Exams just got over. Four days, five papers. Some crib about it, some rejoice in the fact that all of it gets over in a jiffy.
Exams are stressful times, whether you have done the entire syllabus or not, whether the subject is of your liking or not, just the word "exam" would definitely result in a rush of adrenaline in your body. It does in mine atleast. The fact that we have been giving these "exams" ever since we understood the meaning of this four letter word provides no respite either. The entire atmosphere in College changes during the preparation time. There's so much tension, so much anxiety, it's almost like people forget to smile !
We worry too much. We stress out too much. We put ourselves under excessive pressure and then expect the best possible results out of ourselves as well !
I don't know how the human mind works. I don't know how can we generalize such a thing either. However what I do know is that it responds to stress in a positive manner only uptil a threshold, the human potential can be exploited only till this level and not beyond it. Response to stress is what differentiates people on a very basic level. How we handle a situation and react to demanding times determines our attitude towards life and vice versa. I know people whose logical reasoning begins functioning only in terribly tricky situations and then there are those who simply lose the ability to think clearly under the slightest stress. Where am I going with all this ? It's not just about exams, it's about a number of other small things which can be handled easily without stressing ourselves out, but we prefer to choose the latter.
Most of us are able to identify the amount of pressure we can 'safely' handle. What I am trying to say is, don't add unnecessary pressure on yourself from your side. There are a number of different things that we worry about. Pressure coming from all directions; parents, friends, teachers, society and what not. To add to all of this, if we begin giving ourselves a hard time, the cumulative pressure would definitely break us down !
We often have different sets of rules, one for other people and one for ouselves. If sometimes someone doesn't behave in an expected manner, we eventually forgive them, without even constantly reminding them of what they have done, while on the other hand we're not that easy with ourselves. We begin critising ourselves and make it seem like we did some huge, terrible, unrectifiable mistake for which we ought to be punished. I am not saying we all are like that. That would be height of generalization. What I am saying is that at some level or the other we tend to be too harsh with ourselves.
No one's perfect and we're all allowed mistakes. If we can give others a chance, we ought to give ourselves a chance as well.
^Post Exams Effect.
^Post Exams Realisation.
Whatever it is that you are faced with today, it's because you are capable of handling it. How to react to it, is what determines whether you will be able to or not.
"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." - Lou Holtz
Exams are stressful times, whether you have done the entire syllabus or not, whether the subject is of your liking or not, just the word "exam" would definitely result in a rush of adrenaline in your body. It does in mine atleast. The fact that we have been giving these "exams" ever since we understood the meaning of this four letter word provides no respite either. The entire atmosphere in College changes during the preparation time. There's so much tension, so much anxiety, it's almost like people forget to smile !
We worry too much. We stress out too much. We put ourselves under excessive pressure and then expect the best possible results out of ourselves as well !
I don't know how the human mind works. I don't know how can we generalize such a thing either. However what I do know is that it responds to stress in a positive manner only uptil a threshold, the human potential can be exploited only till this level and not beyond it. Response to stress is what differentiates people on a very basic level. How we handle a situation and react to demanding times determines our attitude towards life and vice versa. I know people whose logical reasoning begins functioning only in terribly tricky situations and then there are those who simply lose the ability to think clearly under the slightest stress. Where am I going with all this ? It's not just about exams, it's about a number of other small things which can be handled easily without stressing ourselves out, but we prefer to choose the latter.
Most of us are able to identify the amount of pressure we can 'safely' handle. What I am trying to say is, don't add unnecessary pressure on yourself from your side. There are a number of different things that we worry about. Pressure coming from all directions; parents, friends, teachers, society and what not. To add to all of this, if we begin giving ourselves a hard time, the cumulative pressure would definitely break us down !
We often have different sets of rules, one for other people and one for ouselves. If sometimes someone doesn't behave in an expected manner, we eventually forgive them, without even constantly reminding them of what they have done, while on the other hand we're not that easy with ourselves. We begin critising ourselves and make it seem like we did some huge, terrible, unrectifiable mistake for which we ought to be punished. I am not saying we all are like that. That would be height of generalization. What I am saying is that at some level or the other we tend to be too harsh with ourselves.
No one's perfect and we're all allowed mistakes. If we can give others a chance, we ought to give ourselves a chance as well.
^Post Exams Effect.
^Post Exams Realisation.
Whatever it is that you are faced with today, it's because you are capable of handling it. How to react to it, is what determines whether you will be able to or not.
"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." - Lou Holtz
