Five Keys to Help You Fight Academic Stress

When exams are just around the corner, all students want is for their grades to prove their hard work. Their personal challenge is to pass all their exams with good grades. Since students tend to stress themselves out over this, both parents and children should be aware of a series of keys that may help them fight academic stress.

Nowadays, stress is a problem that can become chronic if it isn’t dealt with on time. The first step to reducing stress levels is understanding the reasons that lead to it.

Plan out your time

A lack of planning leads to academic stress. Not planning ahead can make us think we’ve wasted our time. Organize each day of the week by responsibilities such as reviewing certain topics and studying. Not only does this help internalize information, but it also helps reduce restlessness, nervousness, and makes it easier to fight academic stress.

You can start by making a weekly schedule. Being realistic and evaluating the time you have is important so that you can set your priorities straight. Don’t forget to take into account other aspects that may be beneficial for you such as distraction and rest.

During exams, we tend to sleep less so we can study more. However, sleeping and studying go hand-in-hand and are equally important. Sleeping helps the brain process what it learned during the day.

Avoid distractions

Spending long hours focusing on learning different subjects isn’t an easy task. Therefore, we need to avoid distractions. Don’t hesitate to remove everything that can call your attention and distract you from what you’re doing.

First off, choose a suitable place to study. You should feel comfortable in this place and have everything you need on hand, such as your notes, computer, books, and pens, among others. There, you must create a pleasant, appealing, and distraction-free climate for yourself.

Avoid noisy places, put your phone on silent, and avoid those notifications that call your attention. Focus on your responsibilities. Remember that you’ve already established a time for distractions – a time that you’ll enjoy more once you’re done with everything.

Take breaks

It’s important to divide your study time. You don’t need to study for hours and hours without resting. Taking a break is necessary so that you can clear your mind for a little bit. Take advantage of this time to rest your eyes and stretch the muscles that tend to tense up while you’re sitting down. Fighting academic stress becomes more plausible when you allow yourself relaxation breaks.

You can take these breaks according to the study periods that you establish. For example, a few minutes after finishing a topic that required intense concentration. During these recreation moments, it’s recommended to do an activity that has a beginning and an end. This means it should be a brief physical activity such as hanging clothes or organizing your room.

Exercise

The mental effort we have to make while studying can make us feel very tired and stressed out. Fighting academic stress is essential because accumulated fatigue can have negative effects. In this regard, exercising can help you break your routine and distract you from your studies. In addition, it releases endorphins, helps stimulate memory, and makes us feel better overall.

Therefore, if you normally practice a sport, don’t stop during exams because that’s when you need to exercise the most. Try walking or jogging in a park because being in contact with nature will help you relax and unwind.

Relaxation techniques for fighting academic stress

You can resort to relaxation techniques to fight academic stress. Nowadays, mindfulness techniques are quite popular since they allow us to be more aware of the things we do and know ourselves on a deeper level. They promote our well-being, improve our self-esteem, and reduce blood pressure, and muscle tension. Here are some examples:

• Listen to music: It’ll improve your mood, stimulate your brain, and help you disconnect.
• Deep or diaphragmatic breathing: Lay down, place a hand on your abdomen, and focus on your breathing.
• Guided thoughts: Do diaphragmatic breathing and then close your eyes and focus your thoughts on an imaginary scene that conveys a feeling of peace, calm, and tranquility.

While these things may seem too hard at first, with practice you’ll see that fighting academic stress is easier than you’d imagined. Sooner rather than later, you’ll start doing these things automatically and effortlessly. Not only will these keys help you during exams, but they’re also applicable to other areas.