Don't panic, almost everyone feels some form of stress when the exams are coming up. 'This is quite normal', explains student psychologist Katja van der Klooster. 'A little stress can even help, because it activates and motivates you. Stress is a healthy emotion, to a certain extent.'
Make a schedule
For most students, exam stress remains fairly harmless. Van der Klooster mentions a few tips to prevent severe tensions. 'Good planning and keeping an overview is the most important thing. While studying, you have to take enough and also timely breaks. At those moments, it's good to be physically active, so your thoughts can take a break too. You need moments to refuel, so free time is also important. This way your brain can process the material you have learnt.'
What works for one person, however, may not work at all for another. 'Some students can concentrate better when studying together, while others are easily distracted and prefer to study in silence. Above all, see what works best for you.'
Coffee and energy drink
Students quickly gravitate towards invigorating drinks such as coffee or energy drinks, because they give an energetic boost. 'Although an energy drink can provide a boost in the short term, it causes a dip, or rebound effect as we call it, later on. Coffee doesn’t cause this directly, but too much of it isn’t good either. And if you start studying on time, you really don't need those resources.'
Not everyone benefits from these kinds of tips. Some experience much more severe stress complaints. 'Some can experience physical complaints such as palpitations, headaches, or neck pain. We see that severe stress can go hand in hand with fear of failure or perfectionism. Fear of failure can even lead to the student giving up and stopping studying. Then they say, for example: 'If I get a failing grade, at least it's not because I can't do it'.
When do you sound the alarm when you have really severe complaints? 'Strong signals are: you can no longer concentrate, your head 'gets stuck', and you experience blackouts. So when you can no longer function, it is really time to seek help,' according to the student psychologist.
The UT student psychologists also offer workshops and courses on stress and self-management. This includes a training course on fear of failure.
On to the experts by experience themselves. How do they get through those tough study days? Michael (23) also feels a slight panic now that his two exams are getting closer. He is following the master's in Mechanical Engineering and also dances with Break-Even. 'I have a full schedule, and organising my time is often difficult. In a period like this, I am more chaotic, and my social life is on hold.' He takes a sip of his Monster energy drink. 'I also drink more of this kind of stuff, I feel like I need it.' In any case, it is not due to Michael's motivation. 'Sometimes I keep studying late without breaks, but in the end, my work suffers because of it. My tip is: study with friends, so you don't forget to take breaks.'
Hardstyle music
Teresa (27) is a master's student of psychology and still has two weeks to go until the exams. Stress is not yet an issue for her. 'For exam week, I mainly have to write reflections, I'm not tense about that. In previous exam weeks, it was different. Sometimes I pulled all-nighters, and I was studying for hours.' Teresa doesn't do that anymore. 'Now I don't start too late and I continue to maintain my social contacts. As a tip I would like to give: look at it in perspective. Your life doesn't depend on an exam.'
Javier (24) is doing the master's in Biomedical Engineering and regularly experiences stress as a result of procrastination. 'I postpone my work until the last three days. This causes guilt, and strangely enough, it gives me strength again. When I start studying I put on hardstyle music, this helps me focus.' That method does not always help, he says. 'During periods of stress, I sleep less, and drink more coffee and energy drinks. Sometimes an assignment turns out to be much bigger than expected. Then I get tangled up and it causes more tension. My tips are: listen to hardstyle music while studying, organise your time well, and if a lecture is difficult, record it so that you can go through the material later.'
