Exams Dstress and You

Exams, Stress and You!
Limiting your stress Further Reading
by Robert Wickenden, Counsellor, Macquarie University Counselling Service It's that time again! Exams looming, essays or prac reports outstanding and you wonder where the year's gone already. You start wondering how you're going to cope with it all. Fear and anxiety are insidious things and they can take hold if you don't do something about them. This amounts to a bad type of stress which is just what you don't need, especially at this time of year. This is not to say that all anxiety is bad, however. A limited amount of anxiety can help you to be more motivated and more purposeful. It can help you to plan your work and to think more clearly and logically about it. In other words, it can help you stay on top of things. [Back to top]
So how can you limit your stress and stay in control?

There are a number of practical things you can do, even at this late stage before the exams. Don't give up hope, even if you start to feel "snowballed" when you think of the all the work you have to do. First of all, it's essential to get yourself organised. Sit down at your desk and make a start on writing down all the things you have to do to prepare for the exams. If you feel there's too much to do, then work out priorities for your work. Outstanding assignments should take priority but make sure to leave time for revision of your lecture notes. The Counselling Service can give you a study planner to help you get organised. Once you make a start on this you'll begin to feel more in control. Here are some further useful tips: 1. Set yourself realistic day-to-day goals in your study. Work on one thing at a time and follow it through to completion, for example, if you're writing an essay. Then put it behind you and move on to the next task. 2. Try to have an idea of the areas that are likely to be covered in your exams. If there is anything you need to have clarified about exam content, make sure to talk with your lecturer or tutor. 3. Give yourself credit for the work you're getting done. You're showing yourself that you can do it! Even small steps forward in your work are worthwhile. 4. Don't allow yourself to slip into self-defeating habits, such as procrastinating. Try to keep a momentum going in your study. Punctuate blocks of study with short breaks to limit fatigue. If you study solidly for a couple of hours, make sure you give yourself fifteen minutes or so before you start up again. Think positively about yourself and your situation. Challenge the negative thoughts that creep into your mind and cause you unnecessary stress at times, such as "I'm going to fail", "I'll end up blowing my future, my chance of getting a career". You don't have any need to think catastrophically, it's not achieving
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anything. In fact, it's doing you a lot more harm than good, because it's distracting you away from what you need to do. Learn to become more relaxed in your daily life. There are simple techniques, such as breathing exercises and progressive muscular relaxation exercises, as well as guided imagery, which can help you to feel calmer, and more focused. The Macquarie University Counsellors can help you with these techniques. Some do relaxation tapes for students. (You need to supply the tape). If you would like more information about relaxation techniques, talk with one of the Counsellors. Make sure that your lifestyle is healthy and conducive to effective study. Remember, that it's all too easy to neglect the basics when you're busy and pre-occupied with exams. o Eat regular nutritious meals, including fruit and vegetables. o Try to maintain a good sleep routine, going to bed at the same time each night. Factor some exercise into your routine each day. (Walking is good) o Cut down on caffeine and alcohol and other drugs. o Practice a relaxation exercise at least once a day. Also, think of other things that might help you to relax. Macquarie University Sports Association (MUSA) runs courses each semester in things like Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi and Massage, all of which can promote a feeling of calmness and relaxation. o Each morning when you get up, try to have a plan for the day. (Make sure it's realistic, especially in terms of your available time). It helps a lot if you can approach the start of each day in a positive way. Make the most of the times when you feel you are at your mental best. Some people study best in the morning, some are more effective at night. Do what you can to avoid unnecessary distraction or interruptions to your work. If you still feel that you are more stressed than you should be, after trying these strategies, then think about making an appointment to have a talk with one of the Counsellors on campus. They know all about the problems that students face at exam time and are happy to help! Also, as a Macquarie University student, you have access to the Study Skills Program that the Counselling Service runs over a number of weeks from the beginning of each semester.
Motivation - and some thoughts on how to find it

