A common habit among Greek students is to leave everything until the last minute. This leads to a large workload and extensive studying during the exam period which unless you are a genius it’s impossible to make it. The result is stress and poor performance. As a student myself in the Greek educational system, I will try to outline five ways to manage this stress.
1. Create a Schedule. Before you start studying, make a solid schedule. Organize your time based on your load of reading and how much time each subject requires. This helps you stick to a routine and reduces the chances of procrastination. A calendar in your phone filled with the workload you it has to been done everyday could be very helpful.
2. TAKE BREAKS. Breaks are crucial! The human brain can’t function continuously without downtime. You need breaks to rest and “reboot” otherwise, you risk “burnout”.
3. Healthy Diet and Sleep. The human body isn’t a robot. It needs fuel and rest to function properly. A good sleep routine will not only refresh you physically and mentally but also help you organize your study time. You don’t have to sleep early if you’re a “night owl’ or you learn better in the night just ensure you get enough rest. As for your diet, focus on foods rich in vitamins, like fruits and protein, nothing too extravagant.
4. Physical Exercise. This ties in with taking breaks. It’s beneficial to engage in some physical activity during your breaks, as it has been shown to help reduce stress and clear your mind.
5. Practical Preparation. For me it is extremely (and I highlight that) helpful to practise with older exam papers for both exercise and time management.You can reach out older students that have passed the lesson for that or even ask the professor for guidelines and advices. This way, you are more prepared and you can actually minimize anxiety during the actual exam.
Finally, I would advise maintaining a positive mindset : ) Positive psychology always helps! These are the tips I would give to my first-year self, and I recommend them to you to help manage or at least minimize stress, which can lead to psychosomatic issues like eating disorders, sleep disturbances, and overwhelming feelings.Good luck everyone and have in mind that the worst that can happen is not passing, and you can try again next exam session.
