Stress management

Some days ago, one of my former pupils was 'complaining' about the stress brought on by his current exam diet.  I put together the following suggestions for him, and now publish them here for any others who may be feeling stressed out at any time.

1. Pray.  Now, I realise that some might not be up for that - and, of course, one needs to be in a relationship with the Lord if it's going to be anything more than 'talking to the ceiling'! But it's where I start.

2. Play some soothing music. Something from the 'popular' classics is usually best - but not a crashing symphony! There are, in fact, a number of CDs that are commercially available, usually with titles along the lines of "Tranquility", or "Serenity"!

3. Buy some Green tea, and make yourself a cuppa. I confess that it can be something of an 'acquired taste', but it does calm the mind a bit.

4. Do some physical exercise. Could be running on the spot; press-ups; touching alternate toes without bending your knees. Of course, for all I know, some may have a room full of apparatus - that would be even better: 30 mins on the treadmill at a decent rate!

and, for those who are specifically involved in examinations - at whatever academic level:

5. Have a study plan! It doesn't need to be colour-coded (I've known pupils in the past who spent so much time making their study plan look like a kaleidoscope, that they didn't do any studying!), but use it. Give more time to the subjects with which you have more difficulty.

The above is NOT a guarantee of anything. However, it's borne out of many years of sitting exams right up to post-graduate level and, of course, most of it should have some effect, even if the stress is not the result of examinations!