Working Hard But Scoring Low?
Why Stress and Burnout Might Be Silently Ruining Your Grades
It is 2:00 AM and you are watching half-open books colored with sticky notes. Giving your weekends to prepare for exams and yet experiencing the result as a punch in the stomach. Have you ever thought about why some people study less and still score better than you? Yes, you may have wondered about this, but you did not focus on the fact that was causing the underlying problem. Another person who seems less of a hard worker to you might be calm and composed during the performance while you are struggling with anxiety. Normal exam anxiety is something everyone experiences, but a prolonged disturbance can lead to stress and the cycle goes on. This cycle gradually drains your mental energy and cognitive focus. There are several causes of stress students are affected by. To overcome these effects, there are three proven actions to be taken.
The Biological Trap: Endless Studying Backfires
The reason you feel more anxious is not because you are more concerned about your grades. You are anxious because your emotions have taken control. You have trained your body to be in the fight-or-flight mode for 24 hours leading to unnecessary burnout. Robert Sapolsky frames this in his groundbreaking study “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers”, where he points out that wild animals activate their stress response during life-threatening situations such as a zebra being chased by a predator. Their cortisol levels come back to normal after a few minutes of that threatening moment. However, human beings keep this alarm on for twenty-four hours. The elevated cortisol levels for weeks and months impairs the hippocampus of the brain leading to the exhaustion and the brain becomes weak in recalling information. This shows that hours of study are wasted simply because due attention is not given to emotional literacy.
IQ Gets You to Exam: EQ Keeps you Calm
We often work on intellectual well-being; however, the emotional quotient is left unattended. When we rely solely on logic, we constantly try to analyze every situation. In this case, when something unexpected happens you try to find a reason and when you do not get the answer it leads to anxiety. This is highlighted by Daniel Goleman that emotional quotient matters more than intelligence quotient because emotional reaction happens before our mind looks and provides reason. In daily life, lack of emotional literacy means becoming a victim of your own panic. For instance, you see a question in exam and feel a sudden heart race, mind going blank for a few moments. Without emotional literacy your brain interprets the moment as catastrophe triggering anxiety. On the other hand, when you learn to identify and interpret your emotions clearly, you stay calm and composed by taking control of your emotions.
Another cause of the high cortisol level is your intention to control everything around. Sometimes things do not go the way you want them to go, but that does not mean the end of the world. A supreme power has control over you and your actions. Nature is always powerful, so always look for the opposite side, you may find value in unexpected outcomes.
Retraining the Mind and Body
Managing these effects can be done by adopting certain practices. To break the exhaustion habit, you need to retrain your brain and body. One of the most important practices is to do breathing exercises for 5 to 10 minutes in the morning and evening. Do box breathing or use the 4-6-8 method, which means inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 6 seconds and then exhaling for 8 seconds. Sometimes, a calm and peaceful oxygen intake does the best job. Controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and it signals safety to your body. Consequently, it lowers the cortisol levels gradually.
Emotional literacy is compromised, while continuously working in this postmodern world. However, knowing your emotions keeps you well informed about the surroundings as well. The inner positive energy reflects good external outcomes. Moreover, once you become aware of your emotions and emotional responses you become more content with decision making. And decision making is the foremost leadership trait.
The Surrender Shift: How Trying to Control Everything Drains You
A human being is not the center of meaning; human beings have some worth because of the knowledge they possess. This does not mean overpowering or controlling the universe. If something goes against your plan, keep your focus on something nature has planned for you.
Do not be anxious, even Galileo could not see his first published book. Trust the journey, accept what is beyond your control, and focus only on the effort you put in today. Instead of wasting your mental energy on worrying about the expected outcomes, conserve the energy to regain calm and composure to perform better.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Opinion Desk.