How to stay calm amidst exam season!?

Feeling the pressure of your looming deadlines?
Or maybe you are burnt out from cramming words into your sleep deprived brain?
You have probably heard many people talk about the importance of deep breathing, sleeping early and eating cake, but it can be difficult to catch a breath amidst exam and assignment stress! :angry:

Here are a few suggestions on how to stay sane during exam season!

Set small goals!
Yes, I am telling you to have a to-do list. If you didn't already know, setting small goals like brushing your teeth, eating lunch or simply grabbing a cup of coffee counts too! It can be overwhelming thinking about all the work you have to do in a day, only to check your list of things to do and realise that you did nothing at all! Having small and achievable goals can help in making you feel more productive and give you motivation to move on to the next task!

Treat YOURSELF! :colondollar:

Just as it is important to set small goals, it is also good to set small rewards! Be it eating cake, taking a nap, watching cartoons or indulging in your favourite snack, small rewards after achieving a goal can help in managing stress! It also sometimes helps to plan something fun for you to look forward to after a major deadline! For example, it could be going to see a movie or going out to a party or simply visiting a friend! Well in my case it's treating myself to some cake, maybe a movie and sleeping 10 hrs straight and not waking up to an alarm!

So What!
At times it is good to ask yourself, so what! Even if you fail or do poorly in an exam, it really isn't the end of the world or your life. It is sometimes good to put things into context and remind yourself that university is only a small part of your life and really not worth stressing over too much! If you really feel overwhelmed please speak to someone you trust or try contacting your university’s wellbeing and support services! Also, some assignments offer Mitigating Circumstances or a 24 Hr extension for technical difficulties!

Study with friends!
If you are like me and simply can't get any work done at home, go out to study at the library or maybe get a study buddy to pull you through! Having someone to keep you accountable or bounce ideas off is always better than isolating yourself in your room!

That said, it always helps to start early, make a plan and try your best to follow it! And even if it fails or you make a mistake, make a new plan, reconfigure and continue on! That's life :smile:

Thank you for making it to the end of this post, I hope these few suggestions help! And if they don’t feel free to let me know any other tips or suggestions on how to stay calm amidst exam season down in the comments below. :redface: