The US system of examinations and evaluation of students’ success is based on GPA (Grade Point Average) and K12 program. Students have to pass multiple tests and exams in each subject during different stages of their learning, which makes 13 years at school and not less than 4 years in a university. Exams cause great stress and problems for most students.
Students are accepted to universities depending on the grades they receive while they pass multiple exams. After they are accepted, they ought to face new challenges in the form of new exams. They must pass various exams during and after every semester they study at university. Most of the exams should be written and are present in the form of tests. Undoubtedly, exams cause a lot of stress, and it negatively reflects on students’ scoring.
What Psychologists Say
Abnormal stress has negative consequences for most students. Psychologists report on troubles with students’ activity, physical conditions, and of course, mental health. Certain negative effects of stress induce serious problems for students and badly affect their academic success.
Stress occurs as a result of psychological response to the external stimulus. This reaction is also called “fight-or-flight” when a person is scared and runs away or stays and faces the menace. The stress can be triggered by various reasons. Amongst such are:
•Danger;
•Threat;
•Fear;
•News (good and bad);
•Illness;
•Death of close people;
•Breaking relationships;
•Divorce;
•Moving to another city or even country, etc.
The reasons are various, and people react to them differently.
Muscle tension. Hormones released by stress activate your sympathetic nervous system. It makes muscles tense and thus, causes pain. Besides, it may lead to uncontrolled mimic reactions. This also leads to a decrease in concentration.
Aggressiveness. Anxiety makes students hostile. When we are anxious and are worried about something (in this situation about exams), our brain begins to counter-attack. This consequence doesn’t appear every time. Nevertheless, there are multiple cases when students become irritable and hostile.
Poor appetite. Stress hormones make us overly anxious, and it lowers appetite sensations. A study carried out by Harvard Medical School showed that students don’t want to eat at all. As a result, they receive multiple physical problems because they lose energy, and the body doesn’t receive the necessary vitamins and minerals. Another reaction makes students eat more, and commonly, they eat junk food.
Memory issues. Another possible complication was confirmed by a study conducted at Rutgers University. Stress violates a lot of cognitive functions and amongst such is the memory process. Students struggle to retain information and forget almost everything they learn in classes.
Sleep deviations. Besides, there are some other negative consequences of stress. For example, amongst the most dangerous and typical is sleep deprivation. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America reported that about 70% of students aren’t able to stabilize their sleep regimes. Excessive promotion of chemicals makes our brain work too hard. It’s always tense, and thus, we cannot relax.
Effective Methods to Remove Stress
Let’s review 6 ways to manage stress. The recommendations are given by Ryan M. Niemiec Psy.D.
1. Express gratitude. You’re supposed to unleash your gratitude. It’s one of the most effective methods of positive thinking. When a person faces some troubles, it’s necessary to thank somebody or something to relieve the stress.
2. Practice it every day. The recipe is simple. Think about at least three things you are grateful for. Explain to yourself why you believe it’s true. Another option is to practice gratitude writing. Writing has many positive benefits and may improve your learning abilities too. Write about one person who you’re thankful and overcome stress.
3. Enhance mindfulness. Once you sense stress or feel you’ll feel negative sensations caused by exams, practice deep breathing for 15 seconds. Afterward, ask yourself how can be this issue managed. Position yourself as if you’re just an observer of somebody else’s stress situation.
4. Practice relaxation. Undoubtedly, you understand that if you can relax you can eliminate any kind of stress-related to your exams. There are multiple ways to reach the desired result. Practice muscle relaxation, meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and something of the kind. Therefore, review all possible options and choose the most suitable one. Perhaps, you’d better use several methods to guarantee the necessary relaxation.
5. Reframing. Another helpful method is called reframing. It’s quite easy to practice it. Take your stress situation and analyze it. Try to explain it in a positive or neutral way. You should always escape a negative attitude because it only worsens our emotional state. Try to find benefits and logical ways to solve the problem.
6. Time management. It’s also important to control your time to reduce stress. Students are terribly afraid that they will not be able to complete their exams on time. If you can control your time, you will be self-confident and eliminate stress. Prioritize your goals, schedule the entire week, use to-do lists and so on.
If you want to avoid abnormal stress sensations, you should be confident that you can manage your exams successfully. Self-confidence is a powerful tool, and it can be obtained with the help of professionals. Thus, you can use the help of a professional paper writing service online. A competent service may greatly help students to be prepared for their exams in any subject. They offer a wide range of benefits that really make you self-confident to eliminate stress.
