Listen To Quiet Calming Music
Ive already mentioned that singing can help to reduce exam stress, but so can listening to music especially slow, soothing classical music, like this.
The comforting power of music is well established, which makes music an effective stress management tool.
Listening to music has a relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, slowing our pulse, lowering our blood pressure, and decreasing our levels of stress hormones.
So set aside 10 minutes a day to tune in to some classical music and tune out your exam stress.
Stress Management Strategies Every Teacher Needs To Know
by Chris Mumford, Hey Teach! Content Manager, M.A. Science Education
As a teacher, you know that stress is inevitable. Papers will stack up, students will act out, and lessons will need to be planned.
But while stress is inevitable, how you respond to it can spell the difference between a long, rewarding career, and one cut short by burn-out.
New research into stress has given rise to some surprising strategies to better deal with it. Try these out, and be sure to let us know what works best for you in the comments!
Breathe
The classroom can cause sensory overload. Before you know it, your heart rate starts to climb, you break out into a sweat, and your mind races. In these situations, the most effective first step you can take is to breathe deeply. Ok, so its not exactly the newest technique, and it sounds like it might be too simple, right? The Navy SEALs dont think so, and they know a thing or two about stress. SEALs are trained in the 4 x 4 breathing technique, which helps them lower their physical stress response and regain control. When youre experiencing intense levels of stress, breathe in deeply , for four seconds, then exhale evenly for four seconds. Keep this up for 2-3 minutes for maximum effect.
Embrace the stress
Be imperfect
Practice emotional first aid
Be grateful
Limit grass is greener thinking
Work smarter, not harder
Ask for help
Make a connection
Write Down 3 Things Youre Thankful For
Im sure youre grateful for many things in your life.
Maybe youre grateful for a loving family or loyal friends. Or maybe youre just grateful you passed your last math exam.
But perhaps you dont express that gratitude often.
Did you know that if you write down all the things youre grateful for, your health will improve?
Studies have found that expressing gratitude can lower your blood pressure, improve your sleep and boost your immune system.
So when youre taking a break from studying, why not write down 3 things youre grateful for?
It could be something you take for granted, like the invention of the Internet , or something like the fact that you get to attend school.
Your body and mind will thank you for cultivating a habit of gratitude.
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Build Mini Breaks Into Your Schedule
As busy and stressed as you already feel, the idea of adding more to your day might make you feel a bit anxious.
But if you bring your mental health to the forefront, everything else will fall into place and get accomplished with more ease. In this way, taking breaks is actually more productive than not taking any at all.
Rather than leaving your breaks up to chance or saying, Ill do something I enjoy only if and when I get this done, go ahead and plan them now and then plan your work around it.
Plan some time to get outside with friends or exercise to relieve stress and tension and reset your mind.
If you create a work or study schedule this way you have a higher chance of not avoiding a few things you enjoy that can provide a necessary distraction for a while from you from what causes you stress.
Once youve blocked off breaks in your schedule, you can set an alarm and time them too.
Even if you do not feel 100% like you need it when break time comes, take it anyway.
Turn The Page With Colorado Matters
Join us for a free, virtual event with Colorado author Patricia Raybon on February 8. We’ll discuss her new book, “All That Is Secret,” a mystery that takes place in 1920s Denver. A young Black theologian seeks to solve her father’s murder, following in the footsteps of her literary idol, Sherlock Holmes.
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Do Deep Breathing Exercises
Science has proven that deep breathing reduces your cortisol levels.
There are many deep breathing exercises you could try, but here are a couple of them to get you started:
- Belly breathing: Sit or lie in a comfortable position and place one hand on your belly. Breathe in deeply through your nose, and feel your hand being pushed outwards as the air fills your lungs. Now exhale through your mouth, and feel your hand moving inwards. Repeat 5 to 6 times.
- Morning breathing: When you get out of bed, stand up straight, bend your knees slightly, and bend forward from the waist. Let your arms hang limply towards the floor. Breathe in slowly, returning to your original standing position as you do. Your head should be the last part of your body to straighten. Exhale slowly, returning to the bent position by the end of your breath. Repeat 5 to 6 times.
Use Stress Management Techniques
Chronic stress can impair your ability to learn and remember facts as well stress management is one of the most importantand most overlookedschool necessities. Some effective stress management techniques include breathing exercises, taking a walk, exercising, and journaling.
