Stress is a psychological pain, a state of worry and mental tension caused by different situations. As the semester reaches the midterm season, many students begin to feel stress and pressure from exams, assignments and projects. 

Many students will face exam stress, which affects both mental and physical health. The Academic Success and Career Center at Washington State University said that the physical effects of stress may include headaches, muscle tension, sleep problems and fatigue. The mental effects of stress include increased anxiety, memory problems, sadness and depression.

Some students are heavily affected by stress, and it seeps into their academic performance. Students may forget answers to test questions, feel too sick to attend class or even lose motivation to participate and complete assignments. Stress should not be a barrier to students’ success

The Academic Success and Career Center declared a healthy way to beat the stress.

• Managing time wisely – time management is an essential skill that will help to focus during study time and maximize free time.
• Find time to exercise – when you exercise, your brain releases spirit-lifting neurotransmitters designed to reduce stress and pain.
• Talk to the professor – who knows the test better than the people who made it? Talking with professors helps to get good ideas.

According to YoungMinds, the best way to deal with exam stress is to be kind to yourself and be yourself.

Cindy Turk, psychology professor, mentioned techniques for preparing for midterms.

“The best thing that students could do is … study for shorter periods of time across days as opposed to one long block on one day,” Turk said. “It’s good to quiz oneself over the material. And then, of course, the thing that someone gets wrong, they need to make sure they look up the answers and go over those thoroughly.”

Turk also stated that getting good sleep, exercising and taking breaks while studying are also good habits to build to prepare for exams and combat stress.

Jyaira Ware, sophomore political science major, shared her thoughts on how students can feel less stressed during midterms or any exam.

“I recommend taking notes and then rewriting them. If you go over the material more than once, then you can remember it better,” Ware said.

Ware also said she suggested going outside and enjoying the scenery of Washburn’s campus as well as stepping away from work and spending time with friends to help destress.

However, sometimes dealing with stress can be difficult. Ellie Ficham, freshman exploratory student, shared her effective techniques for preparing for midterms.

“I would say just spacing out my study sessions, taking breaks and giving more time to myself,” Ficham said.

Christina Bailey, a member of the Campus Activities Board discusses organizing events to help students manage their midterm stress.

“We have been planning quite a few events to help with midterm stress,” Bailey said. “The board is trying to revolve around stress relief events throughout the semester, but we do like to focus around midterms as well to ensure that students have some break from class and studying.”

Be sure to use these stress-relief strategies to stay ahead on exams and school work.

Edited by Jeremy Ford and Morgan Albrecht