Get sleep - This is one of the first things that students deprive themselves of and can act as an additional stressor. I'm not stressed. Unfortunately, the average student does not hold Nash's worry-free attitude about midterms and life after a poor grade. Rita Whiteley, director for the Peer Health Education Center and counseling psychologist, points to several common things that students do to create undue stress for themselves during this time. According to Whiteley, procrastination and poor time management are major sources of stress.
Students underestimate how much time and effort is required to prepare for exams.
They leave assignments due at midterm time to the last minute and make commitments to friends and groups they're involved in, without realizing that midterms may be occurring near that time, Whiteley said. Once stress hits, the way a student deals with it can be very important to overcoming it. Often, it does more harm than good because instead of motivating themselves, students end up scaring themselves and effectively putting themselves under more stress. To alleviate current stress, whether midtem-created or not, students can do several key things, according to Whitely. One of these ways is through exercise and relaxation.