TEXTO 03 — REDUCE STUDENT STRESS

REDUCE STUDENT STRESS AND EXCEL IN SCHOOL
Elizabeth Scott, M. S. / About.com Guide

As educational requirements get more stringent in all levels of education, students everywhere experience considerable school stress.

Here are some student stress relief tips and tools that students can use to learn study skills, prepare for exams and minimize their school stress levels to make learning easier, including an explanation of the importance of student stress management, and resources to help you reduce the school stress you experience.

Here’s How:

Manage Time Wisely: It’s important to give yourself plenty of time to work on your studies if you want to do well, and you can save yourself a lot of stress if you plan ahead with good time management skills. Setting up a schedule for study, breaking up your studies into smaller chunks, and other time management skills are essential. Here are some more time management tips you may find helpful.

Get Organized: Have a system of organization for note taking, keeping track of assignments, and other important papers. Being organized can bring you the peace of mind that comes from knowing where everything is, remembering deadlines and test dates, and clearing your mind of some of the mental clutter that disorganization brings. Keep a calendar, a schedule, and a filing system for your school assignments, and you’ll find it prevents a significant amount of stress!

Create a Good Study Environment: Creating a soothing environment can reduce stress and help you learn. Aromatherapy, for example, is a known stress reliever, and peppermint essential oil is said to wake up your brain, so I recommend burning it as you study. Playing classical music as you study can also soothe you and help you learn (unless you find it distracting). Here's more on finding a good study space.

Know Your Learning Style: Did you know that we don’t all learn in the same way? It’s important to know whether you’re a visual, kinesthetic or auditory learner, as you can tailor your study practices around your particular learning style and make success easier to attain. Grace Fleming provides a quiz to help you assess your learning style so you can streamline your efforts.

Practice Visualizations: Visualizations and imagery are proven stress management techniques. You can also reduce student stress and improve test performance by imagining yourself achieving your goals. Take a few minutes each day and visualize, in detail, what you’d like to happen, whether it’s giving a presentation without getting nervous, facing an exam, or something else that will support your success. Then work hard and make it happen!

Develop Optimism: It’s been proven that optimists —those who more easily shrug off failures and multiply successes— are healthier, less stressed, and more successful. You can develop the traits of optimism and harness these benefits for yourself, and do better in your studies as a result.

Get Enough Sleep: If you want your performance to be optimum you need to be well-rested. Research shows that those who are sleep-deprived have more trouble learning and remembering and perform more poorly in many areas. Work your schedule so you get enough sleep, or take power naps.

Use Stress Management Techniques: Chronic stress can actually impair your ability to learn and remember facts as well, stress management is one of the most important —and most overlooked— school necessities. A regular stress management practice can reduce your overall stress level and help you to be prepared for whatever comes. This self test will help you choose wisely.

Learn Study Skills: There are some more specific study skills and techniques that can help you improve your performance.

The more prepared you are, the less stressed you’ll be!

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: https://www.unicef.org/stories/teacher-student-activities-support-well-being

TEXTO 02 — TIPS FOR CHOOSING A CAREER

Planning for college should begin once you enter high school. Here are things to do each year as you progress through high school.

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Most people spend half or more of their waking hours five days a week at their jobs. While selecting a career can be a difficult process, the following tips can make this process easier for you.

1. Extensive reading about potential careers is vital. You will discover details about careers that you were not aware of. It's important to collect vital information such as career descriptions, career outlooks, employment statistics, educational requirements, and potential earnings.

2. Interviewing people in the field is an excellent way to learn about the various aspects of a career. Doing this may provide good networking opportunities. Informational interviews often change a person's perspective about an occupation. You can find interview candidates by asking friends, teachers, members of an alumni association, and neighbors. You can also contact relevant professional associations and societies and visit appropriate social and professional networking sites online.

3. Internships provide excellent opportunities for acquiring a realistic, clear picture about the daily duties and job satisfaction in a particular occupation. Also, internships provide valuable networking opportunities that may lead to a job. Further, companies often hire interns that perform well. Volunteering also provides many of the advantages of an internship.

4. Find a mentor. Many colleges and employers have a formal mentoring program. Also, formal mentoring organizations are available that match mentors with individuals. It's a great way to learn about a career, and a mentor can provide valuable networking opportunities. "Mentworking" is a new trend which combines mentoring and networking, and which has shown good results.

5. The possibility for a job being outsourced to foreign countries is an important consideration. Job outsourcing information and forecasts can be collected from sources such as articles on the Internet, magazine articles, college counselors, career counselors, professors, employment agencies, and relevant professional associations.

6. Look for lists of "hot jobs" on the Internet and in magazines. Do this frequently since these lists keep changing. A "hot job" today may not be "hot" next year or the year after. When evaluating these lists, keep in mind your interests, skills, and job satisfaction requirements.

7. Many community colleges have career centers that provide free individual and group career counseling. Career counselors can provide assistance with the self-evaluation process, career selection process, and the job search process.

8. Take into consideration the number of job opportunities in your area for each career you are considering. This is vital if you intend to stay in your current location.

9. The skills required for a career are an essential factor for an individual's potential for success in that career. Write a list of the skills needed for a particular field. Place a  check next to each skill you possess. The more checks you make, the more likely this field is right for you.

10. Your aptitudes should be a vital factor in your career selection process. A gratifying career is often built upon a match with what you are naturally good at. Natural strengths allow an individual to work with ease and to acquire expertise faster.

11. Explore the advancement opportunities of each potential occupation. Does advancement require additional education? Will additional education and certification provide you with a significant advantage over the competition? Are supervisory and management opportunities available?

Following the tips provided in this article will help you choose a career that is right for you.