Spin-off of Cheri's thread.

Today I had my first oral exam (haha, go ahead and laugh everyone else does). It's rather intimidating to be essentially confronted by your professor and his evil blackboard, and spend an hour trying to write definitions / prove theorems on the fly in a one-on-one situation.

So I suffered through it, felt as though I did terribly (it's quite easy to be hard on yourself in a situation like this), walked out of there and said "At least it's over." Until of course I walked to the elevator, and realized I was shaking so badly that I couldn't hit the "Down" button to call the elevator without grabbing my arm with my other hand.

After leaving the building, I finally thought "Damn, I take this way too seriously."

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Does anyone have any stress-reduction tips? Not just for me, but for anyone who feels too stressed out by their academic life.

What do you do to 'chillax'?

Have sex, and lots of it. Sex eases such tensions and makes you happier.

Enjoy this great gift responsibly though!

I'm sure you did great Mowicz!

I tend to be a really chill person generally... I've never been the type to get stressed about anything, including tests or exams.

That said, when I do get stressed, what helps me the most is music. I love music, and when you find that perfect album to sit down and just chill to for an hour, it's amazing.

Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but I would recommend some Joe Satriani... the album "Strange Beautiful Music" is a really great listen. Another enjoyable listen is Dream Theater's "Metropolis pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory".

Hope this helps!

... ok

I'll look into those two, and let you know if it's a match. (:

As a person who suffers from a lot of anxiety (w/ public speaking and one on one situations like the one you mentioned especially) I can totally related.

I used to be a lot worse in highschool and I find I'm getting better in University but its still not as good as I'd like the situation to be.

What I've tried though will sound really cheesy but I find it works. I have to make a very conscious effort not to psyche myself out about the situation before hand. I have to actually say out loud that everything will be fine and its just a presentation, no big deal. Do a lot of breathing and keep telling yourself positive things and make the conscious effort to frame the situation in a positive light rather than a negative one when thinking about it. Try and think of it like anything other situation where you don't become nervous or anxious. It sounds like cheesy to give yourself positive reinforcement out loud but I find it actually works if you work at it. I most effectively applied it last year for a presentation I had to give in my history tutorial. I just made a huge effort not to freak myself out about it and think about it in an "omg I hate presentations" way. Stressing and freaking out about it only makes the situation worse and worse. Think about it positively and keep telling yourself everything will be fine, its just a whatever it happens to be, this person is your Professor, they're here to educate and to help you, they're just a person, they aren't intimidating. Also breathe, a lot.

Lavender is known for it's calming qualities. I use it when I have problems sleeping (I have a lotion).

You can also try chamomile tea, that is also helpful in relaxing you.

Originally Posted by meerf

... ok

that is exact;y what i was thinking

Go work out or run or do any physical activity. It'll mop up all that spare energy your body is using for stress and burn it to feed your muscles.

Just go play Modern Warfare 2.

Originally Posted by PTGregD

Just go play Modern Warfare 2.

Did you get it?

Originally Posted by Kevin S

Did you get it?

Not yet, that would be academic suicide. :p

Waiting till right after exams.

lol I know some people who have been playing it nonstop since launch. Must be good.

they f'd the PC gamers, 250 000+ petition to not buy game and growing.

anyways I find a great way to be calm is to remember a nice relaxing day in Florida.....damn i need a vacation.

Ways to stay calm – tips

Get your mind of the thing that is causing the stress.

Immediate (no thought required) - Put a thick elastic band around your wrist and pull it as far as you can with the other hand – two feet should do it – and then let it go. Trust me, you won’t think of anything else. This is a technique taught to manic depressives and is an effective method used to quit smoking.

Immediate (imagination and thought required – oh yeah and far less painful) – Close your eyes. Imagine walking into your old school classroom, hear the sounds, feel the breeze as you walk, see all the colours, shapes. Smell the mustiness. Transport yourself there in all your senses. You are there by yourself. Quiet. Hear the ticking of the clock on the wall. Walk up to the front of the room to the blackboard. See the chalk. Pick it up. Do you feel it. Now draw a circle on the blackboard as big and as perfect as possible. Step back and see the circle, run your eyes along it’s curve. Now draw the number 10 inside the circle, as big as possible inside the circle. Keep it inside and don’t let it break outside the circle but let it touch. Step back again and see the circle and the number 10. Now step up again and draw another circle inside the first circle that you drew, again as big as you can, inside the circle crossing over the 10 that you drew inside the first circle. Now in the second circle draw the number 9 inside that circle, again as big as you can without breaking outside the second circle. As you draw you must see the first circle with the number 10 inside it. Step back and see it all. And again step up to the board and draw another circle inside the second … keep on going till you reach 1. At every point of this exercise you must keep in mind every circle and every accompanying number. If you ever reach the number 1 you will have accomplished something that many can’t.
… and you will be so relaxed that you probably missed your exam.

Immediate to short time before (again imagination required) – reenact all possible scenarios – start with “what is the worst that could happen?” – walking in – flubbing everything that is required of you – and then walking out. Totally pissed that you screwed up… thinking of quitting school and working at some mundane job for the rest of your life --- bending pretzels on a conveyor belt before it goes into the oven. One, two, three, … one million and one... Next scenario … the “Best” of the “Best”. They give you your degree right after no questions asked. Why do this? Eliminate the fear of the unknown.

Short to long term – exercise, run, physical exertion – the for “F” but above all prep better study harder. Sorry.