Welcome to our journey. This is the time of mixed emotions, but here we’ll find 10 songs that’ll lift us up from our sadness and make us believe that we can face up to the challenge and pass the exams we dread. Absorb the lyrics presented and free yourself from the shackles of stress!
‘Don’t Try So Hard’ – Queen
Our journey begins with a message that we shouldn’t ‘try so hard’. Exams can seem like mountains we will not conquer and we stress ourselves more than we should. The song is not about giving up and studying less but it reminds is that consistency is important by urging us to stay right where we are when everything seems bleak and chaotic. The lyrics help us to put our current feelings and circumstances into perspective. Let not stress and anxiety to consume our minds, because exams will (soon) pass.
‘Marching On’ – One Republic
This is not the first time we have felt defeated and hopeless but we continued. We did not let our past mistakes to define us and we kept marching on. We survived through all of our tribulations and mistakes and we kept pushing forward. This song reminds us of that; whatever happens we have to keep marching one step at a time (or one chapter or one lecture slide at a time). And even if ‘we’ll have the days we break’, we’ll also ‘have the scars to prove it’ to remind us of our strength. If you are ready to give up; if late revision seems to be pointless, just keep marching on and keep reading.
‘Dreams of Reality’ – Fame or Juliet
The beauty of pressure and stress is that it allows us to find ourselves in the midst of chaos. Whatever we are feeling or whatever emotional states we are going through we can’t allow ourselves to go ‘soft’, not while the exams are not finished. The lyrics challenge us to live up to our fullest potential by making small contributions in the present to make our future successful. While you may not value your exams or not feel passionate about the module, put your heart into learning/revising the material even if you begin days before the exam – it’s okay. The experience will allow you to better understand yourself; how you work under pressure; how much can you learn in a short amount of time; are you able to understand which information is relevant and how well can you improvise. Get through these exams and continue with your life.
‘The Fighter’ – Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder
Life is war, in many respects, and while this metaphor is a cliché, it’s true. Therefore, that makes each one of us a warrior. What do warriors do? We ‘live until we are dead’ and when we feel like we have nothing left inside us to help us keep going, that’s when we have to ‘press on’. We are fighters, whether we know it or not, and we have fought throughout our entire lives. Look inside your soul (there, deep down, is the strength you need to keep going) and remember why you are doing this and what (who) you are doing this for. Remind why passing these exams is important to you and forget what you did or didn’t do before. Don’t give up.
‘Eye of the Tiger’ – Survivor
Now we are back on our feet and it is important we nurture that little flame of hope that we have discovered. We need to fight to keep it alive and ‘rise up to the challenge of our rival’ by continuing on our quest of revision and studying. We are survivors, with the odds stacked up against us, we have to outlast the stress and chaos around us. We are no longer the losers, the defeated, the prey but hunters, with the hunger to survive and the desire to pass. We are the winners, who refuse to be defeated.
‘Rise’ – Katy Perry
However, survival no longer satisfies us. Are we truly content with merely passing our exams or are we setting our sights higher? We are no longer looking to bow down to the anxiety and stress, ‘no matter how it shakes our core’, because ‘victory is in our veins’. We are ready to fight and excel, we will not get defeated or crushed by a mere piece of paper. Our emotions will no longer decimate our thinking, our focus and our resilience, because we don’t doubt our success. Even if ‘we’re out of time’, we’ll still rise.
‘Not Afraid’ – Eminem
Fear is no longer a factor in our lives. We silenced all of the voices of defeat and failure inside our heads. We refused to be ‘capped’ and we refused to back down. The black clouds are still following us everywhere we go, the vultures are still circling above us, but we are not afraid. We will embrace whatever storms ahead of us and we will face up to our exams. We are ‘breaking out of this cage we locked ourselves in’, we are ‘facing our demons and fears and we are holding our ground’. We are fed up with the stress and panic and anxiety we have endured and it is time to let them go.
‘Roar’ – Katy Perry
You hear that? That’s a sound of victory and pride; that’s a sound of domination. We are the fighters; we are the champions – we are the kings. Our voice will not be silenced and our resilience will not be crushed. Our exams will be defeated.
‘Beat It’ – Michael Jackson
Our journey is coming to an end but it is far from over. We will beat the exam we are dreading but we have to do everything we can to prepare. There is no time for dwelling, wavering, it is time to act and dominate. Pick up the book and read, review the lecture slides without psychologically sabotaging yourself. Show yourself how strong you are. Beat the stress and panic and defeat that exam.
‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’ – Bobby McFerrin
Congratulations, you made it to the end. I hope you are feeling better. I hope the stress has faded and your thinking is clearer. Everything is going to be okay. Exams will pass, new semester will start and your life will continue, like it always did. So, for now, do your best and calm your stressful mind. Like the song says: Don’t worry, be happy.
Aldas Krūminis
