Board Year Blues

The onset of the board class is such an exciting time in a student’s life. The sudden realization of a phase that has deterministic abilities for one’s own future is uncanny. The whole ecosystem of fun and frolic assumes a more sombre hue. The year begins with a lot of advices and words of caution for the student from all quarters – be it parents, teachers, virtually anybody that you meet. The latent pressure, the feeling that you’re treading on thin ice is unmistakable. As the year progresses, increased stress levels, sleep deprivation, the ever increasing stack of books and a gradual piling up of the syllabus consumes your mind and body. Typically, schools are in a haste to finish the syllabus and start with multiple tests, one after another – final, mock, pre-board and other nomenclature that basically means the same.

The exam fever is running high and nothing seems to help. Everyone wants to fare well in the exams. Very little time in hand and the vast sea of syllabus to cover is bound to make a student crazy. This is the time when every student, whether good or average faces the board year blues.

So what does it take to beat those blues? What is the chill pill? Read on to find out more.

Stress – With so much to study in so less a time, stress levels are bound to increase. Students are running scared of everything – be it their ability to be able to cover the syllabus in the stipulated time or their memory to reproduce what they have studied, during the exams. The fear of not getting good marks makes the stress hormones shoot up. A little bit of stress helps in pumping the adrenaline, but too much of it has detrimental effects. One should take regular breaks from study, if you have a pet, you can spend time playing or simply go for a walk or play a game. Remember to take adequate amount of sleep and proper nutritious food.

The lack of time – Time is a major factor. Time seems to fly during the board year. Managing time efficiently is a big challenge. The topics to study seem to be never ending and with such less amount of time, it almost becomes impossible to study everything. To manage time, the most you can do is to have a proper plan and routine for your studies. A well-planned routine with adequate amount of breaks in-between will help you to study efficiently. Take help of online study material like the study material for class 10 CBSE to cover more in less time.

Parental and peer pressure – The high expectations of parents, cutthroat competitions amongst the peers etc – everything makes the condition of a student worse. In order to meet the expectations, the student is so stressed that he/she is often unable to cope up with it. It is best not to think too much about the results and the future when you’re nearing the exam time or even while studying for the exam. Thinking about the results will not help, but can make you even less efficient. So do your best and try not to think about the results.

Depression – Students generally go into depression when they are not able to achieve what they thought or by thinking about the future. Some of them also get into depression. If you are not able to complete a topic, do not push yourself into cramming the whole thing, try to switch to an easier topic or take a break. Avoid discussion with friends on how much syllabus they have covered

because this just increases your stress levels. Stick to your study plan and try to cover the difficult topics first with fresh mind. Break the syllabus into chunks and make realistic goals. So that when you achieve them you feel more confident and happy.

The board year inducing stress is inevitable. But it is entirely up to you how you deal with the situation. Work hard and think positive!