Further Reading by Robert Wickenden, Counsellor, Macquarie University Counselling Service Motivation can seem like a scarce commodity for many students at times and this can be especially true in the lead up to examinations. Without it though, your chances of getting the grades you want are likely to suffer. So what is this thing called motivation that for so many people is so hard to find? Well, we can think of motivation as an inducement, or, as an incentive, something that leads us to act in a certain way to achieve a goal, to get what we want. So, it is
associated with a perceived need or want, having a certain energy level and with purposeful (i.e. goal-directed) action. If you feel cold, you should be motivated to put on some warm clothes (or turn on the heater). If you're hungry, you should be motivated to eat. So far, so good. Similarly, if you've got exams coming up, or an essay due, you should be motivated to study. O.K. I hear what you're saying, "but it just doesn't work like that for me with study. I know the work is there.. I know I have to do it.. but I just can't do it I can't get started". O.K. this is the part where a bit of serious critical thinking needs to rear its ugly head! If you've stuck with me so far, I know you're serious about this and will indulge me while I begin to challenge one or two of those basic beliefs that may seem to hold you in such a vice-like grip at times. Alright, I'll try to be gentle here . WHERE is the evidence for believing you can't do it, you just can't get started? So it may be a struggle, but you can make a start. Making a start is often the hardest part. To do so, you will need to do something about the way you are thinking (otherwise, your negative thoughts about yourself may make you become prone to feeling depressed) and you will need to get yourself organised. Consider this scenario: the end of semester and mid-year exams are looming, like some ominous black cloud, just a few weeks ahead. You've recently had a uni break but things didn't quite go according to plan and you haven't started that big assignment yet.. and "oh, no! (shock, horror!).. it can't really be due in three days time, can it? Oh, yeah.. there's another one due in .. what! ONE week?! Not to mention, my tutorial presentation for next week. Why is my life always so chaotic? Why does this happen to me? I can't handle all this." (Exit motivation, enter helplessness/ hopelessness/despair). No use now lamenting loss of time for work during the break. Rather, tell yourself "the work is there and it is inevitable that I will do it!" What's needed now is energy and purposeful action, otherwise you will procrastinate and things will just seem to get worse. You will certainly want to avoid that! What you have to do now is to attack that chaotic snowball of fear, anxiety and negative self-talk. You have to turn your lethargy into action. So, you have to break down your tasks into manageable bits...this is critical. THEN you can begin to prioritise those bits, in terms of the most pressing things ahead of you. THEN you can make a start on them, one by one, completing each task before moving on to the next. Making a start can help you to feel some momentum developing in your work. It will help you to feel more confident about yourself. "But", you say, "how can I do that major assignment in just THREE days?" Well, you probably can't do it very well in that time, BUT you can go to your lecturer, tell him/her you're a bit behind with your work, let him/her know that you take your work seriously and see if you can be given an extension. That way, at least you may have a little more room to breathe. Above all though, you need to approach things logically and strategically and commit yourself absolutely to getting the work done. A few more things to consider to stoke up your motivation: You have the ability to undertake tertiary study. You are an intelligent person. If not, you wouldn't have been accepted into University.
You may well have achieved some reasonable grades in your studies to date. If so, you can repeat that success. Think of what you've done right in the past. Think of 'S M A R T' goals in the way you plan your work, "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely" and use these on a daily basis, a weekly basis and until the end of semester in dealing with your work. If you don't understand part of your academic work, talk with your tutor or lecturer about it. Give yourself credit for the progress you make each day, each week, whether studying for exams or writing an essay. Remember, progress consists of consecutive steps (including small ones) in a given direction. Plan your direction, your steps and develop a momentum in your work. Give yourself affirmations ("I have the intelligence and the ability to do this work!") and positive self-talk ("It is inevitable that I will do this work!"). Try to reject those insidious negative thoughts and negative selfassessments, when they come into your head. Plan some reward(s) for your hard work at the end of semester, perhaps a holiday, perhaps a big night out with friends or buy yourself something nice, if finances permit. You will have deserved it! Think of the 'pay-offs' in getting your degree, basking in your feelings of success(!), better opportunities for the future. Visualise yourself on Graduation Day with family/friends. You are working towards that day, you are working towards that future. Make a start, now!

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Exams, Stress and You!

Limiting your stress Further Reading

So how can you limit your stress and stay in control?

Motivation - and some thoughts on how to find it

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