• Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on your results!
    Let us know how you went here
    Got a question about your uni preferences? Ask us here

how to stop stressing after an exam (1 Viewer)

t234

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2024
Messages
83
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2025
im in yr11 and i cant stop stressing after an exam. My first exam this term was math ext - i felt normal after it but at night i basically went through the entire paper and my answers to it in my head..i literally couldn't sleep. i had thoughts like 'what if i made a silly mistake on that q?'
Because of this I was so sleepy on the day of my English exam because it was the day after math 😭

I thought it'd just be maths but this happened to me with ALL my exams. I literally couldn't sleep the night after the exam because I'd go through my whole paper and mark it to guess my mark.

I got my maths back and I got full marks so I was stressing for no reason...

How do i forget and move on to the next exam and actually get good sleep pls help i really don't want this to happen to me in year 12. I think i did really bad on english and that's meant to be like my best subject 😭😭
 

idkkdi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
2,576
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
im in yr11 and i cant stop stressing after an exam. My first exam this term was math ext - i felt normal after it but at night i basically went through the entire paper and my answers to it in my head..i literally couldn't sleep. i had thoughts like 'what if i made a silly mistake on that q?'
Because of this I was so sleepy on the day of my English exam because it was the day after math 😭

I thought it'd just be maths but this happened to me with ALL my exams. I literally couldn't sleep the night after the exam because I'd go through my whole paper and mark it to guess my mark.

I got my maths back and I got full marks so I was stressing for no reason...

How do i forget and move on to the next exam and actually get good sleep pls help i really don't want this to happen to me in year 12. I think i did really bad on english and that's meant to be like my best subject 😭😭
i still find it hard to stop thinking/pondering. theres no quick fix. overtime you just have to learn to accept that whats done is done and turn your attention to making the best of the present and the future
 

qweeosh

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2023
Messages
58
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
exercise? I have heard that doing something that isn't studying but also something productive is the best stress reliever.
 

idkkdi

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 2, 2019
Messages
2,576
Gender
Male
HSC
2021
exercise? I have heard that doing something that isn't studying but also something productive is the best stress reliever.
ye it helps sleep and relieve stress. issue is ur body might be so tired that it could affect exam performance the next day
 

t234

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2024
Messages
83
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2025
i still find it hard to stop thinking/pondering.
comforting to know im not the only one 😭

thank youu, i think i need to start exercising more + might even start meditating so i can sleep better/get any sleep at all lmao
 

Cute-Duckie

Arbitrarily Active Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2023
Messages
269
Gender
Female
HSC
2025
It's just mind games which sucks but also means it's somewhat 'fixable'. Here's a few suggestions I have - obviously they won't work for everyone, but they're worth a try =)
  • Meditation
  • Less screens before bed / herbal tea / less harsh light / etc. before bed to increase how sleepy you are
  • Listening to podcasts/music as you go to sleep (I find this helps me stop overthinking)
  • Actively trying not to think about (e.g. shouting "GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY" in your brain whenever you think about it until you stop going over it)
  • Giving yourself a specific time to think about it and then move on (e.g. for one hour after your exam you go to a café by yourself, go over your exam results and paper in your mind or on paper, essentially just have a set block of time to do it and then move on for it afterwards)
Hopefully this helps! Ultimately I wouldn't try to completely stop thinking about the exam at all, but ultimately control how much you think about it and give yourself permission to let it go after a while. Worrying won't change your results, even though it might make you feel more in control of the outcome.

Have a great day <3
 

totally_screwed

🇵🇸
Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Messages
1,608
Location
🇵🇸
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2020
after stressful exams I cry a bit but yeah meditation really helps
just like reminding yourself that its literally not the end of the world even if you did horribly, occupy some of your time afterwards with strictly non-study things like a hobby you enjoy or watch a comfort show or treat urself to a nice meal. its important to take a break physically and mentally before worrying about the next exam or the next thing coming up. and try to have more confidence in yourself, it helps to try and be optimistic about things and give yourself positive affirmations all the time like "I can do this" "I got this" and whatnot

congrats on the full marks 🤩
 

aqwerty13402

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2024
Messages
1,292
Gender
Male
HSC
2024
im in yr11 and i cant stop stressing after an exam. My first exam this term was math ext - i felt normal after it but at night i basically went through the entire paper and my answers to it in my head..i literally couldn't sleep. i had thoughts like 'what if i made a silly mistake on that q?'
Because of this I was so sleepy on the day of my English exam because it was the day after math 😭

I thought it'd just be maths but this happened to me with ALL my exams. I literally couldn't sleep the night after the exam because I'd go through my whole paper and mark it to guess my mark.

I got my maths back and I got full marks so I was stressing for no reason...

How do i forget and move on to the next exam and actually get good sleep pls help i really don't want this to happen to me in year 12. I think i did really bad on english and that's meant to be like my best subject 😭😭
“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.”
 

aqwerty13402

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 26, 2024
Messages
1,292
Gender
Male
HSC
2024
Also don't feel like ur alone in the stress, most people stress heaps. Even me. I had my half yearlies last week and I cannot get over a mark that I lost because I changed it last second. It's killing me
 

MJRey

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2022
Messages
386
Gender
Female
HSC
2022
Music definitely helps. That used to calm me down after exams (and still does at uni). And yeah, like a few people said, you should remind yourself that what's done is done, because that's all you can really do.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top