teaStress is the wear and tear our bodies experience as we adjust to our changing environment. In life, we can’t avoid all stress, so our goal is not to eliminate stress but learn how to manage it. Ideally, you’ll find your optimal level of stress that will motivate you instead of overwhelming you.

You may notice as you go through life that some causes of stress are in your control, but many are not; some stress is inevitable and even good events cause us stress; and all change is stressful, we cannot totally avoid stress in our lives.

What is Stress?

There are many different sources of stress including but not limited to:

  • Life changes and times of great change
  • Fear of the unknown
  • Pressure to succeed
  • Self-doubt
  • Uncomfortable situations
  • Co-op interviews during mid-terms
  • Moving house

What are the Signs of Stress? 

Signs range from physical to emotional and are different for everyone, but can include:

How Do You Cope With Stress?

If your difficulty lies in part with a physical reaction to stressful situations, you can address this with physical means. Deep breathing, stretching, yoga, guided imagery, and meditation are some ways to trigger the relaxation response. Other physical strategies include:

  • Healthy sleep patterns – Try to maintain at least seven hours of sleep a night, and sleep at the same time every day if possible.
  • Nutrition – Try to eat three healthy meals a day based on nutrition guidelines in Canada’s Food Guide.
  • Exercise – Even low impact exercise like walking around campus or taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a big difference.

Cognitive strategies are more focused on the emotional and spiritual signs of stress. Try doing ones of these cognitive strategies the next time you find stress symptoms starting up:

  • Gratitude journaling: Every evening, as part of your bedtime routine, write down five things you are grateful for about that day. Some days they will be amazing things, sometimes simple joys, such as a walk in the sunshine or a friend’s smile. On tough days, focus on the basics (Ex. food on the table, I got out of bed, etc.)
  • Time management and study strategies.
  • Spend time regularly with people doing activities that are engaging and relaxing.
  • Encourage positive self-talk and beliefs within yourself.

Steps to Decrease Exam Stress

It can be easy to feel stressed during exam season. It can manifest in many different ways including muscle tension, headaches, upset stomach, trouble sleeping, and just generally feeling overwhelmed. Different people feel stress around exam season for a variety of reasons including worrying about possible failure, not feeling prepared, feeling pressure from family, feeling like you have to compete with your peers, or having other life-events or difficulties happening at the same time as exams. Whatever the symptoms or reasons there are some simple strategies you can do to help minimize some of the stress.

What to do Before the Exam?

  • Write down the exam time and location in a place you aren’t likely to forget, like your planner or your phone. Knowing when and where you need to go in advance can limit your day-of worries.
  • Find yourself a quiet and distraction-free study zone. Bring everything you think you might need with you to your zone to minimize the number of times you feel like you need to interrupt your studies.
  • Take regular short breaks. Aim for 5-10 minutes about once an hour. Try to get up and move around and take a drink of water.
  • Connect with your professor or TA. If there’s a concept you are struggling with or are unsure of the exam details they can help clarify the details.
  • Don’t focus on perfection. Strive to do your best but accept that you won’t get every question right every time.
  • Practice guided imagery. Imagine a particularly challenging exam going well. Picture yourself feeling relaxed, confident, and calm. See the situation going well. What happens? How would it look if you responded well to the situation? Hold that image in your mind, keep going until the situation is complete.

What to do on the Day of the Exam?

  • Eat a healthy breakfast. Eating a balanced meal before your exam can help your body focus on the task at hand instead of how hungry you are.
  • Prepare the night before. Organize what you need to take with you to the exam and layout your clothes the night before the exam. That way you have fewer things to focus on before you leave.
  • Arrive early. Give yourself time to get to the exam without worrying. Once in the room, pick a seat away from any distractions like doors where people may come and go during the exam.
  • Remember to breathe. If you find yourself tensing up or breathing rapidly, take a few slow, long, deep breaths to calm yourself down.
  • Read through the instructions and questions thoroughly. If you are stuck on a question, trying answering the next one and coming back later.

What to do After the Exam?

  • Limit your post-exam analysis. Don’t focus on everything you think went wrong. Try to focus on the things you know went well and try to let it go. You won’t know the results until you get them, so speculating is really just fruitless worry.
  • Treat yourself. Do something you enjoy or get yourself a celebratory treat. You worked hard to get to this point, whatever the result, and you deserve something nice.

Stress Management Exercises

Guided imagery – Falling Leaf

Try the following guided imagery exercise. Stare at a point on the wall across from you. Visualize a leaf on this spot. With each breath, count backwards from 20 to 1 as you watch the leaf slowly drifting to the ground. At 1, the leaf reaches the ground and you are deeply relaxed.

Standing Meditation

standing meditationImagine a tree standing beside you. Breathing deeply, feel your feet rooted into the ground. Imagine the depth of the roots and the strength under you, supporting you. Imagine your body is a solid trunk, but one that is flexible and giving. Allow it to sway, slightly bending in the breeze, your arms open like branches, your hands turned like leaves towards the sun. Breathe deeply and think about the strength and beauty of the tree. Feel the depth of the ground and all its support.

Examining and being aware of your thoughts and feelings can help deal with emotional symptoms of stress and point your mind to more constructive ways of thinking.

Stop, Calm, and Switch

Notice your automatic negative thoughts. Say “Stop” when they happen. Think about something pleasant and say “Calm”, then switch your thinking to a positive thought. An example could be “Nobody is perfect and I am doing my best.” Keep practising this as you go through your day.

Understand Distorted Thinking Patterns

There are many examples of distorted thoughts such as:

  • All or nothing thinking – Thinking in black or white categories. For example, a straight-A student who receives a B on an exam concludes “Now I’m a total failure”.
  • Overgeneralizations – Using words like always and never. For example, a person asks someone out on a date and they decline, the person concludes “I’m never going to get a date. No one will ever want me”.
  • Mental filters – Ignoring positives and dwelling on negatives. For example, if you lose your spot in a presentation for 30 seconds but the remaining 20 minutes goes really well and you conclude “I gave a horrible presentation”.
  • Jumping to conclusions – Mind reading or making assumptions about outcomes without evidence.

Understanding our distorted thinking patterns can help us to counter them and can help us feel better by thinking more clearly.

Stress Management Strategies

Choose What Works For You

There’s no one thing that works for everyone. And the same thing might not work for you all the time. Sometimes you need to choose a menu of relaxation activities throughout the week to help you engage your relaxation response. Maybe you meditate three days a week at lunch, catch a yoga class once a week, and knit while you catch your favourite TV show at night. Combining many different strategies can help lower your stress levels.

Stress Management Seminars