Introduction

Exam season’s on the rise once again and you know what that means? A whole lot of academic pressure and endless stressful nights. The situation can be much worse if you often find it harder to focus on a few particular subjects, ultimately leaving you worrisome. It’s surely a fearful time for some students who cannot imagine dealing with so much stress at such young age. Sometimes we do let procrastination let the best of ourselves and then regret it by the end of each semester. So, what can be done to cope with academic stress? First, you must find out whether academic pressure’s too overwhelming for you or there’s any other stressor involved.

 

Are you a huge fan of staying up till late and cramming your lessons overnight?

Do you procrastinate quite a lot and waste time on things that don’t matter?

Do you often compare yourself to other students in your class?

Are you neglecting yourself while focusing too much on your curriculum?

If the answer to all these questions is “yes”, then you’ll find the coping strategies listed below to be of great help!

 

Be Your Own Hype-Man

Imagine a similar situation where your best friend needed some support. What could you possibly do to make your friend feel better in such circumstances? Of course, you will offer your words of encouragement to push them forward. Similarly, you deserve someone who knows how to hype you up. In case there is no one to offer such words of encouragement you need to be your own hype man. If one thing goes the wrong way don’t beat yourself up. Instead, make yourself believe that the next time you will try harder.

This particular scenario can be way worse among students that are more academically vigilant. Students that are more academically gifted often tend to blame themselves if anything takes the wrong turn. Positive words increase productivity and you will be more likely to work even harder the next time. Instead of having a mental breakdown mid-project, you would be more likely to dedicate your entire attention to the task at hand. Furthermore, you can often eradicate hours of non-productivity by simply re-examining your situation on your own. With a calm mind and collected attitude, you’ll be more productive.

Eradicate The Concept Of Comparison From Your Life

Academics and competition are two things that always go hand in hand. No matter which standard you are in, the competition is always going to be tough. Having an average thirst for competitiveness is often considered a healthy trait, but the top comparison can make things worse. For instance; if you’re really focused on your curriculum, there’s always going to be a kid in your class that you often feel competitive towards. So, if that kid can achieve slightly better grades than you, you’ll render your own success useless. Therefore, the idea of relentlessly competing with someone needs to be demolished at the very start. Nitpicking at your own flaws can only lead to self-hatred which can further deviate you from the path of normalcy.

 

It’s an aggravating dilemma of academic culture and higher education that students often find themselves being jealous of the success of their classmates.

 

The situation is crystal clear; your circumstances are often never similar to the person you’re competing with. These circumstances may include; underlying health-related reasons, background, additional curriculum-related tuitions, familial relationships, etc. So, you must evaluate the situation for yourself and understand that it’s okay to be one step behind sometimes. You cannot compare yourself with someone else all the time as that’s only going to result in more anxiety.

 

Visualize, Arrange And Manage Essential Obligations

Creating and following a timetable might sound like a good old cliché but it can do wonders. First and foremost it’s a great antidote for procrastination. Most of the time we delay our academic responsibilities until the final deadline. That’s usually due to procrastination and it can affect your overall result. Consequently, you suffer at the hands of your own lacking and struggle with guilt as well.

Once you arrange all your upcoming tasks and deadlines in the form of a monthly planner, you will be better aware of your obligations. Arrange all these categories based on their essentiality and date. Find out which subjects deserve more studious effort and make them your top priority to cover loose edges. In this way, you won’t dedicate the entirety of your time to a single subject and miss out on the others. Following a well-calculated academic planner will be beneficial in three ways;

• You will be able to dedicate a designated amount of hours to yourself. This will compensate for all those hours so spent while fulfilling your academic responsibilities.
• You will stop missing out on final deadlines and there will be much less weight on your shoulders by the end of every school year.
• Taking off tasks from your planner one after another will provide you a sense of achievement. You will be less stressed and more motivated in this way.

 

Invest Time On Self-care

No one thinks about their skincare routine while dealing with an impending assignment’s deadline. But, what if it could make things better for you? We’re not saying that following a regiment will help you get straight As. We’re referring to the fact that sometimes doing what makes you feel good, can help you perform better. You can invest a decent amount of time in self-care during the day to renew your spirits. After completing a hectic assignment, you’ll obviously find it quite harder to focus on the next one. So, to keep your productivity levels intact, take a short break and find something that helps you rejuvenate. It could be anything as simple as a basic meditation exercise, lighting incense, using aromatherapy, listening to songs, taking a hot bath, etc.

