172 thoughts on “How to Study without Stress… Yes!”

1. If I get stressed about something is actually tends to slow me down – my thinking becomes less clear or if I do speed up it’s in a disharmonious way that is not sustainable and leaves me feeling racy and unsettled and drained – it certainly doesn’t lead to quality learning! Bringing more focus to what I’m doing, and importantly the way in which I’m approaching it, really helps me to be truly connected with what I’m doing or learning.

2. This is such a timely read for me. I have been going through a patch of extreme busy-ness right now, and while I know I am handling it far better than I used to, your sharing presents me with a few questions – am I getting off on being ‘busy’, juggling things so to speak? Has ‘doing’ taken over ‘being? – Because I know how I have been eating probably more than my body needs and in my honesty something actually feels amiss.

3. It is truly beautiful and extraordinarily rare to come to a place in life let alone study where you realize that you do not need to push yourself for recognition and acceptance knowing and connecting to there being a beauty within that both you and world deserve to experience…. and instead move through life with that as your equal motivation and inspiration.

4. I left school before my exams started, I found even the concept of them overwhelming. I think that it is great you are getting into the details of why and what is supporting you or supporting you in this time. Stress is just as damaging as food or drinks, its great that you are recognizing this and putting some thing into place.

5. I am going to use this as inspiration for my exams, I am so much better than I used to be but there is more…!

6. Whenever I have given too much to something whether that is for an exam, to a relationship or work I got exhausted. This has clearly shown me that it is only when I am living and honouring myself that I feel energised and full of vitality and then I am in a place to deal with whatever is in front of me with clarity and love.

7. I love how you stopped and questioned the stress factor that you were in and then realised how very much you could bring it back to yourself and thus had the power to change it. This is true psychology to me. And how very cool to have this revelation: “I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case.”

8. Exams can be such a stressful time, as you describe – for students and often parents alike, if they get caught up in the angst of it all. I love how you comment that you ” became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case.” Staying in the present, focussing on what needs to be done, one thing at a tme, can certainly reduce the stress levels.

9. It is crazy how studying seems to go hand in hand with disregard. I know when I was studying and living in student accommodation sleep was not always easy to get as there was always parties and noise going on, often the fire alarm would go off in the middle of the night because of food getting burnt when drunk students decided to cook something in the middle of the night, it happened so often in the end I just used to wear earplugs and sleep through the fire alarm.

10. I find I get stressed when I have some attachment to outcome.

    1. and I agree with you, it is not the way I choose to live!

11. Isn’t it interesting how this need for recognition can show up, you think you have it nailed and then one small incidence occurs and there it is again still hiding somewhere underneath. Appreciating oneself really is the key here, when we drop the ball on appreciating ourselves and feeling our innate beauty, all we are left with is the need to be recognized from the outside. We bereft ourselves of our own preciousness, by disconnecting from it.

12. I learn from this blog a lot and I trust everyone does. What stood out really was: that we can use stress or overwhelm in order to not do what we need to do. I have felt that very often in my study and have used that a lot a lot. So it is very good to admit that stress is actually something we take on, and never beneficial or efficient.

13. This is such an invaluable sharing. I really wonder what the true purpose of exam is. I recently had to teach an intensive 2-week course to a group of university students to prepare them for a specific exam – where they had to do 200 multiple choice questions within 2 hours and many students find it impossible to even read all the questions. Why the need for this time pressure, and inevitable stress? Does it have any relevance to the depth of understanding of the subject they study? No wonder most of them come out exhausted. What are we trying to produce out of this system? Lifeless robots with a short fuse who have no real understanding or skills whatsoever that they can apply to real life and self-destruct at an encounter with a slightest system failure, but capable of recalling and processing data quickly? I mean, what for?

14. When we seek recognition for what we do it not only opens the door to comparison and judgment but ultimately does not build us or others in any way but rather tears down any potential of any of us ever being more.

15. I also agree with comments above – that you should write a study guide on how to survive exams and not lose your amazingness.

16. So many of us accept stress as normal, that to take a stand and say No this actually is not acceptable is a wonderful occasion, a celebration of true living.

17. We are SO used to stress that we are unconsciously factoring it in to everything we do … it really changes everything when we recognise what actually IS happening in our bodies and start to let go.

