Stoicism and success: A guide for students’ stress management

Stress is inevitable in the journey to success. At one point or another, you are going to feel nervous about tests or examinations, you may doubt your own capabilities or you may just feel unequipped to deal with stress and end up feeling helpless. These are signs that you care for your work and these are good signs. However, chronic stress, lack of self-confidence will take a toll on mental health and adversely affect the quality of work you produce.

Source: Forbes

Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC. It is a tool in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom which encourages individuals to get through hardships without having to complain or sulk about it. Though this may seem like an unhealthy practice that causes emotions to be bottled up in a person, there needs to be a fine balance.

The art of stress management lies in an individual’s ability to keep a positive mindset about the outcomes of his effort while still being cautious enough to avoid making mistakes as much as possible. The problem with most of us is that we are more inclined to have an outburst of emotions when a problem arises instead of thinking about the possible solutions to solve it while still remaining calm and composed.

What are some ways students can handle their stress in an effective way?

#1: BIG TASKS AND SMALL TASKS

A heap of mock exam papers, assessment books and homework will cause anxiety and that is beyond a shadow of a doubt. The trick to survive this is to break down big tasks into smaller ones.

Source: Payageround

Moreover, it is essential to space out the tasks and alternate between different subjects. It is natural for individuals to be bored of a single task after sitting through it for a long time; hence it is essential to switch things up, take a few breaks here and there (within reason) and that way, you will realise that you get to accomplish more than expected. Following certain strategies like the Pomodoro study technique will be useful if you are disciplined enough to stick to them.

#2: TUITION

There are plenty of tuition teachers willing to take up students for a wide range of subjects. The best tutoring agencies in Singapore have the best tutors on board to guide students to achieve excellence despite challenges. The biggest mistake that students make is to be in denial that they do not need help when they actually do so.

Admitting that you need help is the first step to take and that is the only way to begin actively searching for solutions. Hiding from problems is no way to progress and students need to ensure that they seek help and clarifications from the home tutors or online tutors to prevent things from snowballing into something big in future.

#3: BREAK THE ROUTINE

Getting in and out of work mode will be the best way to relieve stress and work at an optimum when actually trying to get work done. Taking a break to go for a jog, doing yoga and meditation or making yourself some lunch in the kitchen are some healthy ways that you can break the mundane routine to alleviate stress.

Getting up from the chair to get out of the study zone and coming back to it after a break may seem to take an extra amount of friction. However, once this habit is cultivated, what once seemed to be difficult would become easy after all!

BOTTOM LINE

In order to perform well in examinations, students need to be adequately prepared and be able to handle their nervous feelings well. Though it is natural to have a lack of patience, feel unprepared or have self-doubts, it is all in the mind after all, and hence it is essential to have a positive outlook on everything. As long as you persevere and be patient, success will not be too far away to reach out for.