When you're stressed, it's hard to concentrate and keep to a study schedule. If you make these six tips part of your high school study skills plan, you will keep your stress level under control:
- Eat healthy food. Start the day with a healthy breakfast—whole grain toast or oatmeal, milk, yogurt, cheese, fruit, eggs, meat—and you'll get better grades than students who skip breakfast or eat junk food.
- Sleep. Teenagers need eight to ten hours of sleep a night. You may not think you’re tired, but if you are stressed, lack of sleep could be a major reason. Try this: for one week, sleep a full eight hours or more every night and notice how you feel. If you feel better, keep it up.
- Study when you're most alert. Schedule your study time when your energy is highest. If you know you feel sluggish from four to five in the afternoon but are energetic from seven to eight in the evening, study then.
- Exercise. Students who swim or jog regularly (at least twice a week) are less stressed, less anxious, less confused, and do better in school than students who don’t exercise.
- Laugh. If you feel yourself stressing out (you can’t focus, you’re feeling panicky), take a break from studying. Go to a funny Web site or watch a good sit-com for half an hour. Laughter can restart a stuck brain.
- Ask for help when you need it. If you are struggling in a subject, don’t wait for the teacher to do something; stay after class and ask your teacher for help. Smart students know that asking questions is the quickest way to defuse test anxiety and lessen stress.