As exam season approaches more and more students across the country will be descending into frenzy as the immense pressure of their exams builds up. Whether it is A-Levels, GCSE’s or even End of Year exams sometimes it becomes increasingly difficult to even think about revision and often it can seem as if you will never escape the suffocating feeling of dread. But fear not, because at some point in the future (although it may seem very far away at the moment) your exams will be over and in the meantime there are some simple ways of dealing the stress.
The easiest, and perhaps most obvious way, is to ensure you supply yourself with plentiful snacks. In other words until your exams finish, eat as much as you like (and when they do finish eat even more in celebration). Snacks are also great to use to motivate yourself- you can space them throughout your revision to reward yourself (e.g. when I finish these practice questions I can eat some of that chocolate egg that I still have in my cupboard from Easter). Cocoa is amazing for providing energy, so dark chocolate especially is a go-to snack; for example, “the increase of blood flow produced by the antioxidants in cocoa can reduce mental fatigue and improve mood”, as stated on the website https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/energy-boosting-foods#section9.
Another way of dealing with exam stress is to ensure you take regular breaks from your revision. Tanvi Singhal, a Year 12 student said “I find that the easiest way to make sure you are taking breaks is to have a 5 minute break after every 25 minute chunk of revision, because then you can at least stretch and relax for a bit”. If it’s nice weather, you could sit in the garden for 5 minutes or an even better option is to have a revision session with your friends in the park.
The main message to take away from this is that in order to perform to the best of your abilities, you should always make sure to relax, take time out for yourself and meet up with friends. Because, after all, your happiness is more important than exams.
