However, it is quite possible to manage your stress in order to be in the best conditions on D-Day. Healthy living and organization are the key to “staying zen”. Some tips :

Plan and keep the rhythm!

Usually, the dates for an exam are given several months in advance. It’s early enough not to be surprised and plan your revisions. Schedule your schedule with the subjects to be reviewed by indicating the lesson you are going to cover. Leave a few holes to make up for the unexpected and also take breaks. These are important and avoid saturating.

Do not forget that it is the regularity that will pay and that it is essential to keep up the pace. Indeed, you will feel more and more at ease in your revisions and this feeling will allow you to drive away the stress often linked to last minute revisions or dead ends.

A quality sleep

How tempting it is to revise your lessons until very late at night! Yet this is absolutely the wrong thing to do! To stay focused and keep all of your intellectual abilities, it is essential to have quality sleep.

Where possible, try to go to bed early to promote restful sleep. Avoid screens in the evening, their light allows you to stay awake. Instead, take a good book (but not a textbook!). Ideally, you should sleep between 6 and 8 hours.

A healthy diet

Eat meals at fixed times and choose foods rich in complex sugars (starches) that will provide enough energy to your overheated brain ! Also eat fruits and vegetables, sources of vitamins. 

Some foods are great for memory. This is particularly the case for fatty fish rich in omega 3 (salmon, sardines, etc.) but also oilseeds (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, etc.). The day before the exam, do as athletes do and eat starchy foods. In the morning, treat yourself to a good breakfast in order to avoid being hungry and having a hard time in the middle of an event.

Prepare your things the day before

It might sound silly, but packing your things the night before will save you some stressful moments. Make a list beforehand then be sure to follow it. Since you can never be too careful, grab two pens, check your ink cartridge stock and the condition of your calculator. In short, prepare your ammunition!

The tests of an exam which may last several hours, bring granola bars and water. You will probably be happy to have them. Do not forget your identity documents and your summons as well as your watch. to monitor the clock.

Relax

Managing the stress caused by an exam also involves moments of relaxation. Rather than throw yourself headlong into your revisions and stay immersed in your lessons, lift your nose from your index cards and give yourself a break! Play music, go to the movies with your friends, go window shopping, in short: take a break !

A good way to relieve stress is sport. Jogging, tennis, swimming: it doesn’t matter, as long as you exercise. Physical activity helps you get a good night’s sleep so don’t deprive yourself. However, do not force and avoid running a marathon, you would be too tired …

Consult your pharmacist

If you are feeling really too stressed, go visit your pharmacist. He will surely be able to direct you to natural remedies. Herbs and homeopathy have already proven their effectiveness in this type of situation.

Whatever, Above all, do not self-medicate and do not take prescription drugs (anxyolitic type)!  

Read also: Back to school: beware of stress!  

Perrine Deurot-Bien