18. I love how you have exposed the big distraction of busyness- its rife in our lives and doesnt help us get done what w need to get done.

19. When we get busy the temptation is to abandon those ‘extra’ things we do that feel great, so we can pack more in. However, on the contrary we should strengthen this self care to support a greater level of expression as ultimately all we want to do is express more of ourselves so we better make sure we are being ourselves first.

20. Great point, the enormous cost to our health systems worldwide that are caused by stress, anxiety and tension. The state of being hard wired to react, fight or flight without an off switch would be familiar to many today and it is slowly and steadily eroding our wellbeing and joie de vivre.

21. Yesterday having taken a walk in the sun my skin was buzzing and calling my attention to it. This feeling on my skin distracted me from feeling more from the inside.Talking at breakfast someone shared she had felt the same. I used to lie out in the sun a lot when I was young and not only was this a time to check out but also a time to obviously amplify my feelings for the outside rather than become more familiar with what was happening on a deeper level.

22. I find it amazing how when we make more caring, loving and nurturing choices, that consider our whole well-being, how many of the stresses and toils and troubles of life are simply not there.

23. This is extraordinary Liecke. Your blog should be made available to all students in universities and schools in order for them to see and feel that what they are lead to believe and accept is a normal part of learning – that study and exams = stress – is truly not a necessity at all.

24. The routine and rhythm you have established for yourself has proven to be quite beneficial and effective in staying connected and reducing anxiety

25. The thing about stress is it is insidious, and deeply layered, and we can become so accustomed to that heightened level of fight/flight nervous system that we don’t know how conditioned we are.

26. “I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case” This is a great line I definitely there was a time in my life where I let stress be a distraction from moving forward in my life with anything. Understanding purpose and connection has made a huge difference to this pattern for me.

    1. Great point you are highlighting here NicoleSjardin, stressing and going into anxiousness is a great distraction away from what needs to be done.

27. “there is so much more to me, that there is a beauty inside me and that I deserve to be myself and bring that beauty to the world.” I so feel that beauty and it is absolute. Bringing this to the world in what ever you do is the greatest gift to humanity.

28. Reading this again today I feel the Power and Love herein and a great appreciation for Universal Medicine. The amazing modality that is Esoteric Breast Massage is supporting so many of us to uncover and feel what it is to be the true woman that the world has all but forgotten exists.

29. Leike, Thank you for sharing that there is another way to study which is fun and honouring of your body, this is very supportive for all.

30. I agree Samantha, there are so may ideals and beliefs around education and what we need to do in order to get ahead in life but never do we consider the consequences on our health and wellbeing in the long term.

31. A really different take on how not to become wrung out in pursuit of recognition from the acquisition of qualifications. ‘No big deal, not to get excited, frustrated or stressed about, but just a part of the program that I have to do.’ Viewed like this, it completely takes the sting out of exams and exposes the identification it’s easy to get into with the stress that is associated with the process, itself merely a distraction from doing the studying required. And of course, an absolute commitment to looking after the self, the body and its wellbeing is vital to maintaining perspective throughout the process.

32. The beliefs we take on early in our lives have a powerful influence on how we are in our lives until that magic moment when something happens that causes us to question ‘is there another way’. We always have the opportunity to choose our quality but sometimes we have to uncover the old belief or ideal that drives us. Thank you for sharing the changes that have occurred because you took the moment needed to challenge something that didn’t feel right.

33. Great insight that anxiety and stress don’t just overtake us but that there is always a reason why they come up in the first place; you make it very clear that we can take command again by examining and then changing our behaviours and attitudes, thank you.

34. It is fascinating how we can lose ourselves with exams or study when that pressure comes in of needing to perform or meet outcomes instead of coming at it like you have shared with just doing what’s needed and trusting what you know.

35. It seems the origin of stress comes from the many beliefs around study and exams. Any form of competition, comparison or image will kick start a response in the body that is unloving and or disregarding in order to achieve these beliefs or have them affect the way we live during this time.

36. “I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case.”
    When I had an exam a couple of months ago and felt very stressed on that morning, a friend of mine asked: ‘why do you take the test?’. And when I said: ‘to get accredited for the esoteric modality of Chakra-Puncture’, I could feel all the stress leave my body in one breath. So simple. And studying today for my coming exam I found it difficult to express to a friend how easy it is going today. Just like there was something inside, that still wanted to hang on to that studying has to be a struggle (for then it is worth more/I am worth more when you/I pass).

