Clinical psychologist Niamh Delmar shares her tips for coping with exam stress.
Believe it or not, there is a positive side to stress. Referred to as eustress, this type of positive stress helps you stay motivated and improve performance.
However, research shows that good stress can move into distress in certain conditions, which can be associated with a general disposition or be situationally induced. Students have different life stories, issues, personalities, challenges and capacity levels.
The good news is that handling anxiety or stress is manageable, and burnout can be prevented.
Exam stress arises when you feel under too much pressure and that the demands are far exceeding what you can achieve. Symptoms of anxiety and stress are psychological and physiological. Its not all in your head!
Performance anxiety is like stage fright. As the brain ruminates over possible worst-case scenarios, anticipatory anxiety can arise. Excessive future-focused worries interfere with revision, and it's common for students to feel unprepared.
As a result, an overload of adrenaline and cortisol on the day can impede performance.
Although the terms anxiety and stress are used interchangeably, they are different. Exam anxiety is fear-based, whereby the person becomes consumed by worries, negative predictions, and catastrophising.
A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense fear, causing extreme discomfort. You might feel as if you're going to faint, have heart palpitations, feel unable to breathe, or fear losing control.
When your response levels intensify, your system responds as if you are facing a bear about to pounce on you. This goes back to caveman days when humans had to be on alert and be ready to fight, flee and hopefully not freeze (the 3 f's).
Now, even though there is no bear, our systems can hyper respond to a situation, perceiving it as a threat. The exam = a bear about to attack. The stress response is wired for survival.
Here's what happens:
- The amygdala in the brain sounds the alarm to the hypothalamus.
- It tells the brain and body to release stress hormones: adrenaline and cortisol.
- The heart pounds, airways open, muscles tense, the tummy flutters, blood pressure increases, trembling may occur, and other physiological responses flood your system. You are on high alert. Sight, hearing and senses are sharper.
- The amygdala sends projections to the prefrontal cortex and turns it down. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for judgment, executive functioning and impulse control, so logic gets muted.
- The sympathetic nervous system is like the accelerator of a car and speeds up the response. The parasympathetic acts like the brake and activates the "rest and digest", which calms you down when the perceived threat is over.
Managing excessive levels of stress and anxiety involves muting the alarm, accessing that prefrontal cortex, and getting to the rest and digest phase quickly if the alarm has been raised.
Thankfully, you can regulate the stress or anxiety so the prefrontal cortex can operate at the optimal level.
Buffering strategies
A. Thought processes & self-talk
We think approximately 60,000 - 80,000 thoughts in one day, and each thought affects you within seconds. Stress and anxiety distort thoughts, so you must be mindful of what thoughts you entertain.
You can actually trigger a smile or induce adrenaline with your thoughts. Practice creating a mental filter where you catch your thoughts, and then start to refocus or reframe.
Your aim is to keep thoughts healthy, helpful and accurate. Access that prefrontal cortex. Notice any themes you think about, such as "I will fail", I can't do it," It's a disaster", and work on thought processes like catastrophising, negative predictions, fortune-telling and worst-case scenarios.
Keep the drama out of the head by refocusing your attention on something else and saying "not now" to unhelpful thoughts.
Foster flexible thinking by finding alternative and better ways of thinking. List 10 healthy distractions that engage you and help to reset. Question whether a thought is reality or anxiety-based. Try not to feed fearful or stressful self-talk.
An athlete can't start a race with defeatist thoughts. Give yourself pep talks: "I can do this", "I can cope", "Let's do this." Repetition of statements fosters a healthier mindset. Remind yourself it is adrenaline, it is a false alarm, there is no emergency, there is no bear. Feelings are not facts.
Self-efficacy has been shown to boost exam scores. This is the belief that you can perform the task and have confidence in your ability. The strategies to follow are also ways to stay out of your head and free up space to absorb information and keep centred.
B. Breath and body work
Breath
Studies show that breath regulation can lower the stress hormone cortisol. It helps to move out of the fight or flight stage.
The way you breathe signals to the brain whether all is ok or if your system needs to get ready for a threat. Repeat words like "calm" and "slow", and visualise a place you have enjoyed, or enjoy going to.
a) To prevent spikes of adrenaline and cortisol throughout the day and all day, steady the pace to around 8-10 breaths per minute.
Set reminders if you're forgetting to slow your breath down. Breathe in really slowly and deeply into your body, and out slowly. Feel your tummy rise and fall. Keep your mouth closed. Every now and then, breathe out for a long time.
People also find box breathing useful: Breathe out slowly, then breathe in for the count of 4, hold your breath for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4 and repeat for a few rounds.
b) If panicky, a different method is needed. Simply breathe out for 11 seconds and in for 7 seconds. Use this 7-11 technique and repeat 50 times, and over and over as needed.
Body
Regulated breathing helps the body. Breathe into stressed zones like the chest or tummy, and notice the area calming.
