How Sketching Helped Me With Stress During Exams (And How It Can Help You Too)

Hey, it’s Black Heart here. If you’ve ever sat down during exams with books piled high, endless notes, and that tight feeling in your chest that says, “I can’t do this,” then trust me, I know exactly how that feels.

I started sketching back in 2019, when I was in 9th grade. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about stress or therapy. I just liked drawing random stuff, mostly guns and simple objects. But later, especially during exams, I realized sketching wasn’t just a hobby; it was a way for me to calm my mind.

Over the years, through school, COVID breaks, and even college, sketching has been like my reset button. In this article, I’ll share how sketching helped me during exams, why it works as a stress reliever, and how you can use it to make your study life a little lighter.

The Pressure of Exams, My Experience

Exams always came with stress. In 9th class, I was still figuring out how to balance studies and hobbies. I didn’t sketch much during exams at first, but I noticed how the pressure made me restless.

Then came the 12th grade, and that was on another level. I had to study hard while also trying to learn game development on the side. Exams felt like a storm, and sketching became the one thing that helped me breathe.

Even now in college, with assignments, coding, and projects, I sometimes pick up a pencil during exams not to study, but to just let my brain relax.

How I Accidentally Found Sketching as Stress Relief

The funny thing is, I didn’t plan to use sketching for stress relief. One day during exams, I was burned out from reading the same math chapter over and over. I picked up a pencil and doodled in the margin of my notebook.

Ten minutes later, I realized my heartbeat had slowed down, my hands weren’t shaking, and I felt… calmer. That’s when it clicked, sketching wasn’t wasting time, it was helping me handle stress.

From then on, every exam season, I permitted myself to sketch for a few minutes whenever things got too overwhelming.

Why Sketching Helps With Stress

I didn’t know the science back then, but now I get it. Sketching works like meditation, especially during stressful times. Here’s what I noticed personally:

1. It makes your brain focus on one simple thing.
   Instead of overthinking about exams, I was focused on drawing a line or shading a box.

2. The repetitive motion is calming.
   Just like people knit or doodle to relax, sketching slows down your racing thoughts.

3. It’s a creative outlet.
   When exams made me feel trapped, sketching reminded me I could still create something.

4. It gives your brain a break.
   After sketching, I could go back to studying with better focus.

Basically, sketching turned into my personal stress-relief hack.

Simple Sketching Exercises I Did During Exams

You don’t need hours to sketch. During exams, I barely had 10–15 minutes. But even those small breaks made a difference. Here are a few things I did (and still do):

• Doodling in the margins: Random lines, shapes, and patterns.

• Quick sketches of objects near me: A cup, my pen, my hand.

• Shading practice: Filling boxes with light-to-dark shading.

• Drawing circles or curves: It’s repetitive and calming.

None of it was “perfect art,” but that wasn’t the point. It was about slowing down my brain and releasing stress.

The Tools That Made It Easier

When I started, I didn’t have fancy art supplies. A simple notebook and pencil worked. But over time, I noticed a few tools really made the experience better.

Here’s what I use and recommend (these are affiliate links; if you buy through them, I may earn a small commission, but at no extra cost to you):

• 📝 Brustro Sketch Paper – The smooth texture makes sketching easier, especially during quick breaks.

• ✏️ Graphite and Charcoal Pencils – I use both because graphite is great for clean lines, and charcoal is perfect when I just want to relax and shade freely.

• 🖌️ Makeup Brush for Blending – Sounds funny, but makeup brushes are perfect for blending graphite or charcoal smoothly. Way better than smudging with fingers.

• 🎨 Acrylic Colors – Sometimes, after exams, I switched to painting. Colors are another stress reliever for me.

Having the right tools made sketching more enjoyable, and honestly, it motivated me to sketch more often, even during exam season.

How Sketching Changed My Exam Routine

Once I realized sketching helped me with stress, I made it part of my exam routine:

• Study for 40–50 minutes → Sketch for 5–10 minutes → Back to study.

• Before sleeping, I’d do a quick doodle instead of scrolling on my phone.

• During breaks, instead of stressing about “what if I fail,” I’d sketch to calm down.

This routine didn’t just help me relax, it also improved my focus. I wasn’t wasting energy on stress. Instead, I gave my brain little breaks, which made my study sessions more effective.

Tips for Students Who Want to Try Sketching for Stress Relief

If you’re a student struggling with exam stress, here are a few simple tips from my own experience:

1. Start small. Even 5 minutes is enough. Don’t think you need to spend an hour drawing.

2. Don’t worry about perfection. Your sketch doesn’t need to be Instagram-worthy. It’s just for you.

3. Carry a small sketchbook. That way, you can sketch anywhere, in the library, classroom, or at home.

4. Use sketching as a break. Instead of doom-scrolling on your phone, sketch a quick doodle.

5. Experiment. Try shading, doodles, portraits, whatever feels calming.

How Sketching Helped Beyond Exams

Here’s the surprising part: sketching didn’t just reduce exam stress, it helped me in other areas too.

• Creativity boost: It gave me fresh ideas, even for my game development projects.

• Patience: Sketching taught me to slow down and not rush.

• Mental health: Whenever life felt too heavy, sketching became a safe escape.

Even now, when I don’t sketch daily, I know it’s always there for me, like an old friend waiting whenever I need to relax.

Final Thoughts

If exams make you stressed, you’re not alone. I’ve been there, and I know how overwhelming it feels. But sketching gave me a way to breathe through it all. It doesn’t have to take hours, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be yours.

Next time you feel the exam pressure building, pick up a pencil. Draw a line, a circle, a doodle. Trust me, it works.

And if you want to make the experience even better, here are the tools I use myself:

• 📝 Brustro Sketch Paper

• ✏️ Graphite and Charcoal Pencils

• 🖌️ Makeup Brush for Blending

• 🎨 Acrylic Colors

Sketching isn’t just about art; it’s about finding peace, even in the middle of chaos.