Ways to Tackle Stress in H2 Maths Study

Examination stress is something that is commonly experienced by all students when examinations are drawing near. Is it a good thing to feel stressed? According to Psychology Today, research has shown that exposure to a moderate amount of stress can actually be beneficial in helping you to better cope with tackling stress and also train you to be an adept at handling stressful situations. Psychology Today cited Richard Dienstbier’s theory of mental toughness (1989) to substantiate its claim: that experiencing some manageable stressors, with recovery in between, can make us more mentally and physically tough and less reactive to future stress.

So how can we turn this adversity into an opportunity for growth? To prevent yourself from burning out, especially when you are almost at the end of the race (as your JC teachers like to term it), you should strive to be consistent in your studies from the very beginning. This is easier said than done for most people. When we first enter into Junior College, we are faced with the task of adjusting to a brand new environment and fostering new friendships, hopefully ones that will last us through our Junior College days and beyond. Most of us are eager to fit in and get carried away by the fun, we arrange lunch dates with our peers, gaming sessions (for the boys) as a means to get to know others better and stay up till late at night texting away in a bid to foster stronger friendships. Along the way, we may even face social pressure to partake in activities we are reluctant to do ourselves, like sign up for particular Co-Curricular Activities or external events that we know will cause a strain on academics. There may even be friendship (or relationship) drama, putting a halt to our lifestyle and causing us to reel back in pain and sadness. This is all a part of life and as a matter of reality, with all the things going on, leading a stress-free and drama-free life is near impossible.

Well, one thing that students can do is learn to separate their work and personal life, as they would have to do in the future in their workplace. Refrain from letting personal emotions get involved in the process of group work, for example, Project Work, where you will be assigned group members instead of being granted the luxury of being able to choose people to work with. There may be someone, or more than one person in the group you loathe and have had bad experiences and memories with. Try not to let your personal feelings get in the way and instead, see the person’s contributions in an objective light. Good ideas are good ideas, even if you have to learn how to grudgingly admit it and remember, you are mostly graded as a group so it benefits you if your group is able to produce a stellar project. You don’t necessarily have to evolve to become best buddies (once) again with your group member, but at least you will end up being on civil terms with him or her. This is all part of growing up and it will do you well if you learn how to separate your personal feelings from a young age.

Next, you should learn how to face your problems head on instead of withdrawing from the battle and admitting defeat. Turning a blind eye to topics you struggle to understand will not be of any benefit to you. Instead, misunderstandings and questions will pile up and before you know it, you will collapse under the stress if you find yourself stuck in the same position, only to realise you have a few months to ‘A’ Levels and not enough time to resolve your doubts. Take for example, H2 Math, you find it hard to cope with the subject and find certain math concepts perplexing and convoluted. Most students will give up and leave it for later, coaxing themselves to believe that there is “a lot of time left” when in actuality, they have only two years to consolidate all their knowledge and apply them well in the ‘A’ Levels examination. Smart students seek the support they need, be it consultations with their H2 Math JC teachers or seek H2 Math Tuition. They studiously search for the best H2 Math Tuition, either by reading reviews on Google or obtaining recommendations from friends. On that note, it is important to be aware of the fact that not all H2 Math Tuition teachers may be the most effective and you may not be suited to certain teaching styles, so you should not hesitate to switch tuitions until you find one that is beneficial to you. However, this is a topic for another day and you can refer to one of the previous articles that touch on sourcing for the best H2 Math Tuition.

Now, how exactly do you deal with stress?

Firstly, you can consider making a schedule, for your schedule to be most effective, you should make it at the start of every week instead of weeks in advance because you never know what may crop up at the last minute. You should set realistic goals and be kind to yourself even if you fail to meet them, so long you have put in your best effort and tried your hardest to stick to your schedule instead of getting side-tracked. You should aim to have your homework for a particular subject completed at least two or three days before its due date, so that you can spend the last two or three days touching it up and answering the questions you had difficulty with when you first attempted it. You should also do the same for your H2 Math Tuition homework and should strive even more so to complete it early. As compared to JC, you pay much heftier fees for H2 Math Tuition and likewise tuition for other subjects, so you should make your money worth and come to class well-prepared.

After a few days or one to two weeks, you will begin to get a gist of how much time you need for a particular subject and accommodate your future schedules to fit your needs. You may be better at a particular subject and be weaker at another, so you can adjust your schedule accordingly to allocate more time to the subject you are weaker in. However, as a word of caution, this does not mean that you should neglect the subject you perform well in, you still need to maintain your performance. Remember to schedule time for breaks as well! Having time to recuperate will be helpful for your mental health and will also help you to be the best shape to start on your next round of revision.

Lastly, you should seek help, either from your peers, teachers or teachers when you meet with difficulty! Do not be afraid to reach out to your friends for emotional support and also help for academics. If you are afraid of reaching out to your teachers at school, you can consider reaching out to your tuition teachers, your H2 Math tuition teacher if you have one or even your parents. You never know where you may find the support you need and it may come from the most unexpected of places.

Here’s to better coping mechanisms to stress and we wish you all the best for your journey ahead!