37. Elodie it’s an excellent idea. Or at least speak with new students in Orientation Week if you have one at your University or join a mentoring program. It would offer students a tangible alternative to doing the same old stress syndrome.

38. Well said Ariana, great point it brings it back to the fact we are not victim to stress, we choose it!

39. The stressed university student is no different to any other mean of identification or role we adopt. It is also the ‘get out of jail’ card in case a pass is not achieved so that one can say ‘I tried really hard look at me, I wore myself out’.

40. My school and university years were fraught with the need to get an A+. I wasn’t happy unless I got an A. A B+ means I may as well have failed and even an A- wasn’t good enough. It was a huge pressure I placed on myself and looking back I can see what a lack of self worth I had. I did get straight A’s so I didn’t have to deal with this then. But I did have the ongoing pressure to be perfect that I carried on and have only recently exposed in myself.

41. Beautifully put Jaime. I think some people want the countdown from NASA. There is a lot of identification that can come with the “I’m so busy, I’ve got exams” space. If one was to simply study with consistency through term time, and demonstrate what they have learned (which is what exams are for), there wouldn’t be much to fuss about or to be noticed for.

42. I agree Alex, this pattern can play out in all areas of our life, and it can be very subtle and seemingly not there.

43. Absolutely Arianne, and going on from Joshua’s point below, the long term effects of how we feel about ourselves and how we are in the world is far more important than any exam or study that is only around for a short time, and we can repeat them if necessary. Such a great healing in that!

44. I agree Brendan, it takes a huge amount of pressure off our relationships. We don’t have to be anything, we can just be ourselves.

45. thanks alexander1207! great point. we often think that when we need to do something we will be okay after it is done. Accepting that I am full and me before I do something, I generally do it with a lot more fun and joy because I am accepted as I am first.

46. great sharing dannaElmalah, thank you! Ive found this also, when I start things straight away and take time to be self caring, not doing things at the last minute I feel much less stressed.

47. Wow cjames2012, thanks for sharing, Living in that state of stress would be so exhausting! It can be like that for teenagers at school too, always needing to have a protective guard because the fear of getting hurt is so great. The environment at school is about defending yourself, and that could be physically or intellectually. And thanks for sharing, embracing gentleness is the only way to heal the nervous stress that goes on.

48. I agree Danna. It is quite crazy – even when we are on top of things we then create issues. The biggest reason might be jealousy – if we look as if we still have issues then people will be less jealous of us. It sounds silly but I am amazed how much this fear of being targeted runs our behaviour.

    Our friends and family members are great to point it out when we engage in unnecessary complications.

49. I have also noticed that if I have an investment in being noticed for doing a good job, then the likelihood of me actually doing the best I can at that moment is vastly reduced. The stress of the situation gets to me and I under perform. And I use the word perform very purpose-fully here, as that is exactly what I am doing: performing, or playing a role for others to commend.
    The times when I simply do my thing, do my work as is needed and necessary, I nail it. It turns out it doesn’t matter who noticed me, because it just felt great for me.

    1. And Suzanne, when I do my thing, my work as necessary without the need to be recognised for it, I will feel the appreciation for myself so much more and often this is also reflected back to me by the appreciation from other people I work or live with.

       1. Great points Suzanne and nvanhaastrecht. I know as soon as I have an investment in anything, my expression changes, and like you nvanhaastrecht when I do not have investment I can feel so much more appreciation for myself.

50. This is wonderful to hear from a young woman entering a profession of medicine who no doubt for many years to come will be in a position of responsibility. Extending that responsibility beyond just that of future clients or examinations etc, to your own state, will no doubt be contributive to an ability to serve with gusto.

51. Isn’t it crazy that in a time like exams all self-love, self-care and true joy are all placed to one side and we accept that we can put ourselves second so-to-speak just to push on through, only for a mark on a paper? Isn’t our true well-being first and foremost?

52. Knowing we are beautiful inside and in no way needing approval and recognition from teachers and lecturers sets us free, as you say, from stress and lets us to get on with task in hand, whatever it is. I didn’t have this understanding when I was a student, but do now, and apply it to many other life situations.