Making relaxation techniques, or stress management techniques, a part of your daily routine can help your overall health and wellness and will help decrease the likelihood of going into a state of chronic stress.
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Get Outside And Get Moving
Getting outside, exercising, or participating in some other kind of physical activity can be a great distraction from stressful thoughts and tasks. Tiring yourself out physically can also help you to sleep better, and as well discuss in greater detail below, quality sleep is a valuable thing.
For some people, exercise feels good on a physical level, whether from endorphins or from the satisfaction of meeting a tough physical challenge. Others may find that physical activity helps ease the tension and other physical symptoms that can occur when theyre stressed.
You dont have to run a marathon or join a competitive sport to reap the benefits of physical activity. Taking a walk in the park, playing fetch with your dog, or even scrubbing the bathroom tile can be helpful as well. The best physical activity is one that you enjoy, that helps you feel better, and that youll be motivated to do consistently.
Everyone is different not everyone has the ability to undertake significant physical exertion, and some people just dont find it enjoyable. However, if youre struggling with stress management, its worth putting some work into finding a physical activity that suits you and giving it a try.
Stress Disorders: Extreme Stress Anxiety And Depression
Weve talked about how stress can be healthy for some people some of the time. However, there are also many ways for stress to manifest in unhealthy disorders. Being aware of the potential stress disorders can help you spot the difference between instances of healthy stress and dangerous stress-related conditions.
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The Effects Of Homework Stress On Students
The effects of too much homework can include higher levels of stress and frustration for students. This can lead to negative impacts on grades, social life, and health .
Most parents know homework can become a regular struggle. But it doesnt have to be the worst part of your childs day. Both parents and students can benefit from learning how to deal with homework stress, and turn it into a positive learning experience.
Stay Active And Improve Your Physical Health To Relieve Stress Before A Test
Physical activity is one of the best, scientifically proven methods to combat stress.
Exercise directly reduces stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. At the same time, exercise stimulates the production of endorphins, which elevate your mood and are natural painkillers.
In addition, when your physical health improves, youll be in a better position to handle stress effectively.
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How Can You Ease Back
Back-to-school anxiety is normal and understandable. Many kids may feel anxious about going back to school after a long summer break. Others may feel nervous about starting school for the first time.
Regardless of what the case may be, parents can help ease the transition back to school by being able to recognize the symptoms of stress and anxiety and implementing some creative strategies.
Look At The Data On What Leads To Adult Well
Parents: Economic and professional success do not equate to happiness. Parents tend to assume that it does and then reverse engineer from that point. They say, OK, they need to go to a good college. How do they do that? That depends on their grades and then that comes down to their being curious about what a kid gets on every quiz. That assumption that the goal to a childs long term well-being is the A on the test today is not supported by data, Damour says.
The data shows if you are poor, your well-being is low. But once you are comfortably above the poverty level, there is no additional benefit to well-being with the more income you have. We know exactly what is correlated with adult well-being: high-quality relationships, doing work you find meaningful, you feel like you are good at your job, and good physical health.
It turns out that the main factor in childhood and adolescence that is correlated with these terrific wellbeing outcomes is conscientiousness, being a kind, decent ethical person, being long on character. If you are a kind, decent and ethical, you tend to have good relationships, you tend to do meaningful work, you tend to be decent at your job and it can contribute to long term health.
So what does that mean for parents? Damour says model high standards for ethical behavior and hold kids to them. Live the values you say you believe in.
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Acute Stress Disorder And Ptsd
Acute stress disorder and PTSD are both stress disorders that can occur after a traumatic event. If you have ASD or PTSD, then you may experience dissociation from your daily life, re-experience the traumatic event thats causing your stress disorder, feel tense or on edge constantly, and have trouble sleeping. You may be at risk for ASD or PTSD following a traumatic event, such as harassment or sexual assault, at your school or outside of it.
Dont Feed Into Other Peoples Drama
Are you easily dragged into other peoples drama? Do you regularly get calls requiring you to sweep into action like a superhero to save a friend? Have you noticed that you spend a significant amount of time and energy resolving someone elses problems?
While you want to be a supportive friend or relative, you cannot continue to be engaged in their chaotic lifestyle. It is not good for your reputation or your mental health. Stop feeding into other peoples drama. Every time you sweep in to provide a solution, you enable their negative behavior and teach them that this is appropriate.
