Going into higher education can feel like we've been thrown to the lions in many ways. We may struggle to keep afloat in a new environment, or we may have to get financial help, but one of the most significant stresses for so many of us is exam anxiety. After all, so much of our education hinges on an exam or two. So we could buckle under the pressure. But when it comes to exams or stressful coursework, how can we cope?

Don’t Go in Alone

When it comes to preparing for an exam, having a study buddy can help you absorb notes and look at things from a different perspective. You may have friends that tell you about study resources and state “MyPaperhelpers completed my SPSS analysis,” or “I just copy someone else’s ideas” but when it comes to these sticky parts of your research or coursework, think about reaching out for help based on your specific needs. It can mean looking at your abilities in terms of coursework or studying and taking the opportunities to address your weaknesses. It could mean feeling like the stupidest person in the room, but it's going to benefit you more in the long run when you ask for help.

Learning to Control Your Triggers

Everybody has their Achilles heel. And when you discover your specific problems in terms of anxieties, you can reduce particular symptoms. Mindfulness is something that so many people talk about, but learning how to become away from a stressful situation will allow you to reduce your body and mind's stress responses. It's something that you can start right away. And when you start as soon as possible, you giving yourself the best chance of letting the solutions seep in. Unfortunately, it isn't something you can fix overnight. Still, if you are looking for short-term solutions to reducing stress, there are specific exercises and binaural beats that you can access online.

Setting Realistic Goals

Something that can help us all under a pressurized situation is learning to put things into perspective. When you set realistic goals, whether you have several hours or several weeks before your exam or coursework, you will have the opportunity to put everything into perspective. This means that when you start to think about how you can function under certain pressures you can set appropriate tasks. Some people can't do it the night before but they still find themselves cramming despite all the time in the world. This is why it's important for us to learn the best study habits for our own individual needs. You might not be someone that benefits from reading materials but would rather be able to listen to recorded documents. But this is something you can easily do by using a read-aloud function on Google Docs or recording pieces of text yourself.

Exam stress or coursework stress appears to be par for the course but it's important to remember that a little pressure can be good for us. It can motivate us to get things done. But it's when you go over that cliff and stress impact your ability to do anything that you need to address the appropriate techniques.