Almost every student complains about the stress caused by the pressure put on them because of exams and studies. This stress has led to a variety of problem, including students ending their lives over low grades, because of which the authorities are finally convinced to take steps to help students deal with the stress. Early in March the Karnataka PUC board assembled a panel of experts to answer question that students would call in with. The main focus was on the psychological issues that students face as a result of the pressure of studies. Taking the lead from the PUC board, now the SSLC board has also opened its phone lines to students.  So what is it that you can do to be able to deal with stress?

Follow up:

Other than all the advice that you will get from the experts, there are also some small things that you can do to reduce, or cope with, the pressure of looming exams. These small techniques are cost and time effective and go a long way in reducing the stress. So without further ado, lets get to the techniques.

Becoming active: One of the main causes of stress in students is the fact that all they do is study and sleep. The refusal to engage in other activities has a negative effect that they don't realise. Participating in activities like a good game, a nice evening walk, or some other group activity that is not even remotely related to your studies will help. Any physical activity, like a walk or jogging, is a good thing because it releases endorphins, the hormones responsible for the feel good experience, in your body. In  the end the break from extended hours of study will help you study longer and retain more information.

Eating right: This is one activity that receives the least amount of attention from students. Simply put, there is just one question that you, as a student, need to ask yourself. If you don't eat right how is your body supposed to have the energy to study? And if you can't study you will obviously be stressed; so the best practice is to eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and high protein foods. You should also avoid junk food and drinks like tea and coffee as the caffeine in them will only give you a short burst of energy and make it difficult for you to concentrate on anything. Having lots of water and fresh fruit juices is also a good thing but the MOST important thing to do is to eat at the right times. Don't eat lunch at 4pm and dinner at 10 pm, instead have lunch at 1-1:30 pm and dinner at 8-8:30 pm.

Study habits: Most students get stressed because they do not have organised study habits. The confusion caused by haphazard study habits causes students to loose out on precious time. Make a schedule and stick to it. Have the schedule looked over by your parents or teachers so that they can help you optimise it.

Sleeping habits: A lot of students feel that sleeping is a waste of time whereas it is actually very crucial to the learning process. As you study you mind gets tired and sleeping is its way to refresh itself. You must get at least 8 hours of sleep everyday so that when you get up, your mind is fresh and capable of learning. Another thing with sleeping habits is that if you are sleeping at 2am and getting up at 8 or 10 am, you need to start sleeping earlier and make it a habit. Sleep early and get up early is the best policy. Don't wait till you are ready to collapse before you decided to rest.

Take a break: Unless you are a robot or an alien, you can not do the same things over and over again, for hours on end, without any breaks and hope to see better results. Studies are important but so is a break from them. Include some time in your schedule for socialising. Meet some relatives or friends and have a bit of fun. It will break the monotony of staring at books all day and will also refresh your mind for when you get back to studies.

Get some help: As students you must understand that you need to feel free to ask for help. There will be times when you feel overwhelmed with the schedules and the demands of education. It is at these times when you have to ask for help. Speak to your parents or teachers, explain to them that you are feeling stressed. They will be able to guide you and help ease the tension that you are in.

Out of all that has been discussed here, it is a common observation that most of the time the stress due to studies is caused due to disorganised study pattern and procrastination. Students will leave things for the last minute and when they realise that they can't do everything in the last minute they start getting nervous and tense about what to do next. Our sincere advice is to START studying right away, not to waste time day dreaming and, most important of all, ORGANIZE you study habits.