If you are a student and are feeling overwhelmed due to loads of worksheets and upcoming exams, fret not, I am here to guide you through this tough time. Burden of studies has beaten all of us once in a while and the pressure increases more so during the exam times. Now is there any way to reduce the stress scientifically? Yes, there is not one but 10 proven ways to decrease the levels of stress which students can apply to help calm down their mental states.
- Take a break after every 40 minutes of study. Well, you are enthusiastic and worried as well so you want to study all night, fine but please don’t do it at a stretch. Science has proven that if we don’t take a break after 40-45 minutes our brain starts to lose its focus and its retention. So you don;t confidant about what you studied as your retention is comparatively affected and it only adds to your stress. So do take your study breaks seriously, what you have to do in these short breaks is what our next tip is all about. Lets move on to our second tip.
- Music is a proven stress relaxation tool. Have a favorite list of music stored in your phone and tune in when you are taking your short break between two study sessions. We recommend listening to music at alpha waves meditation music which has evidence based research support to relax brain and increase its function.
- Reduce your sugar intake. Our body produces a hormone called cortisol when our sugar levels are high, same hormone is also called stress hormone and creates stress symptoms in our body like high blood pressure and anxiety and a feeling of restlessness. So avoid eating excessive sugars, rather opt for healthy high protein rich breakfast, and don’t skip your meals.
- Limit your electronic usage of mobiles, gizmos and laptops. You not only lose precious time while scrolling down on social media sites but this is said to have a negative impact on the mental heath as well. Set rules for yourself to check your Facebook and Instagram sites only once a day, not after every 30 minutes. Turn off your notifications and strictly put your mobile phone on aeroplane mode after 9 pm , better still you switch it off like I do.
- Reading motivational or any light subject can also relax your mind and help in reducing stress levels. Keep a good motivational book close to your heart and read a few pages every once in a while to boost your confidence levels and motivate you to achieve your goals. I personally recommend You can win by Shiv Khera, The Alchemist by Paulo coelho, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach.
- Recreate Happy memories in brain: When we think of any past happy moment, our brains are tricked into the positive emotional state and we release a hormone called serotonin, now this hormone creates a calming effect on our nerves and we feel relaxed. So , take out few moments to slip in your happy memories to give a gush of serotonin feel to your mind. You will come out feeling much relaxed and ready to take on all difficult tasks ahead.
- Learn Time Management: We all have 24 hours in a day yet some go through their days with some ease and some struggle. Its not that we can;t do enough, we all can we just need to learn to use time effectively. First of all make a to do list of all tasks given, then try to pick up one task finish it without any distraction and move on to next task. Allocate realistic dead lines and follow them. Avoid doing multi tasking, it only delays work and puts lots of stress on our minds. When you are doing one task, your complete focus should be on finishing the task at hand right now not the one next on the list.
- Practice Mindfulness: When we are trapped in studying to the deadlines and tests and ongoing revisions, it is normal to lose oneself in the process. TO release your inner self from this trap , you should practice mindfulness. it is a simple process of giving attention to the moment , feeling the silence and appreciating the breathing, the surrounding and yourself. Tale out time to look around you and de-clutter your mind by being present in present.
- Appreciate yourself: learn to self motivate, it is essential that you focus on progress not on perfection. It is of no use to beat oneself in the pursuit of perfection, take things step by step. At the end of the day, write down three achievements of the day. it could be finishing a small test, reading a chapter or recall of any previous unit.
- Give yourself aroma therapy: Now researchers have come across an amazing fact that our brains can relax in stressful situations immediately by smelling some specific fragrances. Lemon, jasmine, lavender, rosemary and peppermint. So you can keep any essential oil or some perfume with these fragrances with you and can smell a little to soothe your mind.
Hope you enjoyed reading the blog. For more tips on stress management and brain boosting exercises, visit our YouTube channel and follow us. We also provide online sessions on brain gym exercises, corporate tie ups as well as individual sessions. Call us on 8146758243
Please let us know about your valuable feedback in the comment box and which tip did you like the most.
Have a stress free time and all the best for your exams.
