After identifying the reasons for stress and its symptoms, as discussed in the previous post, it is important for CA students to take steps to reduce stress and ensure positive mental health. This post talks about ways to minimize stress.
Whenever you identify you are in stress, based on the signals talked about in the previous post, it is important that steps are taken to minimize it. Trust me, there are a lot of simple steps to make you feel better. Here are just some of them:
Get active - walk around for 5-10 minutes or do some aerobics
Go out - go for a short walk outside for a refresher
Listen to music - plug-in those earphones to some soothing music you like
Meditation - Yoga and meditation are the best ways to beat stress. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, count till 5 and exhale slowly. Repeat this 5 times. This should be good to go.
Watch some comedy videos or read some jokes and laugh out loud
Stay hydrated and eat well to re-energize your body
Don't try to be someone you are not
Face your fears - step out of your comfort zone and face the challenges. Darr ke aage jeet hai!
Sleep well for at least 6 hours daily
Build self-confidence - talk to positive-minded people
Eliminate negativity in your surroundings, including people who spread negativity around you
Manage time effectively - make a study timetable and complete most of the difficult part of the work when you are most energetic
After you reach every milestone during your studies, give yourself a little treat and reward yourself.
Most importantly, talk it out. Share your insecurities or fears with someone you are closest to - be it your parents or siblings or even your friends or teachers. Lighten yourself from the burden by sharing your emotions.
Lastly, keep this in mind that at the end of the day, exams are not superior to your mental health. Your physical and mental health should be the topmost priority to perform well in exams. Heavens are not going to fall if you are not able to perform in the CA exams according to your expectations. CA is a tough course, and it is very common for students to underestimate the complexities involved. It is best that you accept this fact and mentally prepare yourself to come back stronger in the next attempt (God forbid you need a next attempt).
I would like to end this series of 2 posts on stress management with the following lines I read somewhere:
Life has spiraled out of control, You can't grasp it for a second; You don't know what else to do but give up.
Time to take control. Get life organized, One thing at a time, One step at a time.
Thank you for reading and do not forget to share this with your friends too:)