Exam health and fitness with coach Alan Williams
A healthy mind and a healthy body will propel you towards your exam goals, writes the leading coach and wellness expert Alan Williams
1 DON’T GET OVERWHELMED: A certain amount of anxiety is perfectly normal but you don’t want it getting to the point where you’re stressed out and overwhelmed. There will be moments of anxiety but do your best to stay calm and let them pass. A very simple strategy I often use with clients to build confidence and ease anxiety is to simply write down a list of things you have achieved so far in your academic life, personal life or sporting life. You’ve been faced with challenges before and overcame them. This will be the same.
2 SLEEP WELL: To perform at your best you need not only adequate sleep, but quality sleep. Waking up refreshed and energetic means you get so much more from your studies. Your ability to focus, concentrate and process information increases dramatically. To ensure quality sleep there’s a few things you can do. Start to wind down about two hours before bedtime. That means study finishes at that time. Avoid lights from screens eg. laptops, television for 1-2 hours before bed. Make your room as dark as possible. Don’t eat too close to bedtime. Aim for between 7-9 hours sleep. A regular routine really helps too, try to make a habit of going to bed and getting up at the same time each day.
3 EAT WELL: Food is fuel. without good-quality fuel you can’t perform at your best. Eat regularly to maintain energy levels, concentration levels and the ability to think and memorise. Think of your body as a motor car; if there’s no fuel in it you’re not going to travel too far. If the wrong type of fuel is put in it you’re likely to have problems too. Try to avoid snacking on high sugar or high caffeine foods as they can bring on feelings of anxiety. For food tips check out my suggestions (opposite).
4 EXERCISE: The effects of exercise on stress relief and mood are massive. Aim to get out in the fresh air for at least 30 minutes if possible. Attempt to completely forget about studies and exams and just focus on the joy of being out in the fresh air. Enjoy nature, and the sights and sounds around you. You’ll also be amazed at how much it helps to clear the brain, you’ll feel so much better when you get back to the books. For the sporty type it may be advisable to withdraw from full contact sports, or sports where there’s a risk of injury, until after the exams.
5 RELAXATION: Downtime is very important. When you find yourself getting frustrated, feeling tense, foggy brain or low mood try to take some time to yourself. Switch off and relax. It may be as simple as watching TV or reading a book. Yoga and meditation are fantastic options too.
6 PLAN AHEAD: One thing you can do that requires no effort but can be so helpful is planning ahead. Know your exam schedule, allocate study time for each subject. Also make sure you have the practical stuff planned for. How are you getting to the exam hall? What do you need for each exam eg. ruler, calculator, pen etc ? They may seem like small things but sometimes the small things can become the big things. Leaving those unchecked until the last minute can create quite a bit of unnecessary stress.
7 DON’T DWELL ON IT: As each exam passes, try to forget about it and move on to the next one. Keep looking forward. Once the paper is handed up you can’t affect the outcome anymore so there’s no point wasting energy on it when you need to be focusing that energy on your next exam. Analysing can affect confidence in a negative way, which is not going to serve you in your remaining exams. Try to avoid getting involved in social media debates in this regard too. Put it to the back of your mind and focus on the next challenge.
8 CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES: We want to keep stress levels to a minimum so one of the things you can do is block out the factors you can’t control. Don’t worry about what the weather will be like, what time the exam is going to be at, what topics are going to come up on the paper. You can’t influence those factors. So focus on what you can control. You can do your best with studies, so you can feel confident no matter what’s on the exam paper. You can focus on keeping your mind and body performing at optimal levels by implementing some of the tips listed. You can get help, support and advice from family members or people who have done exams before you.
9 POSITIVE MINDSET: I’m a big believer in the power of positivity. How you approach a challenge can ultimately decide your outcomes. If you put in the work you’ll do well. Approach the challenge with optimism and believe in yourself. Sometimes people can get too caught up in the material they haven’t covered fully, which is usually a whole lot less than the material they have covered. So don’t let it drag your confidence down. Approaching exams with a negative mindset is more likely to lead to negative results. Don’t turn the exam into a big occasion in your head. It can make you doubt yourself and create more nerves. If you’ve worked hard you’ll be absolutely fine so approach it with confidence.
10 A HEALTHY MIND & BODY LEADS TO PEAK PERFORMANCE: Following the steps outlined above should lead to you feeling your best, both physically and mentally when exam time comes around. And if you’re feeling your best you’ll perform at your best. All the very best to all doing exams!