I remember when I was doing my HSC and what it was like before entering an exam. Sometimes it was exciting!! An opportunity to show off your knowledge and preparation on a subject you’re passionate about, and get that good mark. A lot of the time though it’s stressful. Like all of your worth is determined on that one test. Like the whole weight of the world rests on your shoulders. This was especially so for subjects I struggled with, like English for instance.
It’s easy to let this feeling overwhelm you. Overcome you, even. It’s easy to let this feeling mess you up. That’s why it’s important to know how to manage stress, especially right before an exam. There’s many things you can do (that I know have helped me) to ensure you can battle this stress head on and come out of the exam feeling like you’ve done well – or, at least, the best you could have done. Here are my top three:
1. Ensuring a good nights sleep and decent breakfast on the morning of.
Your brain is like a muscle – this is a pretty common analogy, but this doesn’t make it any less true. Your brain is constantly in use, and NEEDS rest from all the things that happened the day before. A good nights sleep and a decent breakfast the day before/day of ensures that your brain is feeling fresh and calm. A good breakfast will only help this further. Your brain needs nutrients and energy and will perform better with a decent breakfast.
It’s said that prevention is the best cure, and this is very much a preventative measure for stress relief – it is something that you can only do as a step to prepare for the stress of exams. Making this a habit is vital.
2. Go for a walk
This method is so good because you can do it basically anywhere, anytime. All it requires is putting down your phone (maybe having some calm music on if that helps), going for a short stroll, and taking some deep breaths. It pays off to clear the mind, and deep breathing is an amazing strategy for this. Doing this in nature is doubly as beneficial (majority of HSC exams are early in the morning – take advantage of this and go for a walk, take in the fresh air and morning sun, admire the jacarandas and chirping birds etc).
3. Talk to a mate
Sometimes it gets really hard to calm down. Maybe it’s 15 minutes before your exam and you’re cramming notes last second. One thing you could do, is you could take some deep breaths, and ask a good mate for help. They’ll always be there for you, and words of encouragement can go a long way.
Zac Markovina
