Hitting THE BOOKS

IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE A FEW BREAKS WHEN YOU’RE STUDYING

Exam season is upon us, and if you’ve got a teenager sitting their NCEAs, you’ll know how stressful it can be.

While a little bit of stress can be healthy – it can motivate them to get on with revision and focus on what they need to learn – too much is unhealthy. An overload of stress hormones such as adrenaline can cause them to worry more, become anxious, lose sleep, have trouble concentrating, and make them feel overwhelmed.

And not only can this affect their ability to prepare for their exams, it can also have an effect on how well they do. Here’s how teens can avoid stress at this difficult time.

• BE ORGANISED

They should already have a timetable in place of what to revise and when. Now with exams taking place, they may have to learn to prioritise and start focusing on what is most important right now. If necessary, draw up a new study plan and stick to it.

• LEARN RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

When it all starts to become too much, being able to get the better of those overwhelming stress hormones can make a huge difference. Breathing techniques can be a quick way of helping them to feel calm. The trick is to learn to breathe deeply by drawing breath down into the abdomen. This stops shallow breathing, which is linked to stress and panicking. While they are at home studying, it can help to take time out a couple of times a day to meditate. Even just sitting in a quiet room with no distractions – or quiet, calming music – closing their eyes and trying to clear their minds for a few minutes can help.

• TAKE BREAKS

If they’ve got a tonne of revision to do they may feel like they just don’t have the time to take breaks. But time away from studying is crucial because otherwise they may start to feel unable to cope. If you’re around, go in to see them every couple of hours and suggest they take 10 minutes off to recharge their batteries.

• GO FOR A WALK

US research has shown that exercise can not only relieve stress by releasing feel-good hormones that counteract the effects of stress hormones, but it can also help to boost brain power and memory. So interrupting their studies to go for a quick stroll around the block is a good idea.

• GET PLENTY OF SLEEP

Many students will stay up until the wee small hours before an exam trying to cram in as much revision as possible but this is actually counterproductive. Not getting enough sleep affects memory and the ability to concentrate, so they may struggle to remember what they read at 2am.

It is better to go to sleep at a decent hour and set the alarm for an hour earlier to study.