4 Simple Things to Help Overcome Exam Anxiety
You can smell it in the air. The caffeine. The highlighters. The quiet breakdowns at 2 AM. Exam season doesn't just bring pressure, it brings this weird fog of anxiety, guilt, and panic. Everyone tells you to just breathe, but you already are. You just want to stop feeling like you're a ticking time bomb that is about to explode. So here's something that might work. Not a miracle fix. These four things have helped many and might help you, too.
Romanticize the War Zone
If you're going to be stuck in your room for hours, at least make it a room you want to be in. Light a candle. Open the window. Pour your coffee into your favorite mug or even set the scene like you're someone who's about to write the next great thesis, even if you're just trying to get through biology. That isn't about pretending you love studying. It's about creating a space where your anxiety doesn't feel like the loudest thing in the room.
Choose One Song to Hold Onto
Don't make a whole playlist. Just one track that makes the room feel less sharp. Maybe it's something soft, something steady, something that feels like someone's sitting beside you. Play it when your mind starts racing. Play it when your chest feels too heavy. Let it loop until it becomes more than a song, a little rhythm your nervous system can trust. It won't promise to fix everything. But it might keep you company.
Take a Walk, Even If It's Just to the End of the Hallway
Your brain needs breaks, not guilt. Step away from your screen. Stretch your back. Walk to the kitchen like it's a destination. Open the door and breathe different air. Movement reminds your body it's not stuck, even if your mind feels like it is. We underestimate what small movements can do. A few steps, a stretch, or a glance at the sky can pull you out of your head, even for a minute. You don't need a full reset. Just a few steps. Just a pause.
Remind Yourself: The Goal Isn't Perfection
You are not a walking grade. You are not a number on a paper. You're a person doing their best with what they have in a season that drains the soul out of even the strongest people. And if today, all you did was show up to your desk and stare at the same paragraph five times, that still counts. You were here. You tried.
Tag your friends and remind them to take a breath.
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