It’s that time of year again. The days are short, the weather is miserable, and it seems like an eternity ago that you had some stress free time to yourself. It’s also the time of year when well-meaning contributors; be they friends, family or a stranger like myself, feel the need to offer you their best advice on how to get through the end of the semester.
“As students, we are all too familiar with the frequently rehashed, generic tips about minimising anxiety as exam season looms”
As students, we are all too familiar with the frequently rehashed, generic tips about minimising anxiety as exam season looms. I went digging through my emails from last year’s exams to find the stress-minimising tips the chemistry department offered us as we slogged through textbooks and notes just days before our first exam. It read; “Look after yourself – Sleep, eat, exercise, downtime”. This resembles more of a ‘how to be a human’ memo rather than helpful advice for exhausted, desperate students trying to get through the toughest weeks in the academic year.
There is, of course, a reason why people offer up the same tips that we have heard since our school days – they’re tried and tested and prevent us from slipping into a state of study-induced delirium, by reminding us that we are only human and that this too shall pass. With that being said, I’d like to offer the generic, and personal, advice that I will utilise to manage my anxiety in the coming weeks, and how it might hopefully be of some help to you too.
I think a good place to start when I feel anxiety kick in is to take my thoughts outside. The confines of a study space are often both literally and figuratively cluttered and unorganised, which prevents me from tackling my anxiety coherently. The physical act of moving; be it walking, running or playing a sport, has the ability to transform my outlook on a situation and help me shift my response to anxiety from emotional to logical. This is where I set out my goals and deadlines and how I’ll approach them.
On the topic of messy study spaces, a surefire way to minimise academic anxiety is to have an organised and structured approach for the coming weeks. I find that keeping a folder of notes for each subject and a cache of past exam paper questions, with the necessary stationery and technology to complete your work, is the best place to start. If you study from home or a student accommodation, try to maintain a designated study space, that you keep clean and as distraction-free as possible. Those of you who frequent the library and are eager people watchers, pick a quiet spot away from high-traffic areas to keep yourself focused. It applies to everyone, but I really recommend keeping phone usage to a minimum. I think it’s a great idea to give your phone to a friend or study companion, or if you really have to, stash it away in your locker or somewhere you can’t easily access it.
“Whether you choose to study a topic in a group or simply have a friend sit on the same floor of the library as you while you work through an assignment, it reinforces a sense of comradery and communal anxiety”
Having someone to hold you accountable makes it more difficult to deviate from the goals you set yourself. I believe studying with others is one of the most effective techniques that has helped me through many previous exam seasons, while maintaining some degree of sanity. Whether you choose to study a topic in a group or simply have a friend sit on the same floor of the library as you while you work through an assignment, it reinforces a sense of comradery and communal anxiety. Furthermore, having someone who you know you can talk to at a moment’s notice, or take a walk with to discuss your feelings, is often exactly the kind of reassurance that students need during this difficult period. Small gestures can go a long way, so remember to do something for a friend who might need a little boost to get them through an anxious patch.
“ Something that I do every time I feel like I’m unable to control my academic outcomes is remind myself of a time I succeeded”
All of this is not to say that despair and panic cannot still overwhelm us, despite our best efforts. Something that I do every time I feel like I’m unable to control my academic outcomes is remind myself of a time I succeeded. It’s easy to forget the hard work and effort that got us to where we are in the first place. A reminder of that can be incredibly rejuvenating in times of desperation. It is normal to feel a loss of control in all aspects of our lives during the coming weeks, so if you feel this way, plan something small. It might include a celebration with your coursemates after exams or just a coffee meet up with a friend. It’s the small things we do that serve as proof that we can control our outcomes, and sometimes all we need is a nudge in the right direction to get us started.
November can be a difficult month for students, however, it doesn’t have to be that way. As the semester comes to an end, allow yourself time to acknowledge your feelings and remember that while you are a student, you are also human. Try to be cognisant of the realities of academic anxiety so that you don’t get too swept up in the constant pressure of exam season.
