There are many ways that students can reduce panic and stress due to exams and we will now look at a couple of them.
Meditate
The first tip is to guide students in meditation. This can easily help students to focus on their breathing and help them to deal with their emotions. We have created a playlist of some of the best guided meditations on YouTube that can help. Even though these meditations may be difficult to start with, they will become easier with time. The Clarity Clinic can help you to master mindfulness and meditation.
Five sense drill
This drill is similar to guided meditations and it consists of a 3-minute breathing exercise. This will help students to become more focused and calm by changing their attention. This five-sense drill guides students to take two deep breaths and then take note of 3 things that they can feel, see, hear, taste or smell in their mind. Then, they can end off the exercise with 2 breaths.
Specialist relaxation app
Stop, Breathe and Think is a specialist app that creates individual meditations. So, if there are students who are feeling very anxious, they can download this app and indicate their current emotional states and the app will create a personalized meditation according to what they are feeling. There is also another app called the Headspace app and this also provides guided meditations along with articles, animations and video.
Turn off your tech devices
Turning off tech devices every so often is quite beneficial to students in the long term. If the students typically keep their phone next to them at night, then they should reduce how much they use their phones during this time.
Create a sleep routine and stick to it
Students should always be encouraged to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. They should also exercise regularly and eat healthy foods to improve their health and sleep. Getting sufficient sleep is actually one of the best ways to reduce anxiety and stress.
Be Creative
Students can greatly benefit from doing creative activities that are relaxing when they are stressed out such as during exams. Some creative activities include sketching, painting, sculpting and even coloring.
Improve self belief
Lastly, working on the students self talk is important for students so that they can be aware of what they’ve already achieved. This can greatly help and build their belief in themselves. Students should be encouraged to use positive phrases such as “I know I can do my very best”, “I can do anything” etc. When these phrases are repeated, it helps to get rid of negative thoughts and make them think more positively.