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Finals Stress | 6 Ways to Reduce Anxiety During Final Exams

Once upon a time when I was a student, even still I am, I remember a place called Examination Hall and once in every year, a ritual called ‘Final Exams’ were practised in that hall. Students were mandatory to take participation in that ritual. The ceremony was so sacred that only the righteous and courageous who passed the ritual could promote it to the next level, just to appear again next year and become a part of that sacredness. Ok, I confess that it was a poor attempt to start this article. My apologies ;-).

Nowadays, students are so engrossed in preparing for their finals that they hardly even look after their health. I remember that the situation was similar to mine when I happened to be a school student.  ‘Exam in Progress’ – the sign outside the examination hall always gave me an impression of a one-way trip to ‘Mordor’ from the LOTR, where Frodo Baggins has to go to complete even without his will the task given by his master Gandalf. The only differences were that the examination hall was Mordor, the Principle was Gandalf, and I was the poor Frodo.

However, those ‘final Exams’ are so fierce that students become so stressed that they change their whole lifestyle only to succeed in these exams. Are finals different from monthly or weekly tests? Why don’t students take that much stress in preparing for their formative assessments or tests? Is it about the format of the test or the name of this type of exam, ‘finals’, or is it something else? I believe it is something else; we can call it ‘fear’.

What are stress and anxiety?

Stress and anxiety are not synonymous with each other; there is a difference between both. However, it can be activated by the same things to let the body know something isn’t quite right. An existing stress-causing factor or stressor causes stress; however, anxiety has the added component of a sense of fear, unlike stress. When a strain occurs frequently, it can interfere with everyday life and become a problem.

Most of the time, fear makes students feel frustrated, angry, nervous, or even anxious, especially during finals. The fear of completing the task (like Frodo) makes them more vulnerable and stressed. But ‘sir, how can you guess that I am stressed or anxious?’ well following are some pointers or signs that show students are stressed during exams:

• Irritation, frustration, and get angry over minor things (especially family members or close friends)
• Confused and forgetful
• Struggling even making insignificant decisions, such as should I take a shower or not
• Eye Twitches
• Migraines or strain headaches
• Chronic tiredness or trouble sleeping
• Back or neck aches
• Stomach problems
• Feeling overly competitive with classmates r with friends
• Skipping mealtimes

The question is, what students can do about it? Exams are equally crucial for students to achieve their desired academic goals. However, it is equally important to look after your health before anything else – even exams. Following are some tips that may help students (school or college) to feel less stressed during their finals.

• Exercise and stay active
• Eat healthily, avoid fast food and soft drinks
• Avoid harmful substances like betel, tobacco, alcohol, energy drinks etc.
• Limit caffeine and sugar intake, drink less coffee and more juices
• Schedule time for yourself every day, make a timetable even for your meals and put some free time in your daily schedule.
• Take a small break for 10 minutes after every 3 hrs of preparation, and during that break, relax or eat something healthy and organic.

Remember, courage doesn’t mean that you don’t feel afraid of failure; courage means you don’t let fear fail you. Good luck 🙂