5th: Stop
Actively take out 10-15 minutes of each day to just stop. Try to clear your mind of thoughts. Meditate. It doesn’t have to be esoteric. Without thinking about them, become aware of your senses. Then turn your awareness to the rising and falling sensation of your breath.
4th: Laugh
For an instant pick-me-up, LOL, ROFL or whatever the new laughing acronym is. Laughter activates your body’s stress response and then rapidly cools it down. This leaves you relaxed and buzzing with endorphins.
3rd: Eat
From oatstraw to St John’s wort, astragalus to guarana, these foreign sounding words may become your new best friends during exam period. Cut down on caffeine, sugar, nicotine and alcohol and try eating magnesium-rich foods such as porridge, green vegetables, nuts and pulses.
2nd: Breathe
Panicking can increase your average number of breaths per minute from 10-15 to up to 30 or more. Apart from trying to slow your breathing, make sure you inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth and take longer to exhale than inhale. Don’t hold your breath.
1st: Exercise
A boost to your heart rate and your mood, exercise can reduce worrying, apprehension and nervousness. Aerobic exercise is best at stress-busting. It is now known that the ‘runner’s high’, the heady euphoric state experienced by many of those engaged in aerobic activity (not restricted to running) does exist. Loosen tense muscles and improve your circulation, though, don’t go overboard; pumping yourself too hard can raise the levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
