The stress of exams is well in gear as we take the journey of completing them. I wanted to show my ways of easing the stress and making sure I am getting the sleep I need for a productive day. 

Tip 1:

To make sure you start the day fresh and ready to revise I would advise that you keep a notebook by your bed and before you fall asleep write down everything that is making you anxious and anything that is swinging around in your mind even if its just a word. This will ensure that when you go to sleep your thoughts are calm and won’t keep you awake during the night.

Tip 2:

Make revision fun. I know it sounds like a hard thing to do, but if you don’t try o find the fun in revision you are least likely to remember the content and the stress levels will be low, so you are most likely to be more productive. 

I would suggest using drawings and highlighters with your work if your a creative person like me because then you will find that the information will be stuck in your mind for a long time. Also you are combining something you love with revision making it more engaging and enjoyable.

Another activity I would suggest is getting a group of friends together, make sure you know that they will concentrate and have fun. Having friends around you doing work with you allows you to feel motivated, but also allows you to ask quick questions when needing help, instead of walking all the way downstairs to ask you mum or messaging and getting distracted along the way. You could have discussions based on the subject, especially english as debating strategies can enhance your ideas and evidence. 

It is important to have fun whilst revising, get rid of the stress to allow your mind to open up for the information you are about to consume and relive yourself from stress.

Tip 3:

If you deal with anxiety on a daily basis, you most likely know about taking breaks and having strategies that keep you calm. 

It is important when you do get yourself anxious that you put everything aside to have a breather. I normally get anxious in the evenings because I start to remember everything I could have done or have forgot to do, so I make sure that I have my notebook as mentioned before, a reading book and something to play music. 

Being creative myself to calm down I love to play music and draw in my notebook until I feel better, but if worse comes to worse I would advise using an app called “What’s Up?”. On the app there is an icon called get grounded in which you are given a letter or colour and you have to find five things in the room that they belong to, this app for me is a lifesaver and it allows for a quick reliever so you can carry on with your work feeling calmer.

Tip 4:

SLEEP!

Make sure that you get a goodnight sleep, because having a fresh start is going to impact your motivation for the rest of the day. Sleep makes it easier the focus and take in information, so overall you will have a productive day. Sleep is also important for people who deal with anxiety a lot because being tired makes it easier the get stressed and distracted in unneeded thoughts.

Overall, good luck with your exams! Whether its GCSE’s or A levels battle through and enjoy the break thats on it’ way.