The exam’s in twelve hours. You’ve gone over your flashcards, studied the syllabus to a T, and done your practice questions. You tell yourself it’s going to be alright — but why is your heart racing? Exam stress — so how do you cope with it?
这是您高中经历中最不舒服的感觉之一，即使您已经正确研究了所有内容，也可以表现出来！
The best thing to know is that this iscompletely普通的. Feeling stressed can be normal, healthy andeven helpfuldepending on the situation, psychologist and school counsellor Kara Binstadt says.
So let’s get into why exam stress occurs and how you can cope with it!
考试压力背后的科学
考试前一天的3个考试压力提示
Advice for the Day of the Exam
考试压力背后的科学
知道为什么我们在考试之前会感到压力give us rationale and self-awareness因为它发生。
When your body senses danger, real or perceived, it releasesstress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that cause short-term physical changes, Kara explains. This often happens before an upcoming exam.
These hormonesincrease your heart rate to pump more blood into major muscles, increase your breathing to send more oxygen around the body and muscles can tense up, ready to make a run for it.
应力水平可以视为钟形曲线。
适度的压力为我们带来了最佳表现！But, what does a normal amount of stress feel like?
The physical symptoms can come up asstomach aches, headaches, muscle tension, rapid breathing, fast heartbeat, sweating, shaking, dizziness, frequent urination, diarrhoea, fatigue，或这些症状的组合。
The emotional symptoms can manifest in即将到来的厄运，恐慌或紧张的感觉，难以集中精力，不理性的愤怒，躁动不安，或这些症状的结合，尤其是在社交环境中。
压力成为一个问题（即太高）变得太难管理，您无法应付或执行日常任务，卡拉说。一个例子是无法起床上学。
If you are having difficulties completing everyday tasks due to stress,you can always reach out for professional help.
考试前一天的3个考试压力提示
Every person who cares about their exam will experience levels of stress卡拉告诉我们，但是这种压力通常是可以控制的。她告诉我们，您可以在考试前一天进行三个技巧来应付自己的压力。
提示＃1：查看笔记
首先，卡拉说preparing and knowing the content of the upcoming exam is essential to exam stress because it’s typically the outcome of the exam that is important to us. Studying improves our chances of getting a good exam mark and can therefore reduce our stress levels; and on the other side, procrastination can lead us to feel guilty and increase our stress.
There are a few great ways to improve your study performance:
- 有指定的研究空间：If you are not working, move away from the area.
- Remove devices from your study area:Research shows those who study with社交媒体and apps in the background receive lower grades than those who don’t.
- 在20分钟的街区学习：Plan out your studying in small achievable goals. Move away from your study space and come back to study for another 20 minutes. If you’re having troubles getting started on your revision, start with an easy task first to ease yourself into it.
- 计划休息的奖励：学习20分钟，并用一杯茶，拥抱宠物，收听最喜欢的歌曲，吃一片水果或与家人进行快速聊天。
提示＃2：照顾好自己，对自己的身体保持友善和温柔
照顾你的身体和思想基础to doing anything well and feeling well.
Drink plenty of water, eat nutritious meals and do some physical activity, even if it’s a 20 minute walk or some yoga stretching.考虑练习一些正念. A great free application for mindfulness is theSmiling Mind app!
提示＃3：睡个好觉
Sleep is critical, Kara says. It允许我们应付考试压力，保持韧性和consolidate learning into memory.
For a good night’s sleep,避免在睡觉前两个小时使用任何数字设备— the light in our devices can activate wakefulness hormones in the brain that tell us to wake up!
Of course,avoiding caffeine is preferable as it makes us feel awake and increases our stress levels.But also, try not to study on your bed as it conditions our brain to associate our bed as an exciting place, rather than a place for sleep.
Learn about what the right amount of sleep is here and find out if you’re getting it!
考试当天的建议
因此，考试的日子已经到来。您正在考试厅外等待，您会感到这些压力水平上升。至reinforce the positive stress-relieving tips you’ve incorporated the day before the exam, there are also three things you can do to cope with this exam stress.
首先，重复对自己有帮助的积极肯定. Say‘I’ve got this’, ‘I’m going to do well’, or what words resonate with you.
扎根in the present moment; there are many great techniques such asnoticing 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, something you can taste.
最后，breathe.大，缓慢的呼吸会减慢您的心律— imagine breathing in the scent of your favourite flower and then blowing out the candle on a birthday cake.
Remember it is only an exam and not the end of the world，即使您的身体可能会告诉您不同。
Wondering what the biggest causes of stress are in students? Check out our article这里！
Lynn Chenis a Content Writer at Art of Smart Education and is a Communication student at UTS with a major in Creative Writing. Lynn’s articles have been published in Vertigo, The Comma, and Shut Up and Go. In her spare time, she also writes poetry.
