Feeling depressed because of exams? Here's how you can beat the pressure and focus on learning

S No.

do not index

ready to publish

backlinks

https://telegra.ph/Regain-Control-Of-Your-Finances-Without-Suffering-From-Depression-05-06http://ttytcauke.vn/Default.aspx?tabid=120&ch=63857https://anotepad.com/notes/bnt3qb94https://www.click4r.com/posts/g/4204846/seasons-and-moods-1-mind-body-healthhttps://lindabutton1.tumblr.com/post/683518324147126272/what-lumber-species-depressed-person-want-to-pushhttps://uchatoo.com/post/498802_https-www-being-app-blog-feeling-depressed-because-of-exams-heres-how-you-can-be.htmlhttps://blogfreely.net/pastrywing8/why-are-women-twice-as-depressed-as-menhttps://diigo.com/0ogv1thttp://b3.zcubes.com/v.aspx?mid=8188922https://squareblogs.net/quietspleen7/amazing-involving-running-for-your-personal-healthhttps://zenwriting.net/chimespleen7/providing-the-aid-and-hope-a-depressed-friend-needshttps://writeablog.net/fogbook9/natural-weight-reduction-plans-for-healthhttps://fogbook1.werite.net/post/2022/05/06/Learn-The-Way-To-Handle-Relationship-Depressionhttps://chimelook8.bravejournal.net/post/2022/05/06/Beating-Depression-Is-A-Terribly-Achievable-Goal

content score ss

# of words

862

publish date

Apr 15, 2022

✨POV✨: Exams are around the corner. You know there is so much to be done but you’re already feeling beaten. It feels like an almost impossible task to find the motivation needed to complete preparation and feel ready for the big test.

Exams are an important aspect of the education system. They’re supposed to be stepping stones of academic growth and progress.

But what happens often is that the stress and anxiety surrounding exams, presentations, and other forms of evaluations become a roadblock to our learning.

What does exam depression look like? 🔍

Exam depression can display the same signs as any other depression.

This depression affects not just thoughts, emotions, and behaviors during the exam season, but these negative feelings become a trigger and hinder our learning process.

Some of the common signs are: 🚧

Lack of motivation

Having trouble concentrating or paying attention

Brain fog

Feeling stressed, restless, anxious and irritable

Physical symptoms like appetite and sleep pattern changes

Feeling hopeless, sad or numb

Procrastination

Having intense urges to skip exams

Frequent crying spells or moments of overwhelm

Where does this depression come from? 🧲

Exams are generally a stressful time for everyone. But for many, it can be debilitating and disorienting. These are some of the common causes:

🙅🏼 Performance Anxiety

This form of anxiety creates an intense fear of failure which comes in the way of preparation. It can derail your focus and concentration when preparing for and taking the exam due to brain fog.

🗜️ Pressure from family, teachers, and others

Facing high expectations and pressure from authority figures can also misplace motivations.

You become more conscious of your actions and lose your sense of control. Scoring well in exams becomes a goal you need to reach - not for your development - but to meet external standards, which can decrease motivation and productivity.

🚀 High-stake exams

Some exams are more important than others because your scores from them will be perceived as a representation of your capabilities, apparently making or breaking your future opportunities.

A lot is riding on our SAT scores or final grades. It almost feels like if we don’t achieve our best on one step of our career ladder, our entire career will be ruined. This pressure can weigh very heavily by taking our energy, time, and focus from preparation to worrying about the future.

☠️ Being overly critical of oneself

When we are overly critical of ourselves, we can set overly-ambitious goals for ourselves while understanding our weaknesses as drawbacks, rather than as areas of growth. This thought pattern can set us back on our learning journey by taking the joy out of learning and increasing the focus on the results and scores.

The public pressure of exams is undeniable and unfortunate. But we can develop healthy coping mechanisms to overcome the stress and focus on what we are actually in control of.

And what can we do about it? 🥊

🫀 Take care of physical health

When your mental health is under stress, physical health comes to the rescue. Eating right, getting enough sleep, having regular exercise, and proper hydration can make a lot of difference to how ready we might feel for a good challenge.

🎁 Incentivize your learning

You can do this by adding a fun element to your studying routine.

You can reward yourself for every chapter you complete or every hour you’ve studied with maximum concentration.

You can break down your entire syllabus into daily chunks to be completed. This level of organization added with small rewards (like 10 minutes of extra TV time or a bar of chocolate you love) can help you use your time well.

🫂 Acknowledge the progress

Remember to pat yourself on the back for how far you have already come. It is okay if you didn’t meet your target - instead of spending time feeling bad about it, you can understand what you need to do differently next time.

🫖 Take regular breaks to relax

It is essential for you to also step away from work every once in a while to reconnect with the world outside of exams.

You can stretch, listen to some music, watch something you enjoy, or have a nice steaming cup of tea. If you have scary thoughts like, ‘I fear my mind will go blank in the exam’ or ‘I am so stressed about my studies’, click here and do a mini-therapy.

🎗️ Remember that it is just an exam

Our mindset is also an essential tool we can leverage to beat stress and anxiety.

Reminding yourself that exams test you for your benefit and that they are only a tiny element of the entire learning process can help focus on the right things.

Note on Mental Health and Mental Disorders 🚩

Severe Depression (aka clinical depression) is a mental illness that can be of two different types - mild depression and major depression (aka major depressive disorder). Common depression symptoms include prolonged depressed mood, low self-esteem, mood swings, loss of interest, and having trouble focusing. Other physical symptoms include sleep problems, weight gain, excessive sleeping, or difficulty concentrating.

Depression is also often accompanied by a mood disorder or other mental disorders such as seasonal affective disorder, bipolar disorder, or premenstrual dysphoric disorder. If you have such symptoms of depression or thoughts of self-harm, please use the national suicide prevention lifeline or contact a mental health professional to seek treatment options.