Anxiety (+ exam stress): 7 Coping Mechanisms

The ability to deal with anxiety has become increasingly a survival necessity within our cutthroat society. A recent 20-50% increase in students seeking help from mental health-related studies puts an emphasis on the dire situation at hand.

Here are 7 tested and proven strategies… take some time to try them out!

1. Eating, sleeping, exercising!

The importance of eating, sleeping and exercising well can never be emphasized enough. Surprisingly, a predominant factor in increasing anxiety symptoms takes root in ill-conceived all-nighters pulled and a general lack of exercise. Aim to get at least 8/9 hours of sleep, less caffeine, more water and at least half an hour of exercise each day for both your body and mind’s best performance!

2. Mediterranean Diet

Desperate? Try The Mediterranean Diet! A 2017 study found a significant decrease in depression/anxiety symptoms within a group of 67 participants trialling the healthy eating fashion.

3. Thinking Positively

To think positively is easily overstated yet we fail oftentimes to grasp the extent of its benefits. Negative self-talk is oftentimes the greatest contributor to test anxiety – we must learn to replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Rather than “I should have studied more”, realising “I am prepared for this test” is instead a habit we must adopt. Instead of “I have to do well, everything is on the line,” remember “even if I don’t do well, it’s not the end of the world”.

4. Envisioning Success (for students!)

Indeed, to dispel residual anxiety, elite athletes oftentimes find themselves envisioning success during competitions. In the same vein, imagining clear-headedness and confidence during an exam is proven to encourage it to happen in real life.

5. 4-4-5 Breathing Technique

Anxiety is commonly characterised by rapid and sporadic heart rate. Try the 4-4-5 breathing technique! Easy to remember, it’s just as the name suggests – breathing in and out for 4 counts in a repeating cycle of five minutes. Levelling out your breath will stabilise your heartbeat, aiding in calming you down. It also activates your parasympathetic nervous system and urges your body to relax!

6. Journalling

Interestingly, writing thoughts down is also an effective way of dealing with anxiety! Putting ideas to paper can provide a much-needed conduit in releasing them from your head, becoming that much less daunting! Jotting musings down brings some semblance of order to a potentially disorganized mind – declutter your thoughts and calm yourself down in the process.

7. Reaching out

Why not reach out to friends or family? Physical contact has actually been proven to reduce anxiety and stress. Positive physical contact decreases cortisol levels and releases oxytocin, lowering both blood pressure and heart rate. It cuts down on the fluttering feeling of stress/anxiety we sometimes metaphorize as the butterflies in our stomach.

7. Aromatherapy

A method I personally enjoy using is aromatherapy – the use of aromatic plant extracts, scented candles and essential oils for healing and cosmetic purposes. Some scents can be especially soothing: studies suggest trying out lavender, rose, geranium…