Coping with studying stress ! How I did it?

 I am a 20 year old student. I live in Sri Lanka, blessed by a middle class family. I still am a student and have been for the last 13 years or so with a competitive basis. If anyone knows anything about academics in Sri Lanka, it is the sheer intensity of competition among students in the country. Everyone tries their best to out perform the other. 

The feeling of competition starts very young, for some as young as grade 1 or roughly around 7 or 8 years of age. This is due to the fact of small children sitting for the grade 5 scholarship exam in the country. It is a mandatory exam to get into a government funded school and the higher you score the better your chance at getting into a top ranked school in Sri Lanka. As the school education system builds the fundamentals for the university education, parents take the utmost responsibility of trying to make their young ones work the hardest at the maximum capacity at such a young age to score well for the exam. I personally never sat for the grade 5 scholarship exam because I studied at a private school. So I never got the personal experience of having to sit for it but I do see the worry in the eyes of the young kids that do sit for it. Dear parents, it is true that you force them to study at a young age because you care about them, but it is too young, it is not the age to force them on that path. Being forced at that young of an age for some could reap benefits but for the vast majority it will take away the joy and fun of education. It could lead them down paths that would make them to despise education. 

To all the parents reading this, advise your children to put just enough effort so they do good at the exam. Just enough to get into a good school but don't force them to overdo it. 

From grade 7 onwards I switched to a government funded school, a pretty famous one in Sri Lanka called Bandaranyake College. I was a pretty well performing student since I entered and since it is a top rank school naturally everyone is very competitive. Being somewhat competitive myself I inclined myself accordingly and got in to the race with others to score very high marks at subjects and secure high ranks in my class. My parents, especially my father was very strict since I was young, and thanks to him I have been able to keep my academics and the fun aspects of life in balance. Why I brought it up was because, even though he advices me to study, he also buys me and provides me with all sorts of entertainment from computers to T.Vs to keep my life in balance. He never took the fun out of my life to make me study. Fast forward 4 years and there I was sitting for my Ordinary level examination which is arguably the second most important exam in a students life in Sri Lanka, because it determines the subjects you can study for your Advanced level examination which eventually decides your university and the course you are eligible to study at that university.

Naturally I did pretty okay at my O/Ls as well. Thinking about it, honestly the next 2 to 3 years are the most important years of a majorities lives here in Sri Lanka due to the fact of A/Ls. A/Ls for most of us determines our future careers and our livelihoods, so naturally it is the most tense and stress overflowing time I have had till this point, and that's were the topic of this blog comes into play. 

I was a bio-science student and I believe my stress coping mechanism helped me to excel in my exam. 

1. I think step one begins with respect. Respect towards your parents, teachers and siblings if you have any. Because I believe that is the minute group of people who really from the bottom of their hearts want you to do good. You do need their blessings and support. That cup of coffee your mother brings could be the difference between you completing a chapter or you sleeping at night. So have respect towards the people that care for you. It helps with your mental well-being and being able to stay content with yourself which will reflect in your studies.

2. Have respect for whatever religion or philosophy you believe in. I think it can go a long way from having a friend to talk to even in the loneliest of times. Regardless of he/she talking back or not it is always helpful to know or believe there is someone listening. when it comes to faith its the same story. Some may believe it some may not, it doesn't matter. What matters is what you believe in. I am a Buddhist by birth, and I have learned the teachings of Buddhism to some extent and it lines up with my knowledge and understanding of the world so I believe in it. I think at times of need I can find a friend in the ways of Buddhism and it does help you through hard times.

3. Another important part of staying stress free is to have fun. Not fun only in learning but to have fun in general and do stuff outside of studying. Even during the hardest times of my student life I still played video games, enjoyed some YouTube, did some exercise, played badminton, stayed on my phone, browsed social media, etc. Even though I used to do this stuff with extreme limitations sometimes that 5 to 10 minutes on Instagram could be your cup of coffee to finding your inner peace and concentration again. But it is very important to know that your main focus should always lie in your studies and all these extra stuff outside the scope of your studies are only meant to help you with your studies to whatever extent they can. For ex, never think ' I studied for an hour, I deserve a phone break for 10 minutes ' think of it rather as ' I studied for an hour, I want a break only to up my concentration again '. You shouldn't study in the hopes of breaks, but you should have breaks in the hopes of studying more.

4. I don't think it would come as a surprise for anyone reading this that time management is of utmost importance. Personally I found around 4 hours of sleep during the toughest times pretty enough, I had this sleep pattern for like the last 10 to 12 months leading to my exam, so I had plenty of time during the rest of the day to find time for my day to day stuff and balance it with my studies. I did on average 12 hours of studying during the last 6 months. People might say that's too much or I wasn't enjoying life back then, but in reality I still had 8 hours for whatever else I needed to do, and to me this was plenty. Every morning before I study I take a shower for around an hour, and during this time I plan the specifics of my day, as I never had a time-table. Specifics of my day as in the the chapters of the subjects I plan on doing for the day, and during what times. However though it is important to know that I, in my mind, had roughly the study plan for all my subjects and how to complete and get it done on time. I obviously had my doubts but, believe in yourself and have confidence it will pull you through.

5. Visualize your goal and why you are studying is another important thing I believe i did. For me, my efforts lied on the fact that I wanted to become a good doctor one day. I wanted to help sick people, provide a family and my parents their dream lives and to maybe buy one supercar one day for myself. I used to write this stuff on my books, have it with me in my purse, or write it on the wall. Whenever you feel like maybe you are lagging and falling behind it gives you and reminds you of reasons to try and pull through. It in a way doesn't let the stress take over. 

I think that about concludes everything I used to do. How I studied is a completely different topic, if anyone wants to know I'll be happy to address it as well. I hope all of you can overcome the hardships of your exams and pull through. Good luck to the lot of you reading this !