Being a student and being stressed pretty much go hand in hand these days. Can you think of the last week you were fully immersed in school and 100% stress free? Or are you just getting by most weeks, running from one activity or project to the next trying to play catch up and learn enough in time for finals?
It’s no wonder that test anxiety is a growing issue. (Psst—if that’s something affecting you, we walked through the ways to overcome exam anxiety in this series.)
What’s worse is that when we’re stressed, it’s physiologically difficult to learn, recall what we know, think creatively or problem solve. And when we struggle to do those things, we feel more stress.
Let’s bust out of the cycle already!
By calming our nerves and giving our HPA axis a break (our hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis is our central stress response system), we free up our grey matter to be able to focus more, learn more easily, recall what we know, think innovatively, and access our problem-solving capabilities. Sound amazing!?
That’s not all! With our brain back online, we can be more strategic to avoid or sidestep sticky situations and evade more stress.
Who’s with us?!(Oh–we should be straight with you before we get started that this might make you feel silly or self-conscious if you take yourself too seriously. But that’s part of the fun! If you’re shy, barricade yourself in your room when no one else is home and try these out. You’ll be amazed!)
Our Three Favorite 3-Minute Anxiety Antidotes
Score our three go-to exercises to reduce stress and get your head back in the game in 3 minutes flat. All you need is yourself.
Did you try these out? Which one works best for you?
Have another pranayama (breath exercise) that tunes your mind into the right frequency? Share it with us already.
You got this!