53. Love for who I am, not what I do or the great marks or exam results I could get. What a beautiful statement if only the education system supported the same concept, true education would be able to take place not just the regurgitation of facts.

54. Every student ought to read this article as it is so insightful and supportive of anyone who experiences stress in their life.

55. We all stress for exams, assessments, etc., when we invest into getting good marks (and submitting it in by the deadline!). If the current education system has another way (a part from exams) to insure that students will have good skills, understanding and knowledge on what they study, life as students would be very different.

56. The biggest assumption (lie) is that everyone including the teaching staff expect all the students to be stressed during exam period. There is no one saying there could be another way or it could be wrong. The assumption is if you are not stressing you are not studying the right way.

57. Yes Indeed Leike, and it’s so wonderful to hear the perspective of conscious presence in the world of a student. Wow it is possible, and what a paradigm shift this is, and what lucky patients will come to Leike when she is a dentist

58. Your experience of university is so different to my experience. I sense how much you know the absolute importance of walking, and resting, and eating healthy and having time for yourself. The beautiful and deep way that you know yourself and how much you are pondering on life is truly inspiring.

59. It is accepted that it’s normal for there to be a lot of stress for students when exams are on. How great that you have been able to feel how harming it is to your body and that it doesn’t have to be that way, and you have been able to master studying for exams without the stress by recognising how important it is to continue to honour and care for yourself even when exams were on.

60. I can relate to the reasons that may have contributed to creating stress for me, not just for studying either. The unnecessary pressure we put on ourselves and then afterwards wonder why we feel tired is an eye opener. Great to hear you have over come this way of studying and dealing with stress.

61. Haha this just made me laugh because I have done the same for so long, telling people that my exam did not go that well and that I don’t know if I can do it, getting attention and sympathy from that and then getting a very high grade….I loved getting high grades because it made me feel seen, important and I got remarks from others.

62. For me too janeneclemance – I returned to uni in the second half of last year after a 5 year break… another chance to master a Masters without losing the plot! next step: getting the universities to recognise that it doesn’t have to be that way!

63. A great blog to reconnect to as I return to my studies this year… yes! It IS truly possible to study without stress!

64. It is true that we have a whole load of patterns around studying running through us without consciously knowing it. Thanks for highlighting what I suspect is just a few of them!! I will enjoy observing the patterns in myself.

65. This is a great blog, something that I can catch myself on sometimes when I am studying or when I am working. Thank you for sharing- now that I have lots more study coming up this blog will be really helpful. 🙂

66. As someone who had not done higher level eduction I recently found myself confused by a mass of scientific papers. I can now appreciate just how hard it is to study and not get engrossed in the topic trying to figure it out. What I enjoyed about your blog is that perhaps I have to look at what am I wanting to get out of the study – what is my investment? and re-approach it. Thank you

67. I love it. “I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case” – this is profound.

68. Great observations on how to study and how stress can creep in when we are attached to outstanding results and outdoing others in the pursuit of the recognition of our worthiness rather than confirming and living our worthiness on a daily basis and without the need to do or be anything other than what we already are.

    1. It just feels so relaxing when I read your wise words Gabriele, and this is certainly the way to live: “confirming and living our worthiness on a daily basis and without the need to do or be anything other than what we already are”, lovely. Although we might of course do or study anything we chose to without the need to be anything other than ourselves.

69. So much pressure is put on students to perform at their best, from all educational institutions whether it be a university or school, not necessarily for the students but so the school or university get a higher pass rate. Add to this pressure from parents and peers, and no wonder everyone is stressed when it comes to exams.

70. My entire worth banked on me passing those university exams.

71. I work at a uni and see the stress that students put themselves through. How inspiring to know that it doesn’t need to be that way. With awareness and honesty, study and exams can be a completely different experience. Our health and wellbeing should never be compromised just for a mark, that will be quickly forgotten.

72. I am in year 11 and every year I sit 2 sets of exams. Reading this blog has really made me realize that I am still invested in the mark that I will get back, from these exams. I worry that I haven’t done enough or ‘what will happen if I get below 50%’. I have a lot of self doubt come in that really puts me off when it comes to exam week. However I can really feel that my normal routine and lifestyle is not meant to be filled with all of this worry, stress and anxiousness. So it is actually a distraction from the playful, joyful, light, vibrant and caring life I normally live. – Gosh I can’t wait for exams, so I can change this inbuilt pattern.

