Stress Management Tips for IAS aspirants

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Stress Management Tips for IAS aspirants
www.o2iasacademy.in
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Stress Management during IAS, UPSC Civil Services
Exam Preparation

• UPSC aspirants in IAS coaching institutes
  in Chandigarh and other parts of India often
  complain of stress during their UPSC journey.
  Feeling stress and anxiety sometimes is a part of
  human life. Stress in a moderate amount can, in
  fact, be beneficial by encouraging us to pursue
  change and growth. But, being under constant
  undue stress can become an exhausting burden and
  pose a health risk. We at O2 IAS academy
  understand these feelings of stress and anxiety
  faced by IAS Exam aspirants. Thus in this blog,
  we will be giving some tips to manage stress and
  be productive during UPSC IAS preparation.

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What is Stress?

• Before we begin our discussion on stress
  management lets first briefly discuss what
  actually stress is. This will help you recognise
  when and under which circumstances you get
  stressed and aid you in managing it. Stress is
  the human bodys reaction to a situation it deems
  challenging. Thus it is completely natural and
  normal to be stressed sometimes. The right kind
  of stress can even sharpen the mind and reflexes.
  It might help the body perform better, or help
  escape adangerous situation.

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HOW TO RECOGNISE THAT YOURE STRESSED DURING IAS
EXAM COACHING OR PREPARATION?

• What are the Physical Symptoms of the stress?
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Muscle aches
• Trouble sleeping
• Heartburn or indigestion
• Fatigue
• Flushed skin
• Clenched teeth
• Unusual changes in weight

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HOW TO RECOGNISE THAT YOURE STRESSED DURING IAS
EXAM COACHING OR PREPARATION?

• What are the Emotional Symptoms of the stress
  during UPSC Preparation?
• Less than normal patients
• Feelings of sadness and/or depression
• Feelings of being overwhelmed
• Restlessness
• Reduced or absence of desire for activities which
  you once enjoyed or regularly performed
• Irritability
• Sense of isolation
• Trouble coping with lifes issues
• The more frequent or extreme pessimistic attitude
• Overreaction to situations, whether personal or
  professional.

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HOW TO RECOGNISE THAT YOURE STRESSED DURING IAS
EXAM COACHING OR PREPARATION?

• What are the Cognitive Symptoms of stress?
• Impaired concentration
• The trouble with remembering things, such as
  homework assignments or deadlines
• Chronic worrying
• Anxious thoughts or feelings
• Reduced or impaired judgment
• Impaired speech (mumbling or stuttering)
• Repetitive or unwanted thoughts

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HOW TO RECOGNISE THAT YOURE STRESSED DURING IAS
EXAM COACHING OR PREPARATION?

• What are the Behavioural Symptoms of stress
  during Civil Services Preparation?
• Change in eating habits
• Change in sleeping habits
• New or increased use of drugs, tobacco or drugs
• Nail biting
• Pacing
• Abnormal failure or delay to complete everyday
  responsibilities
• A significant change in performance
• The unusual desire for social isolation
• Frequent lying
• Trouble getting along with peers, such as
  co-workers, classmates or teachers

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How to cope with stress for best performance in
upcoming Civil services exam?

• The article describes the effective ways
  for Stress management during IAS Preparation.To
  ensure success in any sphere of life it is very
  important to manage stress effectively. Since too
  much stress can disrupt not only your routine but
  health as well. It can in turn harm academic
  performance and even make it tough to get through
  the day. Thus, it is very important to have an
  outlet for stress. This can be a social activity
  like going out or sports. Yoga and meditation are
  also known to help in managing stress. Sometimes
  even simply talking about whats causing the
  stress or having someone listen to your problems
  can significantly reduce stress.

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Does meditation and breathing exercise help
reduce stress?

