Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The exam season is here again. The date sheets for CBSE class 10 and 12 examinations have been announced. Both are scheduled to begin from February 15.
As the exams draw closer and closer, the stress levels of students keep on rising. Free Press talked with a psychiatrist, a dietician and a yoga expert to know what the students can do to keep stress at bay and improve their focus and concentration.
Here is what they had to say:
Dr Satyakant Trivedi |
Dr Satyakant Trivedi, psychiatrist
As the Board Exams approach, somatic symptoms begin appearing in children. They complain of stomach ache, headache, anxiety, which have no physiological causes. These are caused by stress. My tips for students are:
* Accept the reality and plan accordingly
* Don’t fix any percentage as your goal
* Focus on inputs, not on results
* Concentration, focus and memory are your friends
* Don’t compromise with your sleep
* Reduce your screen time
* Don’t be too harsh on yourself
* Learn to forgive yourself
* Never think you are inferior to anyone
* Don’t use medicines or stimulants (such as black coffee) to remain awake
* Share your problems with your friends or parents.
For parents
* Keep the capacity of your children in mind and guide them accordingly
* Don’t put excessive pressure on them
* Don’t change your behaviour towards them
Dr Vinita Mewada |
Dr Vinita Mewada, nutrition consultant
Diet plays an important role in keeping the students stress-free and helping them focus on their studies. My suggestions to the students are:
* Take a balanced diet
* Breakfast should be heavy comprising oats, milk, upma, poha or palak, methi parathas
* Between 11 am and 12 noon take dry fruits, seasonal fruits or roasted makhana
* Lunch should be proper with chapati, dal and sabzi
* Walk for 10 minutes every two hours. This will help keep back pain away and improve digestion.
* In the evening hours, take light snacks like soup, eggs
* Take light food like chapati, Khichdi, dalia etc. for dinner. Try to have dinner between 7pm and 8pm
* If you are studying till late in the night, take fruit shake, milkshake, roasted gram, puffed rice, etc.
* Ensure that lentils are a part of your diet be it as cheela or as paratha stuffing
* Avoid junk and deep fried food
Shailja Trivedi |
Shailja Trivedi, yoga expert
Yoga and meditation can be of great help in beating stress and boosting confidence and concentration. It also enhances memory power and keeps the spine healthy. Here is what the students can do:
* Exercise regularly - walking or jogging is the best
* Early to bed and early to rise is always a good idea
* Do 6-8 rounds of Surya Namaskar in the morning
* Shashang Asana with Bhramari Naad is a surefire way to beat stress
* Parwat Asan and Yoga Mudra help improve concentration
* Before going to sleep do anulom-vilom and pranayama for 10 minutes each and meditation for five minutes.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
