LRC Exam stress & wellbeing guide

Exams and Wellbeing

Acing your exams whilst looking after you!

Content

SECTION 1 - Preparing and revising for exams

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The early bird catches the worm

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The LRCs Top Tips for keeping revision interesting

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Plan your time effectively

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Why plan time to relax

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Look after your wellbeing during revision time

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Shelf Help - Reading for Health

Section 2 - When exam time arrives

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Preparing the practical things

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Manage the physical impact of stress and anxiety

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Practical ways of preparing for exam day

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A visualisation for exam day

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Think positive!

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Section 1

Preparing and revising for exams

We all want to do what we can to reach our full potential. Sometimes though, it can be difficult to know where to start! Managing our wo rkload, revision and our wellbeing all help us to feel prepared and ready to take on tes ts and challenges - have a look at our handy tips to stay feeling on top this exam season!

The early bird catches the worm!

Practising good revision habits well in advance of exams can give you a head start on your revision later down the line. How to get ahead early: • Regularly check your class notes are up to date and in order. This reduces pressure to catch up closer to exam time, and helps to reduce stress and worry. • Prepare flashcards each week which summarise your learning. This helps you highlight key exam material whilst it’s fresh in your mind, helping you to recall it easier during revision. • Prioritise which topics need further revision - Pick up a revision planner from the LRC. - Give more time to the topics you are least confident about.

Subject:______________ Exam Date:________ Revision Subject Planner 1. Break the subject into topics and sub-topics. You could use your Subject Unit Outline, Awarding Body Specification or revision checklists from your teacher. List them in the first column. 2. Grade each bit of the topic according to how confident you feel about it.  – Very confident  – Reasonably confident  – Not confident 3. Cross off one star each time you revise it. 4. Revise the things you are least confident about more often.

Subject: Topic:

Class notes up to date 

Grade   

Revised Cross out a * when done

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The LRCs Top Tips for keeping revision interesting Revision can be hard, but breaking it down into small chunks and finding ways to make it more manageable and interesting can have a huge impact on your productivity. Don’t just re-read notes - use different ways to revise: • Flash cards are perfect for helping you to recall facts • Mind maps work for most people as you can add text, colour, connections and pictures Revision Power Hour - pick an exam question then revise for 20 mins, write for 20 mins and then check it and add/correct what you have done Pomodoro technique - set a timer for 20 minutes intense revision, take a short break and repeat Revise with others - teach your topic to someone else or ask them to test you Make a ‘Focus’ playlist for whilst you revise Practise - the key to successful revision is to do lots of timed exam-style

Need some support?

Book a LRC ‘Exam Ready’ 1:1 by emailing lrc@runshaw.ac.uk or ask at a LRC help desk

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Plan your time effectively (and realistically!)

Use a timetable to add structure to your revision and reduce stress and confusion.

Mark out:

• Time for your classes, travel and to eat

• Work and other essential commitments

• Regular time to exercise and de-stress

• Regular time for hobbies and relaxation (at least 5 hours!) • Divide the rest of your time between your subjects to revise. Include: - The topic you are going to revise - What revision activity you are going to do e.g. review flashcards, past exam questions

Weekly Study Timetable

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

breakfast, shower, travel

Time

breakfast, shower, travel

7.30

class

8.00

class

study Period, review Physics flash cards

9.00

study Period, review Chemistry flash cards

10.10

class

class

lunch - catch up with friends

11.20

lunch - catch up with friends

Class

12.30

Class

class (make sure notes are up to date)

13.20

class (make sure notes are up to date)

14.30

travel, catch up with friends on bus

travel, catch up with friends on bus

15.40

relax, go for walk, take football to park or do online work out

16.00 17.00

relax, go for walk, take football to park or do online work out

eat dinner & see family, do chores

eat dinner & see family, do chores

18.00

revise Maths (do past papers)

revise Maths (do past papers)

19.30

relax, read for fun, watch TV

20.00 21.00

relax, read for fun, watch TV

22.00

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Imagine a bucket which shows how much stress you can hold. Revision, exams and deadlines can quickly fill your buckets up and cause it to overflow. Why plan time to relax?

