It’s come to that time of year again... Revision. We all have exams approaching and our stress levels are rising as we have to force ourselves to pick up a textbook and revise. This is why I’ve come up with a few tips to get you through the exam season.

Starting with:

Tip 1 – A Good diet. This means a breakfast packed with carbohydrates to slowly release fuel throughout the day to feed your brain. Good examples of this include Toast, Cereals, Sandwiches or Fruits. Nothing screams “Lack of energy!” like an awful breakfast. Examples of this include, leftovers from last night’s take-away, biscuits or simply, the dreaded, NO BREAKFAST. So do yourself a favour and just eat it.

Tip 2 - Make a routine. It’s easy as pie to pick up a pen and paper and write a short list of what you plan on revising, it will keep you feeling organised and therefore reduce stress. But at the same time as making this plan, it is essential you give yourself well needed breaks. Now, I don’t mean hour long periods of scrolling through Instagram between revising. All you need is a short 5 minute break every 20 or 30 minutes to ensure you brain soaks up enough information. Meanwhile, in this time have a cup of tea or just socialise with your family, it doesn’t hurt!

Tip 3 - Post revision. After a long days work of concentration and information-absorbing, your body needs time to wind down and relax. My favourite things to do after I revise are to go out in the fresh air, either for a run or to walk the dog. Similarly, warm baths with candles are perfect to sooth and relax the muscles after a tiring day.

And lastly:

Tip 4 - Sleeping. We all love it. And personally I think it is the second most important thing about revising, coming in straight after the most important, actually revising. Sleep is the time of which our brain processes the information we have taken in throughout the day and without a proper good night’s sleep; we will struggle to recall what we’ve learnt throughout the day before. Now, how will I get a good night sleep? 9 hours or more is exactly what you need, but sometimes it can be challenging when your mind is still racing. So, I suggest finishing up the revision at least 1 hour before you want to sleep, to ensure you brain has calmed down. Also, using scents such as lavender or tea-tree oil on your pillow is said to help guide you to sleep quicker, with its soothing properties. Lastly, switching off your phone 20 minutes or so before you sleep, will de-strain your eyes and calm down the brain.

I really hope that some of these tips have been useful to you, now, get started with the revising you know you’ve been trying to put off...

Leah Bright, Farringtons School