UPSC examination is conducted by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) to recruit candidates for prestigious posts like IAS, IPS, etc.
As we all know, the UPSC examination is considered one of the toughest examinations all over the world. There’s a lot of competition to this examination.
So, it becomes a challenge for the candidates to prepare themselves well and appear for the examination. This leads candidates to circumstances of stress and anxiety in exam preparations and candidate competitions.
There are a lot of IAS coaching institutes that help their students cope with stress, and anxiety, and the UPSC syllabus prepares them well for the examination and passes it on their first attempt.
In this article, we are providing you with some best tips to beat UPSC exam stress and anxiety to prepare well for the examination.
Top Tips To Beat UPSC Exam Stress
Stress and anxiety can lead to losing confidence in the candidates. So, it is necessary to beat this anxiety and stress before it becomes a big wall in front of the candidates for passing the UPSC examination.
As the UPSC examination is a very lengthy process and it has three stages to pass all the stages, it takes almost one year to complete. So, it becomes challenging to beat stress and anxiety and cope with examinations and preparations.
1. Healthy Diet
Proper food is necessary for good mental and physical health. So, candidates must keep a proper healthy diet and follow it daily to maintain their physical and mental health.
They should avoid junk food and always prefer veggies, nuts, and fruits. Candidates must never forget and should be conscious of eating healthy food whenever they are hungry or feel hungry.
The body and brain function very well when they are conditioned, and a healthy diet helps to maintain your physical and mental body condition.
2. Drinking Plenty of Water
As we all know, 40 to 50 percent of our body is made up of water. According to a study, drinking water can help reduce stress levels in the human brain and body.
Less water in the human body can lead to dehydration which always leads to high cortisol, which is nothing but a stress hormone in the human body. So, candidates must drink plenty of water to eliminate dehydration and cortisol.
3. Yoga Or Meditation
Yoga and meditation are the most effective for a human mental and physical state. In yoga, there are various asanas that candidates can practice to reduce or get rid of stress and anxiety.
Meditation and yoga are very useful and effective for stress and anxiety and keeping your mental and physical body balanced. Yoga and meditation also help to increase productivity in the human brain.
4. Good Sleep
Getting a good sleep is one of the best and most advantageous habits a person can have. Getting a good sleep is very important for the human body after doing constant work and other things the whole day and getting tired.
Our body seeks rest after long and hard work to prepare for the next day’s hard work and work pressure. If our body doesn’t get proper sleep, the body cycle breaks down, resulting in low energy levels, less focus, irritations, anxiety, and high-stress levels.
The human body requires at least 5 to 6 hours of sleep for proper functioning and good concentration.
5. Study Plan
Making a study plan is also very important to calculate exactly how much time candidates should give to particular subjects and topics to cope with their prelim and mains examinations.
The study plan should also include a dedicated daily time for newspaper reading. The study plan should also have dates marked for UPSC GS papers, language papers, and option subject papers.
6. UPSC Preparation Time Table
Candidates should prepare a timetable for their daily routine and study and strictly follow it. A timetable will help you understand what to do next after a particular task.
If a proper timetable is maintained for UPSC preparation, then it will help candidates and reduce their stress and anxiety by making them busy continuously with the pre-determined tasks and preparation.
By following the timetable, candidates will finish the UPSC syllabus for prelims and mains exam in time and will get time for revisions hence reducing their time management and study pressure.
7. Take Frequent Breaks
Taking breaks during study hours is very important to relax your brain after constantly studying, taking information, and processing it.
As the UPSC syllabus is vast, it takes time to understand, study, and complete it. So, it creates pressure in the mind for studying; at this point, it’s necessary to take frequent breaks to relax your brain and get back to its studying position.
As constantly studying will lead to boredom and sleepiness, it’s necessary to take frequent breaks to avoid these.
8. Follow A Hobby
Following your hobby always makes anyone comfortable and happy. So, it’s very important to relax your brain by taking frequent breaks to relax and follow your hobby, as following your hobby always makes anyone happy.
9. Exercise Daily
Candidates must make a habit of meditation and exercise daily. Exercise helps to maintain your mental and physical body state balanced and healthy.
A healthy brain and body mean reducing stress and anxiety levels. Exercising daily increases the production of endorphins in the brain, as endorphins cause a feeling of euphoria.
10. Positive Thinking and Having Faith in Yourself
Positive thinking plays a crucial role in candidate’s selection as being positive always makes a difference with a person who always thinks negatively.
Having negative thoughts can destroy the dreams of candidates as negative thoughts always say that they can’t handle this pressure or can’t do this.
Positive thinking always says that he or she can do it and can handle this and will get through this.
So, having faith in yourselves and keeping up with positive thinking can change the way a candidate is and can help to get through the journey of preparations and examination stages of UPSC, i.e., prelims, mains, and interviews. For proper guidance from experts you can join a good UPSC coaching institute.
Author’s Bio:
Hello, my name is Anurag Mishra. I passed out of college last year, and for now, I am an IAS aspirant and a writer who loves to share his thoughts and experiences with other aspirants.
I have been preparing for this exam for the last 2 years, but I started planning when I was in the 12th class. I was lucky enough to meet some of the IAS Officers and expert teachers at The Thought Tree. T3 is the best IAS Coaching in Jaipur. Talking with them helped me get some important points and strategies from their experience.
My habit of writing was from my childhood, and this is proving to be a boon now since making notes and writing down makes you learn everything you write. I share my experiences and try to help the students in their preparation.