"How do we deal with the negative impulses and stress associated with the exam period?"
An interview with Lilla Bakonyi-Tompos, special education therapist of the Support Service, by Róza Pálinkás, student of the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the PTE.
The original report can be read in the "1367" magazine of the PTE University Student Council, at the link below:
The English translation can be found below.
"How do we deal with the negative impulses and stress associated with the exam period?" - interview with Lilla Bakonyi-Tompos
Exam time equals stress - what can we do about it, how can we manage it for a successful exam and our own mental health?
I spoke with Lilla Bakonyi-Tompos, a physiotherapist at the Support Service of the PTE Education Directorate. She helps people with learning difficulties; she deals with the science of dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and she is also a partner in strengthening cognitive and communication skills.
You can meet him in the course " All that is Dys" at the BTK Campus.
In the interview, she shares various techniques for time management, lifestyle and personal life.
What are your observations on the start of the exam period? How do students change from day to day?
I can see that they are getting more and more tired, they are already feeling sleep deprived - it's the last two weeks of the semester, everyone is busy preparing for final papers, assignments, lectures and of course exams. Even though we are still in term time, we are increasingly pressed by deadlines. You need to start planning your time for exams, otherwise you will be overwhelmed, with something to do every day, which will be even more stressful during the exam period.
We know that a lot of stress can have a damaging effect on our bodies. What are these effects and how will they affect our minds and mental hygiene in the future?
Our digestive system is under the greatest strain, which includes nausea and stomach cramps from the thought of taking an exam. For some people there is also the possibility of headaches and panic attacks, it puts our nervous system to the full test and can have serious physical consequences. Obviously there are demands in our lives that we have to meet, but I would like to touch on the concept of perfectionism here, because I was a perfectionist myself for a while, but I realised that I could not always give 100 per cent. You cannot be expected to give your maximum in every case. If an exam doesn't go exactly as planned, but you don't fail, you have to accept that because that was the maximum you could do at that particular time - you have to build on the success, the little pleasures, find the positives.
Negative thinking generates stress - we need to develop a resilient mindset that starts with recognising our automatic negative thoughts. How can we restructure them into positives? Our first thought should not be "I won't succeed", but "I will succeed because I put the energy and time in".
For this, I usually suggest to students to write a list of their positive qualities, their strengths, to see how much they are good at. This can also move them forward - it reduces internal frustration, increases self-confidence, and therefore stress levels off.
The drive to get into the best grammar school starts in primary school, and you need to come out of high school with a vision of the future. These are perhaps the most important milestones in your life, because it is precisely at the end of your secondary school years that you decide which direction you will take. This obviously brings a lot of anxiety, which doesn't disappear completely in higher education, and sometimes the pressure increases.
Behind a higher volume of exams, what do you think lecturers should change for the benefit of their students?
Expectations are different in every course, but a healthy competitive environment is everywhere - it leads to results when both sides win (the student and the instructor). The key may be for the instructor to give more explanations and examples when imparting knowledge, so that students can understand the material more easily.
I myself try to ask my students for their opinion in my course, it is in my interest that they understand the concept or text; I build on collaborative work.
The mental health of the students should not be overlooked, but it is up to the student to decide whether or not they need psychological support.
What do you recommend to maintain mental balance?
In all cases, I always say that the first thing is for the student to define their goal. Here I am thinking about what he or she wants to do with the university and his or her studies, and what his or her goal is in life.
It is motivating if the student can see why he is doing it - if he wants to work in his chosen field, he has to go to university.
Alongside these, time management is also crucial. All my students make notes in their phones, but I prefer to use a diary. With traditional solutions, we can create a visual perception of what we are putting on paper - just the gesture of the gesture is imprinted in our minds to remember the task at hand. Thanks to this journaling, the student can keep track of the number of days left until a major exam.
What can also help is studying and talking to friends, all of which can easily give you self-confidence and a sense of achievement, and these also generate motivation to keep going.
How are breaks recommended?
Give yourself time to nurture your soul alongside your work and professional situations. Someone's soul is recharged by sport, someone's by creativity - we need to reward ourselves for our successes (for example, if I've managed to work out 10 items, I'll go for a walk). When the mind is right, our cognitive functions work better.
Sport is probably the best for stress relief, it can divert our attention from tasks left at home to doing the exercise.
The amount of learning varies from individual to individual. After three or four hours of study, students should spend at least an hour on a completely different activity: if they are having lunch, they should concentrate on that, but not on learning another subject.
How to let go and trust yourself?
Letting go begins and ends with acceptance.
It's not the facts but the will to let go - emotional intelligence is important, you have to be realistic about the facts: articulate how you feel about certain situations and let go of the urge to control something you have no control over (the success of a given exam is about ten percent not dependent on the student, but obviously the importance of getting a sufficient amount of sleep, of a frustration-free morning, has a big impact on how you perform).
Letting go: allowing things to be.
Acceptance: you embrace the influences that come, you say yes to the present - it's important to see it at this level.
Do you think it should be only during the most stressful periods or would it be more profitable for students to regularly attend training sessions or see a psychologist?
I think the best case would be for students to receive regular support (weekly/biweekly/monthly as they need it).
It's good for everyone, at least to know that there is someone to turn to: there is a possibility to access such a service within the university.
If there is recognition of the need for help and they dare to take it up, they have already overcome an internal challenge.
What effects do lack of sleep, fluids and food have on our performance and results?
Obviously it has a negative impact - at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid, the most essential is the satisfaction of physiological needs (eating, drinking, sleeping), which are essential for self-actualisation. The lack of these needs affects our emotional expressions and cognitive abilities.
To sum up, a little motivation: everyone has friends who have done the course - there is light at the end of the tunnel, it can be done, there will be challenging situations. You need a supportive environment (family, friends) to encourage you, plus it's essential to believe in yourself.
We take everything for granted (got your A-Levels, got your driving licence), but there is a huge amount of work behind it - thank ourselves for persevering, thank our supporters for motivating us.