With culinary and academic exams looming, the stress of it all can make some students utterly stressed out. Even the most seasoned academic can still feel the stress involved with exams, no matter how hard they have studied. It’s sometimes like a giant black hole filled with revision, late nights and lots of noses buried in books. It’s difficult to find that happiness and joy we’re used seeing on campus during exam time. Here are IHS’s top 10 tips for beating off exam stress:

Physical power is key

Tip 1:     Exercise often. You may think that you don’t have time for that but you will be able to focus better when you have more blood rushing round your body thanks to a brisk walk, a quick jog or some dance moves to the latest tunes. Whichever way you choose to stay fit, do it more often when you’re studying and you’ll feel refreshed and focused when you carry on studying.

Tip 2:     Eat well. Foods that are considered ‘Brain food’ such as nuts, wholegrains, oily fish and blueberries are proven to help improve your memory, so eating such foods during exam time can only help your situation.

Tip 3:     Sleep well. This goes without saying – don’t study all night and reduce your sleep as that will catch up with you with dire consequences in the middle of your exams.  Your body will eventually crave sleep so make sure you don’t deprive yourself of sleep during exams.

Tip 4:     Plan your breaks. If you struggle to take breaks then it’s quite simple – get a timer. If you’re studying in 30 minute timeslots, set your timer for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break at the end. Walk around, dance, and watch the sunset…just take a break. It helps to refocus the brain, get more oxygen through your blood stream and generally wake up the brain cells again.

Mental power will give you the edge

Tip 5:     Stay focused and accept the task ahead. You have to study for your exams so the sooner you accept that, the better. Don’t worry about anything else than yourself, your studying schedule and your wellbeing during exams. Everything else can wait. It’s easy to get side-tracked during your studies with social events, social media and just about anything else that has nothing to do with your studies. Avoid being sucked in and stay focused on the road of study ahead – it’ll all be over in a few days so it’s worth the sacrifice.

Tip 6:     Don’t compare what you do to what others do. Your study methods are different to the person next to you, so don’t copy them. Go with what feels most comfortable to you. Also, avoid the temptation of comparing how far you’ve got with your studies (or not) with other students as this can panic you. Finally, don’t be tempted to compare yourself to others after the fact. What’s done is done, so move on, whether you beat your mates or failed dismally. Pick yourself up and get going again.

Stay organised

Tip 7:     Incentives and realistic targets help. Don’t try and get 50 chapters done in on one day of study. Pace yourself and set incentive targets. If you reach certain milestones, reward yourself with a cappuccino, a milkshake or something else you would really look forward to.

Tip 8:     Use your study notes to stay organised. Make use of mind maps, colour coding and other study techniques to stay ahead of the pack. If you’ve taken good notes in class, you should have no trouble getting through your study schedule with ease. Alternately join study groups to help you stay organised with notes that may be missing.

Tip 9:     Create checklists. Before you even start the exam study process, set yourself some checklists for revision, study timetables, fitting in your work, lectures and anything else that you are committed to during exam time. Tick things off as you go along so that you see the progress unfold (which is a motivator)

Tip 10:   Ask for help. If you are not coping, ask for help, there’s no shame in that. Talk to a lecturer or IHS Brand Ambassador and get some advice or assistance before you burn yourself out.