The Stress Bucket

Maximum stress

Normal stress level

Relaxed stress level

Taking time to focus on things that you enjoy can help you to relax and ‘drain’ your stress bucket, to stop it from getting too much and overflowing. This helps you to cope better and feel ready for future events that might cause stress. What can you do to help yourself relax and drain your stress away? Consider: • What would you like to do more of? • What might it be helpful to do less of? • What new things would you like to try? • Things you need to do every day to feel good: Eg. Eat regularly, take medication • Other things you want to do occasionally to feel good: Eg. Make some exciting plans to look forward to

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Use music to help your mood – plan a playlist that’s happy, calming, focussing or motivating. Look after your wellbeing during revision time Get outside - being outdoors and in nature can help us to clear our head and take notice of wider things going on in our world. Chill out time – try new little things that boost your mood. Search online for workouts, hand massages or meditations, wear comfy cosy clothes, have a warm drink. Find a new hobby to take your mind off things, such as a musical instrument, a book or a DIY project

Exercise and socialise to reset your energy levels.

Sleep is essential for powering up your brain!

Plan things to look forwards to – to help motivate and inspire you.

Limit your phone use – turn your phone off during revision time and mute distracting notifications.

Reward yourself – plan things for after you finish a topic or revision session, to help you feel good and to motivate yourself.

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Digital Bookshelf

Shelf Help supports you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing using helpful reading. A selection of titles are available from the library or on the Digital Bookshelf Shelf Help - Reading for Health

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Section 2

When Exam

time arrives

Preparing the practical things you should do for the day of your exam can help the day run smoother and reduce any last minute panic. Make sure you know the practical details about your exam. • Where will it be held? • What time does it start? When do you need to get there?

• What do you need to take with you? • What can you not take into the exam? • What to do if something goes wrong? - you are ill - you get held up on the way to college - Who do you contact?

Find out the answers to these questions in the week leading up to the exam.

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Manage the physical impact of stress and anxiety

Breathe in

Seconds 4

It’s normal to feel some levels of stress and anxiety during the exam season – it can help us to feel motivated and determined. We can counteract feelings of panic by reminding ourselves that we’re safe, and encouraging our body to follow relaxed breathing patterns. Practice box breathing to feel calmer and boost your confidence. If you notice your thoughts becoming worried or distracted, practice

Seconds 4

Seconds 4

Hold

Hold

Seconds 4

Breathe out

the grounding exercise on the right to help focus on the present moment. Try these tips whilst you prepare and revise for your exams, and use them during the exam too ! If your feelings are overwhelming, continue to try the strategies and practical steps in this guide. You can also reach out for emotional support too. Speak to someone you trust – friends, family, tutors or your Progress Mentor for advice and reassurance.

GROUNDING

The 5-4-3-2-1- technique

Ease your state of mind in stressful moments

Acknowledge 5 things that you can see around you

Acknowledge 4 things that you can touch around you

Acknowledge 3 things that you can hear around you

Acknowledge 2 things that you can smell around you

Acknowledge 1 thing that you can taste around you

This can help when you feel like you have lost all control of your surroundings

Safeguarding and Wellbeing Hub

CR-1242Anxiety Grounding Technique poster18 52 21

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Practical ways of preparing for exam day

What can you prepare in advance of your exam day, to help it to run smoothly, reduce panic, and boost your confidence?

The night before:

The morning of the exam:

Eat breakfast - toast, cereal, banana – avoid sugary foods and drinks which can cause a sudden dip in energy Move - doing something physical wakes our brain up, even just a 5 minute brisk walk can help!

Read through you notes

Eat well

Pack your bag (include ID card, any books, notes, papers, equipment ie. pens, calculator)

Drink water and prepare water bottle for exam

Set your alarm

Take time to relax

Stay calm and positive - breathing exercise, look at positive quotes, listen to happy or motivating music

Aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep

Get to the exam room around 15-20 minutes in advance of the start time

Avoid negative or stress - inducing conversations with others whilst you wait - keep talk positive or take time by yourself

Turn your phone off before going in the exam hall

Celebrate completing the exam and do something to relax!

