Causes of academic stress
We know it’s hard, but we have to try to take advantage of that academic stress that we feel and turn it into something positive. If we compare a student overwhelmed by stress with a student who is truly capable of using that tension and anxiety to focus and achieve better results, it shows us that this is their way of reacting when faced with difficulties. It’s good to stop and reflect on the options so that they can choose the path that will lead them to their final goal. These study techniques can be very useful for them to put aside those negative feelings and focus on studying, getting the most out of it while investing in books and notes.
Tips to combat academic stress
Here are some tips to help you avoid academic stress from blocking you.
Don’t get overwhelmed, positivity above all
The essential thing is that without this we are lost. They have to be aware that they have to study and work hard, but this is something that has to come from them, so they must be willing to make certain “sacrifices” in other areas of their life to achieve good results. It is clear that it is not an easy task, but if they let themselves be carried away by defeatist thoughts, it will be very difficult to get out of it.
According to Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, it is more positive for students to accept stress rather than try to make it disappear completely. In this way, they are able to deal with some situations in a more positive way, since they begin to see them as a challenge that they must overcome. If they manage to cope with this stress, this will give them the energy and tenacity necessary to progress, which in turn will allow them to go further in their education.
When a person works hard, is constant, and wants to improve, nerves can be there, of course, they are, but they learn to control them and focus that anxiety on their studies.
No to distractions
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat… and many other social networks are part of a student’s daily life. Nowadays, it is practically unthinkable for a teenager not to have a profile on one of these social networks. The important thing is that they know how to put their priorities in order during study periods.
One way to achieve this would be to integrate the ABC (Awareness, Breathing, Choosing Mindfully) technique. We can train our brains to focus on the task at hand at a given time so as not to lose concentration. The ABC technique provides the tools to do this. A represents the word awareness, which we translate as knowledge or awareness. This allows the student to stop doing whatever they are doing and start recognizing the distraction that is taking them away from studying. B represents the word breathing, which will allow them to reflect on the different options available to them. Finally, C is what allows the student to be aware when deciding what to do when faced with that distraction, although they learn to deal with it or decide to directly discard it.
Do you want to get good results? Well, you must be responsible when it comes to organizing your time and using it effectively. It can be difficult to isolate yourself while studying because everything that was not important before now seems important and you prefer to do any other activity rather than study. Keeping goals in mind can help the student concentrate on the task at hand.
Take breaks regularly
Although it is a very stressful time and students must try to perform at their best, it is very important to know how to organize their study hours so as not to become overwhelmed. Just as they must avoid distractions, it is also essential to know when to stop and take a break or they will become overwhelmed. Many students spend the days before exams sitting in front of books and notes without doing anything else. However, doing moderate exercise stimulates memory and helps them relax before exams. Taking short breaks that allow them to disconnect for a while will help them return to studying with more energy.
MIT advises students to create a break schedule so that their minds can stay productive and alert. It is essential to organize the study material and the hours they are going to invest. To do this, studying in blocks of one hour with 10 minutes of rest and reviewing the material in different ways, whether out loud, making short summaries of the topic,c or writing a series of questions, can help to better understand what has been studied so far. In this way, the brain works and learns dynamically, using different techniques that help it retain information more easily.
If concentration is not your strong point, having your phone turned off during study hours and only turning it on during break periods will also be very helpful. Setting a time to access social media at the end of the day will also be very effective as it will signal that study hours are over.
Choosing a suitable place to study
Lying on the sofa at home is not the best way to study, as concentration is not at its best and you are often surrounded by distractions that distract you from studying. It is best to study in an environment that allows you to concentrate, a quiet, bright place that allows you to study in silence and without distractions within reach. It is also a good idea to review the necessary material before you start studying (pens, highlighters, notes, etc.) to avoid getting up from the table every time you need something, as this will waste time and concentration.
Using your notes
Although for many this may seem like a trivial matter, it can be their greatest ally. By taking notes in class, they learn to listen, think, and write, as they must pay attention to the teacher’s explanation to extract the most important information. A classmate’s notes can help to complement information, but it is also very possible that they do not fully understand the explanations written by their classmate since each one has a writing style and it is normal for them to take notes differently. It is about summarizing the most important things in their own words so that they understand and remember them more easily. In most cases, the key is that they can summarize the content as much as possible, but without leaving out any key information so that when they start studying they already have an idea of what the subject in question is about and it does not catch them off guard.
The University of Exeter in England explains that taking notes helps you remember what you have studied so far and serves to review the different concepts learned over some time. It is very important to be critical when taking notes to only keep the essentials. If you do this correctly, the hours of study will be reduced and students will have a base from the beginning, they will learn the concepts more quickly and thanks to the notes, they will have a very useful summary that will be useful for doing assignments and as a review during exam time.
Plan the study
This may not seem all that surprising, but what is surprising is the number of students who ignore the benefits of creating a personalized study schedule. By planning accordingly to your exam schedule, your studying can improve significantly in terms of productivity and it can also improve your motivation levels by knowing what you are facing each day in advance without leaving everything to the last minute.
- Start getting organized from day one. Prepare a schedule with the assignments to be done, the exams, and the study days so you can work based on them.
- Evaluate the time you have available. Once you have your schedule, make the most of it, but don’t spend the whole day studying without taking a break.
- Set priorities. Notice the areas in which you feel most secure and confident and strengthen those that you consider to be your weak point.
- Choose the most suitable way to study. Organize yourself in the way that best suits you and your study plan.
- Stick to the established plan. This way you will be able to control your time and stay on track.
Get enough sleep
For the vast majority of students, sleep is the first to suffer when it comes time to hand in assignments or start studying. However, from an academic point of view, sleep helps the brain to assimilate and remember information better. Some students prefer to get up early and study throughout the day and others choose to study throughout the night. Both options are perfectly legal but they must stop at a reasonable time to disconnect from studying, assimilate all the information, and rest too perform at their best the next day.
According to studies by the Society for Neuroscience, sleep helps reinforce all the ideas and concepts studied throughout the day and even links new data with what has been previously learned. Some of their findings reveal that a good rest, in addition to helping to retain new knowledge more effectively, also serves to provide a greater capacity when solving problems and helps develop more creative thinking in the student.
Eat a balanced diet and get some exercise.
It has been proven that diet and rest are two of the most important factors in improving academic performance, so maintaining a balanced diet and doing some exercise will also help during exam time, especially to relax after long hours of studying.
Ultimately, whether you work more or less depends on you. We know that it is not a pleasant experience for a student to have to give up his social life to focus on his studies. If you truly want to have a prosperous professional future, you need to understand the importance of knowing how to organize yourself and put your priorities to get the most out of all those hours invested in your education, hours that will later be of great help to you in achieving what you set out to do, both now and in the future.