know, not negative about what you don't.
* Give yourself credit whenever possible. Ticking off completed units creates a sense of forward movement. A checklist for the day's targets (making sure the targets are realistic and achievable) can also boost morale.
* You may feel pressured by someone else but remember that you are the best judge of your own achievements.
* Challenge any negative thoughts and replace them with a positive one straight away.
* Aim to do your best but recognise that none of us can be perfect all of the time.
* Keep things in perspective. The exams might seem like the most crucial thing right now, but in the grander scheme of your whole life they are only a small part.
* Be flexible - Sometimes situations change and you may need to re-adjust your goals or work plan to fit in with the changes.
* Exams have a beginning and an end, and the stress that goes along with them should end with the exam.
* A failed exam doesn't mean that you're a failure