Help!

By Laila Nasry and Ruhanie Perera. 

You can be one of those daily study types or a frantic last minute crammer but either way exam stress seems to follow you like a shadow. Constant ponderings whether the exam will be hard, or whether you will go blank or fail in the end serve no purpose other than to aggravate your anxiety. Endless lamentation admonishing yourself for not studying daily or praying for something drastic to happen and the exam to be put off will not remedy the situation either. Coping with stress seems to be the key to getting through an exam. 

"I was watching a movie just now," says Anusha, who has just three months more for her A/levels. "I needed to take my mind off my studies because I was totally losing it about an hour ago." She explained that she had been studying the entire morning and had thought she was thorough with a particular section but when trying to apply it to past question papers she just didn't know what to do. "It was so frustrating that I just burst into tears. That's when I decided that I needed something to completely take my mind off my studies."

"I'm a unique case when it comes to the stress factor where studying is concerned, because I'm not doing something I like. I'm doing maths for the A/Ls purely because my father wants me to do it, he seems to think I will develop an analytical mind." This fact serves to add to the usual pressure that many of us have to face during exam time. Not only does Anusha have to deal with the fact that she has to please her father and can't afford to let him down but she lacks the motivation she might have had if she was at least studying something she liked. What she finds all the more frustrating is the low percentage of those who pass maths. "In our class the pass percentage is about 15 percent. Knowing that doesn't help either." 

For Anusha, though at this point in time family support matters, she feels that right now she's on her own. Even in school the time for reassuring seems to have ended and all she hears is the fateful 'it's too late now' from her teachers. "Things like that really don't help and it really scares me because I keep wondering if it actually is too late, will I have time to finish studying? Sometimes I find myself in this frantic rush trying to finish up things and when I can't take it anymore I start crying." That's when she leaves everything aside and does something completely different in order to take her mind off her studies and leaves the studying for her best times which is usually late at night or early in the morning. "I eat a lot too," she adds with a laugh, "that really helps when I'm studying. Of course it also means that I put on a lot of weight but for now that can't be helped."

Rajiv finds studying for his A/L's much easier than for his O/Ls, "because the subjects are fewer and they're what I chose," he says simply. However come exam time and he is 'head bent' into studying. " I used to be this last minute crammer but not anymore." 

Incorporating studies into 'everyday life' as he puts it helps take of the stress. "When you stop all else and only study, study, study, then you are obviously pressurised." However he has no timetables to stick to, instead in the morning he makes up his mind as to what he plans to study. "Then I go all out to finish it within the day. If I'm unable to, I do the rest the next day, but I generally try to avoid it." 

This must pressurise him one might think but he's quick to counter stating "I set realistic goals. But if and when I do feel stressed out, I leave the whole thing and go for a walk." Studying in groups Rajiv believes is "not a conducive practice". But he does believe in revising together with friends. However revising the night before is a no no. "That's what brings on the tension, so I stop the revising by evening and then watch T.V. and get a good nights sleep."

Families can help too

Keeping the environment 'study conducive' is the key step, followed in the Fernando household. Says Mrs. Fernando, "I see to it that the radio is not on full blast and the television set in no way disturbs the person who is studying. During the few months leading to the exam all her chores are shared by the others in the family. I make her favourite dishes and in a way indulge her. My daughter is not the tantrum throwing type instead she constantly needs to be hugged and petted and reassured that everything will be fine and that it's not the end of the world. That's the most we can do as a family since we can't study for her." 

"Exam time means a stressful period for whoever is going through it and the rest of the family tries to be considerate towards that person," says Roshni. "My brother's the one with the exam coming up so I take on most of his chores. 

Unlike me he doesn't need love and comforting, he likes to be left alone to do his thing but sometimes he's ready for a midnight chat - that's where I come in. I help him out with the subjects I'm familiar with and he always welcomes any tips I can give him." 

*Time management and planning are essential for students to prevent a stressful situation and ensure that they are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. It may be helpful to make a timetable listing achievable goals and tick them off when accomplished.

*It is helpful to take breaks when studying but the timings of the break and the pattern of studying (whether for long or short periods of time) differs according to the student.

*Physical exercise is important during exam time. Students should also sleep well (at least 8 hours a day). Never go to bed just after revision as lingering thoughts in the mind make sleep difficult.

*It's important to eat sensibly to stay healthy. Diet rich with green vegetables and fresh fruits is best for stimulating gray cells. Avoid fast food, carbonated drinks and chocolates as it increases stress. Red meat and coffee also increase feelings of anxiety.

Are you burning the midnight oil trying your hardest to prepare for an all important exam? If you are practically tearing your hair out trying to go through, revise, memorise a whole stack of books which shows no signs of lessening AND trying to stay calm and collected and far from edgy... then we advise you to take a deep breath and read on. 

If you don't breath correctly, you can't think correctly. If you are breathing correctly, you are much less likely to panic. With enough oxygen entering your brain, your thinking will be clearer and more effective. 

*Quick relaxation:

Sit comfortably and place one hand on your stomach. Take a deep breath through your nose, counting to four. Hold it for four counts. Breathe out through your mouth counting to four. Repeat three times every hour or whenever you start feeling tense. 

*Longer relaxation: 

Find a warm, quiet and comfortable place to lie down and relax for 20 minutes, practise tensing and relaxing each muscle group progressively, moving down the body i.e. head and shoulders, arms and chest, stomach and buttocks, legs and feet. Tense the muscles, relax the muscles, breathe deeply. 

*Positive self-suggestion:

After deep breathing and relaxation, think about your strongest points and what you are best at. Select a phrase (such as 'I can do it' or 'I am the best') and repeat it to yourself softly as you breathe deeply. This will help you counter negative thinking at anxious moments. 

*Visual imagery:

Relax yourself and breathe deeply. Now close your eyes and visualise your entire learning process-how you attended your lessons in school, how you studied for your exams...and how you completed your revision. Now imagine yourself in the examination hall, visualise the room setting, the invigilator, the desk and even the question paper. Imagine yourself answering all the questions how you had learned them, completing the paper in time, rechecking the answers and handing the answer sheet to the invigilator with a smile.

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