After all, if for some reason you could not help them out of their jam, would they not find another solution to the problem? Empower them to solve their own problems and not depend on you to do it for them. It will benefit you and them in the long run.
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Ask For Support From Your Administrators
The stress of burnout specifically is affecting many school workers, and this requires their place of work to reduce workload, to limit work hours, to permit hours after-work where they are truly off, and to create a safe workspace, says Saltz.
Teachers and other school employees, she says, should also know that their workplace will support and guide them toward help with mental health issues if they are struggling.
Test Anxiety & How To Treat It
Most people get nervous before taking a test. In fact, feeling nervous motivates us to study so we can pass! But for some students, it goes beyond feeling nervous to the point that it causes them to freeze up and be unable to perform well. In this section, we discuss the definition and symptoms of test anxiety and how students can prevent it from getting out of control.
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Be Clear And Straight With People
When youre clear and straight with people, they tend to deal with you in a similar manner. This is probably the fastest way to extricate yourself from the rumor mills. Gossips are less likely to bring stories to you when they know that youll address it by going to the person involved to clarify the confusion.
Dont speculate, whether good or bad. Simply deal with the facts in front of you and address the matter. Lies and rumors can only thrive when hidden away in secrecy.
If the matter concerns you, address it in a way that brings about resolution and not in a confrontational manner.
How To Reduce Student Stress And Excel In School
As educational requirements become more stringent in all levels of education, students everywhere experience considerable school stress. This stress can affect performance on tests, participation in classes, and the well being of students everywhere. Therefore, it’s vital for all students to have a collection of effective stress management techniques that work.
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Assure Them They Aren’t Alone
Remind your kids that they’re not the only ones who may be nervous about starting school again. Other students are likely to be just as anxious as they are about the first day of school. Reassure them too, that the teacher knows kids are nervous, and will probably spend time helping students feel more comfortable as they settle into the classroom.
If your child is concerned about reconnecting with friends they haven’t seen in months, arrange some playdates. Helping your children reconnect with old friends or strengthen bonds with new ones not only reduces anxiety and stress but also can help your child start the year off on the right foot.
Keep in mind that living through the pandemic may have accentuated feelings of isolation and loneliness in kidsespecially if they have been cut off from many of their peers since the start of the pandemic.
Do what you can to reconnect them with their peerseven if it’s virtually for now. In some schools, you can get a class list, which can help you in knowing who to connect with.
But if your school district restricts access to this list, try posting in school community groups online in order to connect with other parents with children in your child’s class. If your child is anxious about not being in the same class with old friends, reassure them that they can still stay in touch.
Practice Deep Belly Breathing
You can practice deep breathing between classes, at lunch, or before and after school.
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Causes Of Stress In College Students
For college students, stress can crop up in a number of unique situations. Its important to know when you may begin to feel stressed so you can avoid these kinds of situations, know the kinds of stress youre likely to face, and take steps to ensure that you have a healthier and happier college experience.
Grades
Grades are a source of stress for many college students, whether youre worried about maintaining good grades or improving poor ones.
Fear of Missing Out
There is plenty of information in popular culture about what a college experience should be. As a result, the average college student may believe that the typical college lifestyle includes going to lots of parties, having numerous friends, playing on a sports team, never having financial problems, and still getting great grades. These unrealistic expectations for college life can start to stress you out if you apply them to your own experience.
Lack of Sleep
The thought of not getting enough sleep by itself might not really stress you out, but sleeping less than seven hours a night can contribute to stress in other areas of your life before you even realize it. If you dont get enough sleep, you wont have enough energy to keep up with a busy class schedule, all while making time for a robust social life and after-hours studying.
Homesick
Minority Stress
Financial Worries
Coursework and Exams
Work
Social Obligations
Romantic Relationships
Techniques For Dealing With Stress In High School
Stress is a fact of life for people of all ages. If youre a teenager, however, the experience of attending high school and preparing for college may expose you to a level of stress thats higher than any youve experienced before. Thats part of growing up and taking on new challenges, which is a necessary and beneficial process. In the moment, though, feeling the brunt of that stress can be quite difficult to handle.
However, the challenge is far from insurmountable. Many people have been through this stage of life before you, including those of us who now work at CollegeVine, and weve learned from the experience. Read on for some of our favorite strategies for managing your stress level, mitigating the negative effects of stress, and navigating high school in a way that will keep you healthy and happy as well as accomplished and successful.
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