73. I have found reading has given me a deeper understanding of what is behind stress. It is something that we can apply to any stress that we have, not just around exams, but any stress that we may be carrying. I’m going to apply the questions that you have raised to the stress that I hold in my life and see what it uncovers. Thank you for an awesome blog.

74. I have felt the same pains in my stomach before exams back when I was studying. When I felt it I would tell myself to not worry about the results but to do my best. Now with work when working towards deadlines I can often get into stress mode. It makes my job so much more difficult and unproductive to be in constant energy of stress. Everyone around is affected. By acknowledging this, reconnecting and slowing myself down a beautiful flow starts to appear and amazing results naturally occur. Once I go into overwhelm with stress everything falls apart. By changing the way I view work, awareness with my body while working and staying present creates stress free and amazing outcomes.

75. It is great when we can give ourselves the permission to be ourselves and can let go of the need for recognition and acceptance, that which make us abuse our bodies just for the illusion of getting great marks. When instead, we can choose to be all of who we are and in that reflect to others all that they can be not what they need to achieve or do.

76. “I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case.” Thanks this is a really great point and one that I may be doing myself as well… Thank you

77. Thank you for sharing this very truthful experience. I studied badly at school and at university level, totally unaware at the time that I was giving my focus to what I did and not who I was….I crammed the night before and usually pulled off some good results but felt like a complete fraud because I knew the next week or day even I wouldn’t be able to recall half of it!! Your well shared experiences will inspire others to change the way they live through study life.

78. The education system as it has been for many many years rewards such disregard which is strange when you consider that in the most part, people are going into industries that serve to care for people in some way, whether it is to build bridges or dentures. I would seem obvious that the first thing they would teach is to care for oneself so that the same level of care can be expressed in their jobs.

79. As someone about to complete their third university qualification, I can so relate to the energy you speak of that is so tempting to go into around exams and assignments. I have often fallen victim to it and you expose some of the underlying reasons for it here which is amazing and helpful for all of us as it asks us to go deeper with ourselves and ask what our reasons might be. For me it is less about recognition and more about being attached to the chaos of it all – like I am not worth doing it gently and lovingly maybe. I will further ponder this but thank you for helping me to go deeper with this for myself.

80. The process of study always raised such similar anxiety and stress within me. So much so, I have study that I want to commence, but feel an aversion to starting it due to my past patterns and behaviours around ‘how’ i went about studying. The dishonouring, the quality and way i approached it. Thank you for sharing your amazing experience, it has inspired me to feel into more deeply what those reservations are within me and know there is another way to approach study and go more deeply as to what drive I go into and strive for in the process of studying.

81. A great article I so enjoyed reading this – many a time when taking exams the pains my body go through become quite a distraction. your words “love for who I am not what I do” really resonate with me. thank you for sharing.

82. Thankyou for sharing this amazing blog! I can’t wait for this semester to come as now I don’t need to stress about exams or failing any courses. I love how in the blog and comments there is a general feeling of “if you look after your body and nurture yourself during the exam period like you would in any other day, then the work just flows out easy and you can get done all you need to get done without having to worry about the end result”.

83. Last year I needed to study again having not done so for a long time. To my dismay I discovered that I still had an investment in getting good results. I thought I had given up wanting to be recognized for what I do, but there it was, staring me in the face again. I saw in me a terrible fear of failure which came from a deeply ingrained habit of not feeling good enough and this would drive me to get good marks and then try to better myself next time. Added to that I could feel that I was letting in the consciousness of the education system, which grades students according to academic prowess and gives no credit to who one is.

    I watched myself going all out to get a good mark and when I ‘excelled’ I realized that I had done far more than was really necessary and taken it way out of proportion – all in an attempt to avoid not being good enough. I really only needed to pass and that could have been done without the stress and pressure that I put on myself.

    Studying for the second exam I watched the crescendo build in me and when I stopped and felt what it was doing to my body I realized it wasn’t worth it. I sat the exam this time without overcompensating and knowing that, even if I failed, it didn’t mean that I was a failure.

    1. Sandra, I went through the same process and I continue to go through the process as I am doing a Masters degree. I actually enjoy getting good grades, but every once in a while I find myself pushing myself to achieve this, and then I need to deal with the stress this brings.

