Stressing About Exams!!
Taking the edge off
Student Support -Student Advocacy Service - A Webb-Heath
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Is stress bad for you?
Not necessarily!
 Certain levels can help motivate us
 Give us energy
 Focus us
Maybe,
 If it becomes a problem and is difficult to manage or if you feel
overwhelmed, it can have a negative affect on your life.
 If it starts to have a physical impact on your life
There is so much help we can give ourselves….
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Stress?
Take the edge off by being well
 Sleeping well – You think you can’t sleep or have not got time,
put more effort into sleeping and remember HUMAN beings
perform better having slept. And NEED sleep!
 Tip: A tired brain is a stressed brain
 Sleep can be aided by a light supper
 Eat Well – Healthy foods can improve your brain and help your
wellbeing. Too much caffeine and junk food will stress your
body and brain out, it is a FACT 
 Tip: Being hungry makes the brain pop with emotion 
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
being well….
 Be nice to people  Arguing with friends and family increases
stress.
 Tip: Being happier helps reduce stress  Try to timetable in
fun with your family and friends!
 Try to keep some exercise in your life, regular is great but
something as quick as skipping for 5 mins a day.
 Tip: Exercise stimulates us and eventually prompts the
body to relax; use exercise to fight fatigue and help you
chill out later!!
 Drink plenty of fluids  Hydration is good for the brain as it
helps reduce inflammation  which makes managing stress
worse.
 Tip: Being thirsty and dehydrated is emotional!
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Take the edge off and act….

Prepare well: plan your revision with breaks and some flexibility.

Attend revision and catch up sessions, talk to staff.

Think about an exam strategy and plan your attack! Talk to staff if you are
struggling to come up with an exam plan.

Time out - try not to feel guilty. It might seem like a ‘waste of time’ but this will give
you time to process the information and your brain a bit of rest.

Use known strategies either from yourself and or others.
 For example Mindmaps; Revision cards or anything that works for you 

Talk about your stress/anxiety; bottling it up will keep things the same.
letting it out will offer some relief.
Basically

Identify your stress triggers and avoid them, you can always revisit them after the
exams.
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Take the edge off and think….
 The way we think is linked to what we feel and then what we do
 Hear your worried thoughts
“I will fail” “I will forget it all” “I don’t know what I am doing”
 Then beat them with HEALTHY HELPFUL thoughts:
“I have revised well and will do my best” “I have thought this before and
remembered enough” “I will find answers for the things that are confusing me”
 Think positive thoughts, trying to focus on solutions!
 Believe in yourself!!
 Imagine your worries floating down a river, being kicked in a football far
from you or released in a balloon, watch it all disappear. Repeat if they are
stubborn and return.
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Still need a few jagged edges
smoothing off?
 Try mindfulness
 Free apps for androids and tablets; Websites that offer support.
 Try breathing, even when panicking/losing it, breathing can
help as oxygen helps calm you. Try deep breaths for 6
seconds in and out, several times.
 Focus on some positive things the other side of your exam
timetable…there is life after exams 
 Distractions help. Try absorbing activities for short timed
periods when you feel the stress building up. (Use your
phone as timer)
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Remember…
 The night before:
 Plan well and organise everything you need for the next day.
 Be realistic about going to bed, not too early and not too late.
 In the exam:
 Read the instructions carefully
 Plan your time
 If you start to feel yourself panicking in the exam, mentally take
some time out, breath and try to remember a nice memory and
then quickly return to doing your best!
 There are always solutions – still jagged? Talk to your PPT
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Wisdom on exams and anxiety!

The bbc:


Childline:


“Anxiety's like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you very
far.”
Swedish Proverb – Saying


You could help exam stress by dealing with any other problems this could improve your
concentration, phone childline if you need to talk.
Jodi Picoult – Writer


Don’t cram just before the exam and avoid post mortems (especially if you have more
exams) 
“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow”
John Lubbock – Some man

A day of worry is more exhausting than a day of work.
So get to it and revise, healthily 
A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds
Still edgy? The web can help:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/advice/factfile_az/exams_stress - Exam stress
advice

https://www.childline.org.uk/Explore/SchoolCollege/Pages/exam-stress.aspx exam stress advice

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-healthproblems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/#.U26tjoFdWuI – Download leaflet on
stress and anxiety

http://www.freemindfulness.org/download - mindfulness downloads

www.thecalmzone.net – supporting young men manage their emotions

http://www.bigwhitewall.com/landing-pages/default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f Proper peer support
If you need a professional:

https://www.readytochange.org.uk/suffolk/HowtoAccessSupport/Pages/default
.aspx - some people who can help when things feel very difficult to manage.

http://www.papyrus-uk.org/ - young peoples 24 hour support by phone/email
or SMS.

A centre of excellence for 16-19 year olds