In most of the national regions, exam season is over or approaching its end. Students are very happy and excited for their upcoming holidays. In fact this is just one side of the scenario while the other side is little disturbing. The reality is that most of the students develop another phase of stress when the exams are finished. This condition is commonly known as post –exam stress.
Causes of Post Exam Stress:
The major cause of such psychological anxiety is the fear of upcoming result. Every student undergoes such stress, some take it lightly while there are a majority of students who get offended by this mental condition and face serious consequences. A number of future glitches are associated with this fear like
- Fear of bad grades
- Fear of failure
- Fear of low self-respect
- Fear of not fulfilling the expectation of others like teacher or parental pressures etc.
- Uncertainty about your Career Path
Symptoms of post exam stress:
The physical and emotional symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Anxiety
- Aggressiveness
- Lack of interest
- Insomnia
- Panic attacks
- Phobias
- Loss of appetite
Psychological and Behavioral Responses:
The student has to face many emotional set -backs while experiencing such stress like
- Having little or no control over the exam situation.
- The student always thinks negatively and criticizes himself.
- He/she creates illogical imageries about exams and outcomes.
- The students always talk negatively "If I don't pass, my family and acquaintances will not respect me" or "I am not able to get a Degree."
- Aggressive expectations "I have to get at least a3 GPA or I am worthless."
- Hopeless attitude "I'll fail no matter what I do—there's no point."
There are many ways to deal with the post exam stress .According to professional psychologists; mindfulness practice can low down the stress level and increase cortical connections in the brain regions. These regions are functionally involved in emotion regulation, psychological flexibility and self- awareness.
How to counter the Post Exam Anxiety
First get aware of your Feelings: When you results, you are uncertain or hopeless about your result you feel nervous, sad, hopeless or anxious. First realize your own emotions and talk about it to a person whom you trust.
Be Realistic: Once you are aware of your ear and feeling try to be practical and talk honestly with yourself. If you haven't prepared well, you should be ready to face the outcomes. Or if you are not good at any subject you might not score well in it. Have a realistic approach and be brave to face the consequences boldly to recover in future.
Don't review the exam paper when you hand –over it to the examiner: If you are prone to develop stress then never review the exam paper .Students will give different analyses of exam questions and the different approaches make you worse and elevate the anxiety levels. Remember Once the paper is over you can do nothing to change your writing therefore don't waste time reading through your notes and textbooks to check the answers.
Never compare your answers with your friend's answer: It happens many time that when you compare your answer with your friend's answer you find your answer wrong and you get depressed while in the end your answer came out correct therefore never compare your answer with other your teacher can give you the correct answer.
Exercise: According to a recent study, Exercising is one of a scientifically proven strategy to deal with stress .Workouts release sufficient amount of hormones like endorphins which help you to overcome your anxieties.
Divert your mind by taking part in recreational or creative activities: Do everything that alleviate your mood and bring you out from depressive swings. Visit a in the park or the beach, listen to your favorite music ,watch your favorite programs, chat with your best friend or play mind refreshing games .Do everything to forget the exam- oriented stressed phase.
Turn a deaf ear towards Unrealistic Expectations of Others: A single exam would not define your life achievement so remain positive and leave everything upon God.
Pray for good: The only thing that can save you now is prayer so turn towards Allah and ask everything.
Farah Hedayat
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