       I totally agree – if there is only pass/fail then getting 51% is pretty good. What I find in my degree studies though is that doing well at the beginning makes it much easier later on because it matters how you pass unlike a course with a pass/fail qualification. In a pass/fail case I am Mr 54% (51% is too nerve racking). To my surprise I am finding that putting in extra effort at times is the most harmonious approach – it all depends on the circumstances and what I need to support myself at the time.

84. That’s a great thing to work on, I feel when I am getting worked up or stressed about something I am avoiding surrendering to myself, avoiding staying gentle and living each moment as it comes and what I am trying to do is control a situation that I have no control over… great learning

85. I too can relate to the stress/anxiety of studying. Of course I always had my agenda as well when studying to achieve the top marks in exams which placed so much pressure on me to perform. It is sad what we do to ourselves/our bodies instead of reconnecting to the stillness and love we are. No stress there.

86. It is wonderful to see someone questioning our education system. I was confused when I was in school and I felt stressed , tired, and bored. I felt like I was not learning anything important. I realize now it was because I was overwhelmed by life. I needed some education on living, not how to get a good job. Serge Benhayon has supported me in understanding that living myself is what is important in life. If you can do that, everything else will fall into place. That is what I needed to learn in school.

87. There are so many ways to get the recognition we need. It’s a crazy world we live in when we are told it’s better to live a life of seeking recognition instead of loving ourselves. Generations upon generations take part in this theatre called ‘life’ where everyone plays their part as expected. It’s time to rock the boat and set the foundations so future generations will have an opportunity to know the difference and live the love we are instead of the illness we create by striving to be recognised.

88. Every student young or old would benefit greatly from reading this blog. I am studying at the moment as an adult student… For me when I was younger, it was like, Leike, a massive deal and I wasn’t great with the temporal side of things in the academia world. So to be in the similar situation and studying again and to not feel pressure that I put on myself and to just simply enjoy what it is that I am learning about is wonderful. To take it at my own pace and also, taking on the responsibility of knowing that it is up to me to do the studying so I feel prepared before I sit the test.

    1. I can very much relate to your comment, Natalie. I too have been studying recently, and it has been completely different to my previous experiences, simply because I looked after myself during it, and made a schedule that I could keep to so there was no stress. I actually ended up enjoying it…seems simple now without the enormous pressure I used to put myself under.

89. Stress is exhausting. I can remember exam times when I got so stressed that my head was so busy being stressed that I couldn’t remember what I had taken such efforts to learn! This stress became part of the way I approached most problems so that I became more stressed about the stress than about the problem. Since attending presentations by Serge Benhayon I have learnt to notice when I am slipping into an old pattern of stress; I come back to the stillness within me and just deal with the problem.

90. We always have a choice (I am not always prepared to fully live that responsibility). Whatever I am doing now can either be done gently and with grace or in the rush of ‘oh my gosh, too much, can’t’. And then that choice decides the outcome: a task completed in spaciousness or a falling into the next task panicky and overwhelmed.

91. Yes, I agree the message in this blog is very transferable to other areas of our lives. I haven’t let go of that need to be “a good student” and it still permeates in my world of work. I am aware of the push and stress I choose to get everything done right or well, especially when that deadline is looming, but can feel how that impacts my body.

92. Such a lovely article, there are so many ways we can support ourselves in everyday life and especially in exam periods.

93. ‘I became aware of the fact that getting all stressed about the exams is just a distraction from actually doing what needs to be done… to study in this case’ – so, so true. Having just re- read your blog, I am thinking of the many instances where I have chosen stress over doing what needs to be done with presence and focus.

94. For me the consistent self-loving choices are what support me in not going into overwhelm as they slow everything down, from this place I find it a lot easier not to stress out.

95. Well said Alison; the build up to exams is so stressful and uneeded, as if you are present in class and pay attention to what is presented there is nothing in a test that should surprise or worry you, as you know you have prepared/studied to the best of your ability (therefore no need to stress).

