The final exam season is upon us and students from every University, CEGEP (which, for the uninitiated, is the Quebec equivalent of a college) and trade school are scrambling to hand in their term assignments while preparing for exams. Stress levels are high and days are long while patience is low and fuses are short. Everyone needs a way to deal with stress. Personally, a few good, deep breaths (two seconds in the nose, four seconds out the mouth - eyes closed!) work in the short term, but an hour of personal time reserved for the end of every day works wonders in the long run. What are your best stress management strategies? Share away.Image source: Flickr, 2006, Stress.
George Tsoukalas
Engl 213
A good way for me to reduce stress is to try and do things that do not involve my brain; I like to watch vintage cartoons (Looney Tunes, Popeye), I colour, and mostly try to find Waldo in where's Waldo books. Also, a warm shower always helps me reduce stress.
When I need to relieve stress, I start cleaning around the house. This really helps because I get so absorbed in the activity, that I can't think of my exams any more.
Large quantities of chocolate spread also help, although nutritionists would probably advise against this method of coping with stress.
first of all, when exam season comes, i start to prepare earlier. the earlier u start, the more time you'll have. everyday you study a bit, and everyday you review what you studied the day before. just relax, take it easy, and don't stress out. and remember, its only an exam, in the worse case you'll need to take it over, but you live life only once!
When I study during the semester and do all the work there is no reason to be super stressed and the exam load feels more manageable. But either way I still get really nervous. To deal with it I exercise which also helps me sleep, cook or clean my apartment. Also it really helps me to organize my time and prioritize the topics that I need to review, so that I am not rushing to relearn everything that we saw in class during the semester.
I divide my day into 3 sessions: 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of studying/ and the rest of the time I relax. I don't alway succeed at this made division but I try my b est to find time for those 3 so that I dont end up with an overload ( I try)..