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“With the onset of the second wave of the Coronavirus, the country was in shambles. The first and second lockdowns felt like completely different worlds altogether. The new normal felt like it was there to stay. Class 12 students had just begun their final year of school with full rigour and dedication. Before the second wave, our optimistic nature of going back to school was what helped us in moving forward. Our cheerful and chirpy selves were coming back on hearing about the reopening of schools. We were finally excited about learning in our usual way. 

But, I guess, fate wasn’t meant to be in our favor. The second wave hit like a tsunami and we again retreated back to our online mode. Further, our summer-break was preponed too as death rates were increasing by large numbers every day. We were locked up inside the confines of our homes once again. But this time with never ending piles of work to finish with an environment of grief and sorrow. We students tirelessly worked the whole time, with no break. Academic pressure took a toll on our lives.

I could feel my mental health deteriorating. The perpetually increasing number of deadlines to meet and work to finish, and the pressure of this all felt unreal. My unusual anxiety and stress levels began to increase with each day. There was no break between all the monotonous work. Breakdowns and panicking became an everyday thing.

It was not just me, everyone my age was going through the same. We felt helpless. We didn’t find anything exciting anymore. We lay in our chairs with dull and worn out faces, trying to meet all expectations. A break was all we needed.”

The thoughts and feelings experienced by Lakhshyaa is very similar to all the students out there. There is a small difference though. Lakshyaa decided to vent out her feelings and shared with us what she is going through.

In Lakshyaa’s case, she had some plans but reality turned out to be very different. Yes, there is increasing amount of stress and anxiety. There is a big pile of things that are yet to be completed. Here are the few things that she can try doing to overcome this phase –

• Time management - This may sound a very cliché tip, but it actually works when you follow an effective time management strategy in your daily life. We had previously spoke about how a teenager can give importance to both his/her studies and physical health.

     Please go through this link –

https://www.teentalkindia.com/got-a-question/Academic-Pressure/how-can-we-give-equal-importance-to

• Plan and prioritize the subjects that you need to study each day.
• Make short term and long term goals by keeping your potential in mind.
• Don’t plan much about what you will do after the schools will reopen, rather than plan about keeping yourself calm and happy throughout this period.
• Try not to get addicted to smartphones or social media.
• Always give yourself adequate breaks and relaxation in-between studies to help your brain regain the concentration.
• If you feel overwhelmed with the stress or anxiety, share your feelings with your loved ones.

If you still feel you are not able to cope up with this situation, please ask for professional help.

Stress and anxiety are something that we face in our everyday life, however, it only becomes worse when we have our exams. With every passing day stress levels keep skyrocketing, with us realizing how less time we have to actually study.

Dr. Subhrangsu Aditya, from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, says “anxiety before tests or any other crisis in life arises out of apprehension or imagined fear of negative consequences.” He stresses that positive thinking is the key to handling anxiety.

Here we have given a self- assessment of the Exam Anxiety Test where you can test your stress level. This test has been developed by P.Niest and M.Diehl (1990) to determine whether a student experience a mild or severe case of test anxiety

Test your Stress

Fill in the blanks with never (1), rarely (2), sometimes (3), often (4), or always (5) as applicable.

1. I have visible signs of nervousness such as sweaty palms, shaky hands, and so on right before a test. ______
2. I have butterflies in my stomach before a test. _______
3. I feel nauseated before a test. ______
4. I read through the test and feel that I do not know any of the answers. ________
5. I panic before and during a test. ______
6. My mind goes blank during a test. _______
7. I remember the information that I blanked once I get out of the test situation. _____
8. I have trouble sleeping the night before a test. _____
9. I make mistakes on easy questions or put answers in the wrong places. ______
10. I have trouble choosing answers. ________

SCORING - 

After filling in the numbers as per the above instruction, now you have to add those numbers and you will get a total. Now as per the total sum of the numbers you can check the level of anxiety you are experiencing and then work on it.

                 10-19 – You do not suffer from test anxiety.

                 20-35 – The level of stress is probably healthy.

                 Over 35 – You are experiencing an unhealthy level of Anxiety.

Many of you might have your examinations, and stress is one thing you really cannot let go, no matter how hard you try. But you must try to as these are the ways it can impact your performance.

Making silly mistakes - Stress can cause problems with attention and that will make you make more mistakes - mistakes that can be easily avoided when you try being calm and relaxed. 

The problem in recollecting answers - If you feel stressed, it has a negative impact on your memory too which will lead to forgetfulness, confusion, and difficulty in concentrating.

Slowing down of writing speed - Sometimes stress leads to nervousness and that results in sweaty palms or shaky hands. This will impact your writing speed, making it slow which will affect your exam performance.

Losing confidence - High level of stress is correlated to low self-esteem. As you feel more stressed, you will end up losing your confidence and that will doubt everything you write. Confidence is the key to writing exams. 

Stress and Anxiety are not something that you can let control your life especially at the time of exams, so find a way to manage the stress and ultimately your exams will go smoother.