Stress? What stress?

If you've ever sat an exam in your life time, which most of us have, you will probably be aware of the the accompanying stress which often seems inevitable.

I have always been very fortunate in the sense that exams have never really stressed me out excessively. It's just part of my nature. It seems I inherited my dad's genes, and, much to my mum's annoyance at times, I am usually very laid back. About everything. It takes quite a lot to get me worked up. This may seem a contrast to my previous post, where I stated "I think about things too much". By this, I meant more that I weigh up all the options and possible consequences, a process which seems to be separate to my active stress level. As a psychology student, I should probably be able to offer an explanation for this. But I digress.

Anyone who saw me in the last couple of weeks will not believe I am talking about the same person. This year, it finally sunk in that the exams that I was taking were actually going to count toward my degree. I admit, I lost it a little bit. There was one particular evening study session when I snapped, and thought I couldn't do it. I didn't know enough, and it was all too overwhelming. This hindered my revision even further, and I eventually gave up, and left the library.

I then went and saw some friends. It's amazing what simply spending time and talking through your problems with other people can do. I don't know about you, but sometimes I need to be reminded of things that are staring me in the face.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge." (Psalm 91:4)

My lesson for that evening: God is good. I went home, and read this Psalm, and was just instantly so much calmer. God is just so huge, that my tiny little exam is surely nothing to him. Yet he cares anyway. He cared enough to give me constant reminders of this over my last couple of weeks of study, through other bible verses and songs, and just kept my feet on the ground. I made it out the other side with this whole new (albeit fairly minor) testimony, and even more faith in him.

For those of you who don't necessarily believe in a God, I was reminded of something else that week. It's all about perspective. This really is just one set of exams. There are so many more important things in this world than whether I pass or not. I'm lucky enough to know that I am loved, and that if it all went wrong, I am surrounded by so many people who would support and look after me. Some people aren't that fortunate. Whilst our biggest worry might be whether we get that 2i, some people can't see past where their next meal is going to come from, or where they're going to stay that night, or whether to feed their children or themselves. These are real problems. Real things to be worried about.

I'm not saying don't work hard. It's not just going happen for you, and a degree is a fantastic thing to have. I'm just saying, if you're taking exams at the moment, remember how lucky you are. Recognise how small your stresses actually are in comparison to both the worries of other people in this world, and to the power of God.

You might ask yourself what you're getting so stressed about.