As the end-of-year exams close in, the stress level of most students, if not all, will be at a all time high. Every student wants to do well for their exams but with so many chapters and topics to cover within such a short period of time, it's no wonder that a lot of them are feeling the pressure. Is it normal to feel that way under such circumstance? Is it healthy to be so tense up?

Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared or afraid which in turn can lead to health problems such as headaches, upset stomach, rashes, insomnia, ulcers, high blood pressure or even suffer a stroke. When you're stressed you may not feel like sleeping or eating. You may also feel cranky or have trouble paying attention at school and remembering things at home. Thus stress has both physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings.

Stress is not always necessarily harmful. As a positive influence, stress can help us to get things done. For example, you may do a better job on your presentation if the anxiety inspires you to prepare well before you get up and present it to the class. Positive stress adds anticipation and excitement to life, in fact we all thrive under a certain amount of stress. Deadlines, competitions, confrontations and even our frustrations and sorrows enrich our lives.

But when these stressful feelings keep going over time then that's when it becomes a negative influence which could turn destructive. Most students are tired and stressed out because they have too much going on, like having lots of after-school activities and they simply can't find the time to meet assignment deadlines. Thus instead of trying to accomplish everything within the limited amount of time and raise our stress level, we should prioritise the various tasks according to their level of urgency and importance. By attending to matters that are of more importance first, we would become less tense and less worry and would then be able to focus better on the remaining tasks. So instead of wasting time complaining online about the number of assignments you have to complete, you should spend the time drafting out the amount of time needed to complete each assignment and to start work on it accordingly, sticking to the time frame you have assigned for each task.

Not being able to complete assignments on time is not the only stress creator, to be able to perform well in an exam is another major source of stress. On one hand we want to pass with flying colours, on the other hand we are wasting time worrying about what would happen if we don't. As I have mentioned before, to do well for any exam it's not enough just studying hard for it but more importantly is to study smart. And by studying smart I mean ............................... (to be continued, hopefully the wait won't be too stressful.)