With AP exams coming up, it has been a miserable time for those who are taking the exam for the first time, especially when they’re taking multiple exams just like I am. Essay after essay, and more practice exams have ruined the minds and steadiness the students once had. Brain overload is common throughout the week of exams and some teachers expect students to keep up with piling work when they can’t even focus on simple things.

This is my first year taking AP exams, and I’m taking three of them, so it’s a very stressful time. Like many students, I also work so this makes time and stress management even more challenging. Academic demands steal time I would like to spend other ways; I barely have time for hanging out, time for myself, or time for my family. The joy and rainbows of being a teenager have gone vague and colorless.

If this resonates with you, there is help. Katie Grierson, of the online publication College Xpress, recommends these tips to keep your stress levels down:

1. Get some sleep- aim for 8 hours
2. Plan your days
3. Make time for yourself
4. Meditate- for a great beginner’s guide, click here
5. Don’t focus on the score, but rather on the goal of feeling prepared