Dealing with Academic Stress.

Learning should be fun, but sometimes can feel like anything but fun. Between exams and standardized testing, students today are under intense stress to perform academically. All of that pressure to do well on a test can create an anxiety and stress cocktail that can make school a total nightmare. If you’re worried about your grades, chances are you also really like to learn. Read on for some tools to ditch the worry and refocus your energy on what you love: gaining all that knowledge.

Here are some things you can try to turn up that brainpower:

• Vent. If you are worried about an upcoming test or project, it can be really helpful to talk through what is challenging you. If you need someone to unload with, reach out to campus support staff to help you get cool and calm in a flash.

• Put pen to paper. If you are overwhelmed with the idea of writing even one more paper, ditch the assignments and set aside some time to write about what is on your mind. One study found that spending ten minutes writing about your worries about an exam before you take the test could actually increase your performance on the exam.

• Make a plan. Creating a plan for when, why, and how you are going to tackle your academic work could help you stay on track. Figuring out when you study best, where you are most productive, and how your brain retains information could help you study smarter, not harder. If you are looking for some study planning inspiration, check out “Study-Tubers” (yep, that is Youtubers who make videos about studying) like UnJaded Jade, Ruby Granger, and The Thrive Studies.

• Prioritize. Between managing school expectations, extracurricular activities, and family commitments, you might feel pulled in too many directions. Figure out your priorities are (hint: they don’t always need to be school) and make a plan. Identifying what absolutely needs to happen and what can take a back seat will help you crush that to-do list.

• Keep it in perspective. When school is your whole life, it’s so easy to feel like school will determine your whole life. That’s not the reality. There are so many paths to becoming happy, healthy, productive members of this world. You sitting here reading this are already making it happen. You are so important—no matter what your grades are.

• Ask for help. It is always okay to ask for help understanding assignments. It’s even more important to ask if you are struggling to keep up in your classes. Everyone’s brain is different. This means that the structure of classes will not always work for everyone. The pros have so many tools to help people learn. Asking for what you need might help you finally achieve your academic dreams.