How to handle Exam Stress?

 Every event has a purpose, Every setback is a lesson, Learn to embrace those setbacks. So when you are asked about your secret of such a beautiful life you lead, You can say "I am a simple person who has found his/her soul";

                                                                                        - The monk who sold his Ferrari

Exams! The term itself is enough to give chills in your spine. When someone says exam we usually rewind back to the worst experience of taking an examination. Some place or situation where we got the lowest marks or somewhere we failed badly or to a place which made us doubt ourselves, "Are we even capable of achieving it?" Instead of working even harder for it. Taking an examination feels like a roller coaster ride, sudden rush of adrenaline! Endless flow of anxiety and nervousness. How will I perform? Will it be tough? What if I Fail? A lot of prayers added too, "God! Please help me get through it." And a lot of bribes for the teachers too, asking to just pass them. We all have our different exam stories, Don't we? Yet we tend to overthink everything. Will I pass the examination? This is one question we all have, from the toppers of the class, school to average scoring students to the students who are record holders in failing every exam they take. Answer to that question is always a secret until Results are declared, and that is another day filled with anxiety and stress. Whole different story!

Looking at this picture, Nostalgia hits you right? It did hit me when I was looking for pictures. Something that always reminds us of being kids, attending school and taking exams. Wishing not to be the first bencher in the exam hall. Cheating kaise krenge bhai?! Hidden slips, making a deal with the person in front and behind you, Dikha dena bhai, help kar dena bhai please! Hoping for the invigilator to be co-operative, to be lenient for us to cheat. 

Well these are exams and examination days but the exam preparation days are whole other phase of stress. Those are the actual days where the students loose it. Exams are equal to Fever! The sound of someone saying Exam it raises the temperature and the heart beats in a student. Being a student it is always stressful when there's a test or an exam to take. The exam is not some nightmare or a monster to eat you alive yet most of the students imagine their worst fear equalizing it to exams. Causing them a rush of anxiety, stress or panic attacks. Overthinking helps a lot in causing above said hindrances. Lowers the confidence levels in the students because they start to doubt their skills and their preparation. When in reality it is just an exam, where you take it and it determines your knowledge and understanding of a particular subject.

What we students always fail to realize is, it is an exam to determine your knowledge on a particular subject and not to determine whether you should live or die! Whether you are an asset or a liability on earth! Exams do give us chills but it is not a matter of life or death. Failing an exam does not mean failing life. There will be endless opportunities and endless chances to prove yourself, to prove your worth , to be an asset in someone's company or to be your own asset! Who knows! Maybe you are meant for greater good. Exams or tests are just to see if you are capable enough to work with a certain company or organisation on their terms. If you are rejected at some place, which you will because failing is necessary step to reach your success, let yourself know "It's their loss, they didn't get to work with a distinctive personality like you".  And that you have a hell load of chances to work your way up in life, because you have an entire life ahead of you! Waiting for you to be explored, to fail and to pass, to be happy or to feel pain, to enjoy the moments, to celebrate your smallest achievements and to embrace your flaws! It is Life it is meant to be lived! Falling off the track and getting up is a simple part of it.

You know, great people are those who enjoy their failures as much as they enjoy their successes. Failure tells you where you lack the element to get the success you are working for. Stressing over something will never get you through life! It pauses your growth, your success and your life for good!

Here are some suggestions, to deal with your "Exam Stress Levels" -

• Mindset : Change first comes from Within; If you make your mind up, to give it your best and even if the result is not in your favor, you will take it sportively. Think of it as you have another chance to prove yourself again.
• Give it your best : Whatever the exam or test is about, no matter how small or how life-changingly-big it is, you give it your best shot. Work it as it is your only chance and you gotta nail it.
• Calm your mind : Say NO to the overthinking. Do not give a chance to yourself to think negative, no negative thoughts whatsoever! It is just exam and you will get through it.
• Plan it : Have a fixed study plan and work accordingly, since you do have the whole day planned for studies you will be engaging yourself into the same. Hence no time to think negative.
• Activities : Do exercises or take quick walks something that puts your mind out of all the overthinking you do and stress over it.
• Music : Listening to soft calming music might help ease your mind and let you slip into sleep after a long stressful study day.
• Let Go : Let go of everything that bothers you, things that disturbs you, keep a distance ( social distance) from those who creates negative vibes around you. Let go of anything and everything that makes you doubt yourself.
• Hobbies : Take some time out of your day to practice your hobbies, say drawing and painting or reading a book or playing a game whatever it is you do. A few minutes of break from studies.
• Keep away from Phone : While studying try to focus only in your study for whatever hours you are studying. It should be purely studying, when you take a break you get back to your phone. (Something I have to follow too).

Exams are just a part of your initial stages of life take it that way, stressing over it will not pass you on your examination it can surely fail you though. The choice is yours. Either you let the stress consume you or you work your way up through it and let it go.

Life is like a flowing river, all you can do is go with it and do whatever it takes, to reach where you planned to be. Just remind yourself "Everything happens for a reason" Can be failure or success, or anything that happens in life, it happens for a reason. So, Hold on to it, stick to yourself and never let go of yourself no matter how worse things get.

Bad times pass, time heals everything and you can always Start Over. Just Believe that you can. And you will, Reach your heights!

All the best! For those who are going to take examination and pass with flying colors!

Stay True Folks and work your way up! You've got this!