Be aware of tension building in the muscles. Drop the shoulders as they start to rise to your ears, and do a few neck rolls throughout the day. Enjoy a few stretches during study periods.
Get daily physical activity. Move the body. Soak in a bath or take a swim. Be mindful of your posture when studying.
C. Lifestyle factors
Decreased sleep quality impedes learning and increases levels of stress and anxiety. In turn, exam anxiety and stress diminish quality sleep.
A good quality of sleep helps mood and improves focus. Predictors of quality of sleep start during the day with your food intake, digital diet, daylight exposure, physical activity and healthy ways to wind down.
While cramming and pulling all-nighters may be tempting, this will mess with your brain, impeding memory, reaction times and concentration the next day. Aim to go to bed and get up at the same time to sync your body clock and ban screens at least an hour before sleep.
During sleep, everything studied that day gets sealed in your brain. Watch what's going into your body. Avoid running on empty by having regular, nutritious meals and healthy snacks. False energy is provided by sugar, caffeine and energy drinks and can lead to crashes excaserbating cortisol and adrenaline levels. Hydrate and feed your brain well!
Nature, meditation and emotional regulation are associated with lowering stress and anxiety. Access connection and support. Surveys show that there is a phenomenal strategy that can enhance revision, boost the brain and help with exam success: PTPA (put the phone away).
While the smartphone and social media lure us into feeling like we are switching off, it is actually adrenaline-inducing.
Excessive screen exposure is detrimental to cognitive health. Track your screen usage. An average of three hours per day is 21 hours per week. That's a part-time job! And in exam season, it could clear a load of revision for you.
D. Study Methods
Good retention will be of huge benefit in the exams. The more input through all of your senses, the better when studying. The updated method recommended is multi-sensory learning. This reinforces information in a variety of ways, improving recall. It helps what you are revising to stick.
It's about active revision, not passive reading. Writing notes, practice tests, watching videos, talking about a topic to someone, attaching meaning, and testing yourself are ways to enhance memory. Repetition deepens neural pathways in the brain.
Material gets forgotten if not revisited and reinforced. It is more effective to study in chunks rather than big blitzes because the brain is limited in its capacity. Pace it and take productive breaks.
Study in your ideal learning environment and clear the heavy stuff first. Having a schedule can help you feel in control. Avoid avoidance by taking the first step - open a book, etc.
Give yourself a treat or a reward only after you have completed a target.
In the exam
Don't forget to breathe using the methods outlined above. It is the quickest way to settle. Calm your nervous system with motivational self-talk and ban any anxiety or stress-inducing thoughts.
Adrenaline and cortisol levels can make you rush, so pause and re-read questions.
Focus fully and access those key points, then expand on them. If feeling overwhelmed, use this 30-second grounding exercise:
- Focus on 5 things that you can see
- 4 things that you can feel or touch, such as your feet on the ground or the pen in your hand.
- 3 things you can hear
- 2 things you can taste or smell
Together with the 7-11 breathing technique or box breathing, loosen bodily tension, use positive self-talk and go for it.
After exams, avoid post-mortems and move on. Deflate then resume. You are another day nearer to the last day of exams.
If symptoms feel too much, talk it through with your parents and a trusted friend. Discuss symptoms with your GP and/or a mental health professional.
Parents and others involved
The above strategies and information can help you to support and guide students and help to manage your own state. Research shows parents can feel more stress or anxiety than their children!
While many parents feel confident in their teen's ability to handle exam stress, a significant number express concern about their teens wellbeing. Parents observe changes such as increased anxiety, stress, mood swings, irritability and sleep disruption.
Students have cited what helps most include a quiet and calm environment, emotional encouragement, practical support and motivational incentives.
Give your children pep talks: "You can do this", "You can cope", " Let's do this." Repetition of statements fosters a healthier mindset. Remind yourself and them that it is adrenaline, it is a false alarm, there is no emergency, there is no bear.
Keep an eye on your own thoughts, perceptions, fears and stress levels. Or how exams affected you in the past, or how you approached them. They are not you.
Clear space in the diary to switch off, and open up to a partner or a trusted friend. Try to keep the environment as calm as possible, and encourage bonding activities such as watching a movie or going for a walk together.
You know your child. Some need a nudge, and others need to be encouraged to balance all. If feasible, try to be available and close by with just your presence. Watch out for any mental health difficulties and access support.
Have calm and factual conversations about excessive digital intake. We don't have to keep reminding them that exams are looming. They know! Instead, we can show curiosity: "What subjects/ topics are you focusing on today?", "You're doing well, keep at it".
Promote a realistic and positive mindset. Rather than a flippant "you'll be grand". Be specific: "You have always had a good grasp of Geography. What topic could you start with today?"
Don't let their panic worry you! Offer your services with practical help with revision, or help to set a study plan. Perhaps there is a family member or friend who could go through a topic. We can validate and empathise.
Best wishes to the students and parents.
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