Stress
- Insomnia, stomach ache, headaches. Particularly as the examinations approach, it can sometimes seem that your studies are taking over your life. Relax! Enjoy life! That is much easier said than done if you are suffering from exam nerves or study stress.
- You spend all your time cramming for exams. If you study hard enough, everything will be fine or so you thought. Just before the exam, it suddenly seems that all your efforts were for nothing. It's as if you have forgotten everything and all you can do is worry.
There is nothing wrong with feeling tense and insecure at key moments during your studies. It serves as proof of your awareness that something important is at stake, but too much tension and insecurity can have negative repercussions.
The symptoms of stress can be annoying and even damaging in the long run. If you get too stressed and worried, it can affect your concentration and detract from your feeling of well‑being and performance. It can result in a downward spiral. Examination nerves and other types of fear of failure can seriously impede your progress.
Tackling stress
It is important to identify what factors are causing your stress, which can be a consequence of:
- Insecurity about your own abilities
- A sense of being under too much pressure
- Personal problems that negatively impact your progress
- Your personality
Potential solutions
The following websites provide more information on stress and anxiety, and how to tackle it:
What can the university do to help?
The student psychologists of Student Services provides assistance in tackling problems such as procrastination. You can schedule an appointment with a student psychologist for an introductory meeting.
Student Services also offers workshops in Dutch only to tackle stress: a Fear of Failure workshop and a Mindfulness workshop.