You are half asleep in the assembly already, your friend standing next to you is freaking out over the fact that she wore the wrong shoes to school, but as you hear the words “Exam Date-sheet is out”, all your anxiety-s and horrors resurface.

The worst part of student life is going through that dreadful phase of exam revision and preparation. Making lists and plans, organizing timetables, and scheduling what to study and when, is not an easy task. Hence, it is important to understand how to manage this period of anxiety. Here are some quick tips on how to handle exam stress:

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1. Meditate

Try to take 10 minutes off your busy schedule and practice meditation. Meditation helps you keep your cool, gives you an overview of where you stand mentally and thus helps you cut down on stress. There are a lot of mobile apps available with guided meditation, some specially designed for students going through exam stress, do not hesitate to give them a try!

2. Forget Calculating Grades and Anticipating Results

Quit calculating how much you should aim for, how much you are capable of scoring and where you stand in terms of your preparation. True, being aware of where you stand academically helps you set realistic goals with grades you plan to achieve, however excessively calculating and recalculating how much you can score just adds to your anxiety and nothing else. You’d rather devote your time studying the subjects than stressing about them.

3. Don’t Give Yourself a Hard Time

Your life doesn’t depend on these exams. They are a very small part of your life, and as you progress through the years, what you score now would not even matter. So, make sure you take care of yourself, by eating right, taking time out to relax and sleeping well.

4. Do Not Stay Up All Night

If you think that staying up all night studying, would help you complete your syllabus, think again. A sleep deprived brain has the ability to hinder your progress greatly. Sleep deprivation impairs memory retention and so it is advisable to study early morning than late at night.

5. Do Not Compare Your Progress with that of Your Peers

Focus on your own work, you don’t need to know how well ahead your best friend is in preparing her chemistry notes. That information would never help you take strides in your exams, so the only person you should be concerned about is yourself (yes, allow yourself to be selfish if that is what it takes).

6. Practice the Right Way

Getting a head-start by creating a plan of study a month or two before your exams help you cut down on exam stress effectively, as you have plenty of time to cover the course material. Make sure that even if you study less, you revise with complete concentration. This always works to your benefit as the more hours you spend on studying, the more tired your brain becomes. That is why they say, quality over quantity.

7. Take Advice from Your Seniors

Try to approach your seniors in helping you deal with exam stress. Ask them for tips and tricks that their teachers may have passed on to them. You may always find a few helpful tips on how to handle a certain chapter, or even a subject, thereby helping you get ahead and be relaxed.

8. Social-Media Suicide

For a few weeks if not months, try to get off all social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. They are the worse distractions and they have the power to bring you down from your path to glory. By doing so, you are keeping away from all those ‘Where are you with your preparation for English’ texts away. You can then peacefully focus on your revision and completely shut down the grief of missing out on your cousin’s adventurous trip to Hawaii.

So, as you follow these tips to help you succeed in your exams, you have unlocked the key to conquering stress as well. Start planning, and don’t forget to practice meditation. Good luck!