The fact that the ATAR is dependent on marks gained throughout the whole year, means that our feelings of anxiety and stress are spanned across a long period of time. This seems like you just can't catch a break! If you let the pressure overcome you, it can lead to high levels of stress, negative emotions, bad eating habits and increased occurrences of break downs and fights with your family or friends.
Managing your stress is important and it can be accomplished following these 5 simple tips.
Tip #1: Take A Different Perspective
One helpful and eye opening thing to remember is that your HSC isn’t the ONLY pathway to your chosen course, or even career! These days there are many different pathways to get into a course, or qualify in your chosen profession. I suggest researching the possible pathways there are in your chosen field. Of course, this shouldn’t be a reason to kick your feet up and throw your notes in the bin, instead just keep this knowledge in your mind to realize there is life beyond your HSC results. This keeps things in perspective.
Tip #2: Get Organized
‘Fail to plan, plan to fail’. When you have a good plan you will be in control as you progress through your studies. There is nothing worse then the feeling of being overwhelmed with no clue to where you should start.
Schedule out your exam timetable and put it somewhere it is easily accessible. Then, make a study timetable. Be realistic and even schedule in your break times, exercise and socializing times. This way when you are out and about you don’t have that lingering feeling of guilt, you’ll instead know you can enjoy the moment for however long is allocated.
Keep your study space clean and clutter free, this helps to keep your mind feeling nice and clear. When you are studying, put your mobile on ‘do not disturb’ and set an alarm for when it’s break time. This way you can power through your study time in the most effective manner.
Tip #3 Break and Reward Yourself
Experiment on how long you can concentrate without getting distracted. It’s important we break accordingly to this. After all, you’d rather work effectively for 30 minutes than waste 2 hours working in drips and drabs because you were on Facebook every 10 minutes.
Start with small periods of study and slowly build it up as you get used to it. As mentioned above, set your alarm for your breaks. Reward yourself with something that will lift your energies like a 10 minute walk to your favourite music, some stretching, a healthy snack, like fruit or dark chocolate (it helps improve cognitive skills!).
Having rest periods allows you to regain your energy, improve your mental focus and you will return to your studies feeling refreshed and motivated.
Remember that after two hours of studying, it is important to give your brain some down time. Take a 30 minute break and remember to time the break. Discipline is a habit that develops over time.
Tip #4 Positive Thinking
Be mindful of what you’re saying to yourself during study time. The brain is especially notorious in telling us negative things in times of stress. Empower yourself with positive affirmations and positive self-talk to keep you motivated throughout your studies. Visualize the best possible outcomes for your exams and focus on this.
Tip #5: Study buddies
Studying alone can feel repetitive and boring, meaning you’re more likely going to procrastinate or grab your mobile for a means of entertainment. Group study can combat boredom. Study groups have a positive social aspect, which can make you feel happy and confident about studying.
Gather 3-5 of your friends and organise a quiet place to meet. This is an opportunity to be apart of in-depth discussions with your friends about your subject topics, gaining different perspectives, new learnings and opinions. Having various perspectives from your study buddies improves critical thinking skills. Also, being able to teach someone something you already know, is proven to maximise your memory for that particular thing, rather than if you were to simply re-read something continuously on your own.
Good luck and stay positive!
Ps. If you are feeling too overwhelmed during this stressful time and feel like you could benefit from getting direct support from a professional counsellor to help you manage stress and anxiety, you can simply book a complimentary 15 minute phone consultation with me and we can discuss whether or not this is the right move for you by clicking here.
With love,
Jacqui Zdravkovski