• Meditation and practicing breathing
  techniques are one of the quickest and easiest
  ways to relieve stress and calm the mind. By
  taking consciously deep, slow breaths the body
  undergoes a relax response the heart rate slows,
  muscles relax and blood pressure drops.
• Stretching the body also helps. Thus to take a
  break from sitting at your desk. It keeps you
  relaxed and alert, which leads to more effective
  studying and better exam performance. How can I
  use time management tips to reduce stress?
• It is important to make your study time
  stress-free by creating a study timetable. When
  you plan your time a week or month in advance
  youll know what you need to do when. Thus youll
  have the time to cover your syllabus. But even
  during a time crunch, creating timetable aid in
  completing the most crucial tasks into whatever
  little time you have. Always factor in breaks and
  relaxing activities in your schedule to minimize
  stress even more.

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How does staying organized aid in stress
reduction?

• Its a known fact that clutter leads to stress,
  and decreases productivity. Many students have
  the habit of keeping their living space and study
  space cluttered. This can have negative effects
  on grades. One simple way to reduce the amount of
  stress that you experience while studying is to
  keep a minimalist and clutter-free study area
  which is free of distraction.
• Doing this will not only keep stress levels low
  while studying but will also save time in finding
  lost items. Why is it important to
  minimise distractions of social media?
• Social media sites like Instagram, snapchat,
  Facebook or Twitter are not only a distraction
  but they can also cause stress. Many people
  experience FOMO (fear of missing out) when they
  go too long without browsing them. Minimising
  social media will aid your focus and prevent you
  from spiralling into any negative thought
  patterns. 

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Is Music helpful in coping up with stress?

• Music can help you to relieve stress and
  calm down. You can exploit the benefits of
  music by playing light, soft music while
  studying, playing upbeat music to energise
  mentally, or to relax with the help of their slow
  melodies.

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Will physical exercise help in reducing stress?

• Regular exercise is known to relieve
  stress, improve concentration and mental
  awareness. It also improves sleep, which further
  reduces stress levels. You dont need to tire
  yourself out to get the stress-relieving benefits
  of exercise. Getting outside for some cardio by
  jogging or running would be great, but a yoga
  break will also help. You can choose as per your
  preference.

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Does simply talking about stress helps?

• When youre feeling anxious about your UPSC
  preparation and upcoming IAS / PCS prelim exams,
  the stress can feel crushing. One of the ways to
  manage stress is to talk to peers about what you
  are feeling and going through. You will discover
  that they are feeling similar way and have
  similar problems. So whenever you feel that the
  stress is becoming too much to handle take out
  few minutes to call a friend or parent. This will
  make you feel so much better.
• Face-to-face human contact cannot be replaced
  still. So if studying alone is too stressful then
  join a study group. Does sleep schedule affect
  your stress level while preparing for IAS?
• It is very important to sleep at the same time
  every night to ensure the quality of your sleep.
  Do not use electronic devices eg phone at least
  half an hour before sleeping and dont study in
  your bed. During the day when you need a quick
  recharge to take a quick 20-minute power nap.
  This will keep you fresh and keep you stress-free.

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Do your food habits impact your stress levels?

• There have been many studies showing that
  certain foods can help relieve stress and
  anxiety. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed
  while revising or studying then eating food and
  drinks high in sugar or caffeine will only
  increase stress.Instead, take healthy food, this
  will help you stay calm and boost brainpower. For
  eg take fruits like apples, blueberries, dark
  chocolate and pistachio nuts. Of course, eat even
  such healthy things in moderation.  drinking
  black and green tea is also shown to lower levels
  of the stress A healthy diet not usually thought
  as a stress management technique or a study aid.
  In fact, it can actually perform both these
  functions. It takes practically no extra time and
  will protect you from experiencing diet-related
  mood swings, light- headedness, lethargy sickness
  etc.

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Conclusion
 We hope that these tips will help you in
reducing and managing stress during your UPSC
preparation in IAS coaching institutes in
Chandigarh or any other part of India. These were
our views and opinions on this topic. What are
your thoughts and inputs or queries on this topic
( Stress management during IAS preparation )?
Comment below and share your views with us. We
would be happy to assist you in your UPSC
preparation battles and answer your queries.
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