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A visualisation for exam day Sit comfortably and take some deep, relaxing breaths. Scan your body from top to bottom and notice any areas you feel tension. Allow each area to relax. Slowly begin to focus on your breath… In… out… in… out….. If worries enter your mind during this exercise, that’s okay. Acknowledge them and allow your attention to come back to your breath… In… out… in… out…..

Imagine it’s the day of your test… You feel some nerves, but you really want to do well and are looking forwards to getting started. Feel the desire to show everything that you know, and to prove to yourself how well you can do. Imagine you calmly find your desk in the exam room and take a seat. You hear other students, footsteps, the scraping of chairs and the shuffling of papers. You continue to focus on taking relaxed, deep breaths. You notice the feel of the floor beneath your feet… the feel of the desk… the pen in your hand. You calmly listen to the instructions, and they begin to hand out the papers. You feel a hint of anxiety rising, which you expected. You say to yourself ‘this anxiety is normal, but I can deal with this. It isn’t going to stop me from doing well!’. Calmly and confidently, you scan over the paper in front of you. You realise you know many of the answers. You begin to organise your time and you remind yourself “I will focus on one thing at a time, and I won’t let my anxiety take over”. You take a long deep breath, and feel your body relax. You then take the first step answering the first question. Small step by small step, you make your way through the exam paper, taking deep relaxing breaths when you feel any tension or worry. There are some challenging questions, so you take time to gather your thoughts and write the information you know. As the test finishes, you feel relieved and proud. You stayed calm, and expressed everything you could. Enjoy the feeling of being done! You were able to manage your anxiety and that helped you to focus! You look forwards to taking some time to relax and celebrate your hard work, now the test is done. Wiggle your fingers…your toes. Feel your body waking up. Bring yourself back to this present moment. You are ready to return to your day feeling calm and focused. Adapted from content on www.anxietycanada.com

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Think positive!

RELAX

GO OUTSIDE

UN-PLUG

MEDITATE

TAKE IT EASY

ENJOY LIFE

SMILE

SLOW DOWN

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You can also access more tips to look after your wellbeing in the our ‘ Wellbeing Guide ’, available from the Safeguarding and Wellbeing Hub.

My

Wellbeing

Guide

Apps to Support Your

Mental Health & Wellbeing

BE ACTIVE

CONNECT

GIVE

KEEP LEARNING Apps can be a great tool to support our wellbeing, as we can carry them with us and tap into them when we need support or reminders to look after our wellbeing. TAKE NOTICE

Combined Minds is a free app to help families and friends provide mental health support. The app uses a ‘strengths-based’ approach which has been shown to be

effective in recovery.

Calm Harm is a free app to help teenagers control the urge to self-harm. The app is based on an approach called dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), which aims to

support young people. Clear Fear is a free app to help young people manage the symptoms of anxiety. Clear Fear uses a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) framework to help change

anxious thoughts and emotions.

Move Mood is a free app to help teenagers manage depression. The app uses principles of behavioural activation therapy to help you improve your mood by

encouraging you to increase your motivation.

Stay Alive is a pocket suicide prevention resource, packed full of useful information to help you stay safe. You can use it if you are having thoughts of suicide, or are

concerned about someone else.

WorryTree aims to help you take control of worry, wherever you are. WorryTree asks you to record whatever you’re worrying about, and then takes you through a

few short steps to create an action plan.

The eQuoo app uses adventure games designed by psychologists to help you increase your emotional fitness, and teach you new psychological skills to combat

anxiety and depression.

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@runshawlrc

and @runshawcollege_wellbeing on Instagram, and check the Student Bulletin for regular tips and updates.

CR-5058 Exam Stress Wellbeing Guide A4 25 06 24

lrc@runshaw.ac.uk

wellbeing@runshaw.ac.uk

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