For students, studying and exams are inevitably a stress. In addition to the difficulties in learning, expectations from family members and comparisons between students will increase the pressure. While moderate pressure is necessary to encourage learning and growth, excessive pressure can have the opposite effect.
Long-term stress on the mind and body of students make them prone to headaches, causes fatigue, loss of appetite and so many other problems that contradict their daily routine and badly affect their grades. There is continual news about students committing suicides in many regions of the world, due to stress and fear of failure.
To avoid such drastic events, there is a need to identify and minimize the effects of educational stress at an earlier stage.
Symptoms of Educational Stress
Faced with the pressure regarding studies or tests, students may experience the following issues:
Physiological aspects
A headache, insomnia, nightmares.
Tired, sore neck or backs.
Increased heartbeat / rapid breathing.
Digestive problems, loss of appetite or over-eating.
Numerous skin related problems.
Psychological aspects
Tension, worriedness, boredom.
Irritability, bad temper, pessimistic.
Lack of concentration.
Repeating the same sentence over and over again.
Decompression methods for Stress
Wrong decompression method
Some students use the wrong decompression method, such as refreshing coffee, taking sleeping pills, etc. This method most of the times worsens the stress, affecting the class or exam performance.
Correct decompression method
Students can also refer to the following relaxation methods, to relieve the pressure on their minds:
Exercise: finding time each week to do some exercise, can enhance the physical health and reduce stress. Some minor exercises, such as doing soft exercises, playing hula hoops and others are conducive to reading efficiency and help memory.
Chat with friends/family: It is a great support for friends and family members to talk to each other about their stress, it encourages them to help each other.
More contact with nature: walking to the countryside can relieve stress.
Cultivate leisure interests, participate in activities that make you happy and it counteracts with the stressful elements and creates a healthier, more peaceful mind.
Establish a Positive studying and Examination Concept
Students often feel stressed due to unrealistic expectations, misconceptions about grades, misunderstandings of studying methods, and other similar situations. If students can establish a positive studying and examination concept, they can prevent these increased worries and pressures.
Reasonable goal
Assess your ability to establish a reasonable expectation level, do not overestimate or underestimate your own abilities. Adequately study and prepare for exams beforehand.
Grading standards
Do not take the homework/quiz/test scores as the only criterion for success or failure, the test is only a measure of learning outcomes, not a tool to measure future career and achievements. Learn to never compare your results with your classmates and know that you will have your own career to look at in future.
Work schedule
Some students will stay up all night studying before they take the exam. However, this method can not only decrease the efficiency of studying but also reduce memory and affect the spirit due to lack of sleep.
If you have insomnia at night, drink a cup of milk, listen to music or take a relaxing hot bath to help you fall asleep. Maintaining a regular schedule of work and rest can keep the mind and body in their best condition.
Do Not Hesitate to Ask for help
Academic Counseling
When students find it hard to cope with the pressure of studying or examinations, they should seek help from teachers or social workers who will discuss the situation of students and provide appropriate counseling.
Many outsiders also provide telephone counseling hotlines for students. There are many academic counseling websites offering their help these days, such as; online assignment help UK.
Medical Treatment
Long-term pressure if not treated on time can lead to serious consequences. For example, auditory hallucinations, hallucinations, depression, delusional disorder and so on. In general, symptoms caused by stress may be diminished after exams or self-adjustment. However, if these symptoms persist, they affect young people’s physical and mental health and even their daily life. Therefore, they must be clinically diagnosed after prolonged persistence.