    1. Good point Susie.

    2. Great point Susie – I like how you have identified that exam periods are stressful times (as we all know), but you have also said that this is unneeded – so important

96. I was re-reading this blog as I had an exam recently, and was reflecting on my experience. I did still find it stressful, and noticed some of the patterns you highlight… in particular there is a bit of a thrill (of being on edge from the anxiousness), and a visible relief afterwards, and then my body crashed for a couple of days having ‘put myself through it’. I’ve got more studies to come, and will keep re-reading this excellent blog as it provides inspiration that there is another way to do it.

97. Thank you deeply so for creating this blog, it’s a great help to remind me of how I can bring myself back to me when caught up in the drama of stress and nervousness.

98. What a fabulous dentist you are training to be. Most people dread a visit to the dentist and allow stress and tension to dominate them. You will be an inspiration to all your patients.

99. It’s great to be able to have a way to make stuydying easier and with less pressure. It’s great to have those tools.

100. True Alison, thank you for reminding us that this blog is not just exclusive to studying, but any area of our lives that we create stress.

101. I agree completely Samantha, so very true.
     Thank you Leike for this beautiful reminder of what is really important in our lives.

102. “….that there is so much more to me, that there is a beauty inside me and that I deserve to be myself and bring that beauty to the world. With that I feel I do not need the recognition and approval anymore, and that all I truly want is love – from myself, for myself and from others. Love for who I am, not what I do or the great marks or exam results I could get.” Absolutely amazing reminder that we are not what we do or what we achieve but the love we really are. Thank you Leike!

103. The drive to do well in exams, along with the accompanying fear is contagious – if we choose to catch it. This is a great article, showing there’s a different choice that can be made when we don’t give our power away to something or someone outside of ourselves in order to get recognition and identity. And a choice that doesn’t put our body through the wringer in the process.

104. Hi Christophschnelle, that makes sense as to why I feel the impact of my choices in my daily life. There is a lot of correcting to do, I feel.

105. Wow, indeed… it is so inspiring that a young adult at the beginning of their training has this much clarity, commitment and such a clear sense of purpose in relation to what they have chosen as their career. This article is for all of us, in whatever situation like this that we find ourselves in, as a strong reminder of what really matters. We might all be popping over to Belgium/Holland in a few years to get our check-ups!

106. Great blog and would be so helpful for students everywhere who are studying for exams – how to self-care and stay stress free over exams! I wish I had known this when I was doing exams!!

     1. Well said Eunice… I start my studies today for some exams and this is a blessing. The study and exams totally stressed me out last time and the blog is a PERFECT reminder of how unnecessary that is, how it is the investment that creates the stress, and not to lose sight of the purpose of the study (which is ultimately to be of more service).

107. This is such a refreshing read that applies to any area of life where there’s the potential for stress. How great and supportive would it be if this was part of education? Inspirational – thank you Leike.

     1. Agreed Julie – this should be added to the National Curriculum

108. Thank you for sharing something that will help many people with their exams.

109. Such an honest appraisal of what can drive us to do something. It was so great I shared it with my son on the walk to school one morning. He was, at age 7, worrying and putting himself under pressure to perform for an assessed piece of writing that day. He read it, looked up and said “that is amazing… and it’s true”, instantly his cloud of self-doubt and anxious determination disappeared and he walked into school full of love and of course sailed through his piece but with enjoyment and not trepidation. Thank you.

110. Wow – amazing blog! I completely agree with everything you have expressed – I find that it’s like a kind of adrenaline kicks in before I take an exam, and that sometimes even when I think that I am not invested in the result I get a thrill and definite sense of achievement when I do well. It’s interesting to observe the way schools go about exam results as well – they are focused on making sure from a very young age the kids know that rewards will be given out to those who do well. I remember countless assemblies where they would give out chocolate and sweets to the kids that scored best in the class, and I’m sure that this kind of reward system carries into work life as well – promotions and bonuses etc.

111. Such a great blog, having just been through the exam period I totally relate!

112. This is such a fantastic insight Leike, and wonderful that it lead to such a profound change very quickly. You have shown the power of honesty and self awareness.
     I completed my dental degree many years ago. I was stressed just about all of the time… anxious about doing well and impressing my teachers. That attitude carried over into work, and it is now that I am tackling that old pattern of putting the doing ahead of the quality of my being. My patients feel the benefits of a much more tender dentist.

     It is absolutely inspiring that you have recognised this, and made the changes now. What an amazing and beautiful dentist the world will be blessed with when you graduate.

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