 

Taking care of yourself helps you maintain your energy levels to stand academic stress and stabilizes your stress-fighting instincts.

 

Don’t neglect your needs during exam season. Of course, you’ll change your schedule quite a bit to fit in all those books you’ve got to read. Yet, don’t deprive yourself of the things that keep your energy levels intact. These practices include; taking 3 healthy meals during the day and drinking a decent amount of water. The way you treat yourself is going to reflect on your mental and physical health. So, keep additional stressors on the bay while you deal with the casualties at hand.

 

Incentives Can Change The Game

“Treat yourself” sounds like a simple phrase but sure enough it has a lot of benefits. When we utter the words “treat yourself” we’re not referring to spending a lot of bucks on something overpriced. It can be something as simple as an everyday task that you really enjoy. Immersing yourself in the habits that really please you can have long-term benefits on your health, lifestyle, relationships, and in this case academic performance. According to a recent finding;

“Planning an upcoming event can raise endorphin levels in your brain up to 27%.”

People who often struggle with anxiety or stress usually struggle with plummeting endorphin levels. Hence, the one way to increase these levels is to do what you love. For instance; watch a single episode of your favorite series, grab a plate of your favorite pasta recipe, take a small power nap, etc. With every little academic achievement, make sure that you pat yourself on the back. Although it might sound a little fool-some at the start, it might become a habit in the end. Studies prove that the inclusion of incentives can increase productivity and harbor positive results. Promise yourself a relaxing bubble bath after completing a botany assignment. It’s an incentive that barely means something to others, but it can provide you the comfort you need to lift off some academic pressure.

 

Get Rid Of Any Screens For A While

Dedicating a few hours of your day to your social media handle can be pretty hectic. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and similar apps do get to attract way lot of your attention during the day. This ultimately ends up taking a toll on your academic result. Consequently, increasing your stress levels as you don’t really pay attention to your curriculum much longer. Furthermore, it’s a commonly acknowledged fact that social media is quite frankly a hub for negativity. Why on earth would you immerse yourself in more toxicity when you’re already struggling with stress?

 

It’s already pretty stressful to maintain a circle of online friends and to be extremely aware of what’s going on in the world around you.

 

The only solution to this issue is to go off the radar until you feel better. Don’t carry the pressure of your academic performance and social presence on your tiny shoulders simultaneously. If deactivation doesn’t seem like an appropriate option you can also try minimizing your phone usage. Multiple applications are available in the Play Store and App Store, which let users measure their screen time throughout the day. By using those apps you can limit your usage for each app and ultimately land on a much safer time span. Moreover, this particular advice isn’t only relevant to your smartphone’s screen. Display similar behavior towards TV screens and computer screens too. Take a good look at the amount of media you’re ingesting through the course of the day and then take relevant action.

 

Let Yourself Go Every Once In A While

How many times have you uttered the words “I can’t, I have to study” when asked out by a couple of your friends? It’s time to reevaluate your entire social life and it’s your turn to question;

“Am I a little too obsessive?”

Missing out on your chances to socialize will not help you in handling any kind of academic pressure. Instead, letting yourself go every once in a while has more benefits than one might imagine. Socialization is our key to the outside world and a great way to forget about present problems for even a few hours. If you’re struggling at the hands of excessive academic pressure, taking a break won’t hurt you anyway. You’re young and you deserve a chance to live life to the fullest.

Once you start paying attention to your social needs as much as you pay attention to your curriculum you’ll feel much lighter and less on the edge. Going on a walk with your friends during the day, instead of shutting yourself off in a dark room seems to be the better move. It can change your perspective on a lot of things and give you the chance to rejuvenate after a hectic study session. So, what if it’s exam season? You must take out time for public interactions at least a bit to feel normal once again.

Final Words

Academic pressure is something that can impact a person of any age group; from tweens to full-grown adults. So, if you feel like you require additional help, don’t shy away from contacting your academic institution’s guidance counselor. Find out whether your school or college offers any therapy programs to students tackling similar issues or not. If the answer’s in negation multiple online sources can provide therapy services. The problem needs to be neutralized right at the beginning before it shifts into a larger form.