Don't Stress For Success!

From tomorrow until the twenty-first of June, many of us will be sitting the Junior or Leaving Certificate. Here's some ways to keep calm throughout the next few weeks, and a few things to avoid!

5 Ways to Keep Calm

1. Exercise! 

I know everybody says it, and usually I dismiss it thinking "I haven't got time for that!" But come on, look at the weather! Surely you'd rather be out there for half an hour walking, running, cycling or whatever than be inside stressing. Exercise helps to release the stress, and once you go out you want to go back in! So once you get back, that could motivate you to work harder until your next break!

2. Music!

Music can be used a great distraction. Just turn it on and blare it. Once you get caught up in the music, it's like you're in a different world.

3. Watch a Movie!

Movies are a great way to escape at any time, so why not go to the cinemas or throw on a DVD? You can forget about your own worries and be transported into someone else's world. It's a great way to relax and let go of your own fears. 

4. Talk to Friends!

Your friends are going through the exact same thing right now. They're likely just as worried as you are. Together you can calm each other down and just have a good aul gossip too! A problem shared is a problem halved!

5. Believe in Yourself!

You've studied for years. You'd be amazed how many things are up there that you've forgotten you know! But you won't remember them if you don't believe that you can do it. When you're stressing, you're not concentrating your mind on remembering the facts. Take a few deep breaths and breathe. It'll be okay. Just believe you can do it, and you'll get through it all. Hopefully you'll still be able to catch a bit of the sun by the end of it too!

5 Ways to Avoid Stress

1. Don't Make Yourself Even More Stressed

Sure everyone needs a bit of motivational stress, but that's enough! At this stage you should be concentrating on rejogging your memory to remind it what you know, rather than trying to fit a lot of new stuff in there. Every time you try to learn something new, you'll only scare yourself because you didn't know it already!

2. Try to Avoid Snapping

With stress levels at an all time high, it's easy to snap at everyone around you. But they're just trying to help you, and if you snap they might snap back. That'll just annoy you and stress you out more! So if your Mam asks you do you want to take a break, try to understand that she's got your best interest at heart. Everyone just wants you to do your best! 

3. Get a Good Sleep

A good sleep will do wonders for you. It allows you to relax, destress and helps the information sink into your brain. It'll also help you the next day when you're trying to recall the information, as your brain is fully rested and ready to work!

4. Do It

Instead of sitting here stressing, just work on something. Maybe reading the examiners reports on examinations.ie will help, as it'll show you where students often fall down. By going through a paper, it'll help calm you as you can see that you can do it. If there's a question you're unsure on, try it and check the marking scheme. Then you'll know how to tackle it the next time!

5. No Post-Mortems

Once you're, finished an exam - congratulations to you! The best thing to do now is not to think about how it went, especially if your friends are discussing it. It'll only remind you of things that you may have forgotten to say, and you'll worry that you did terribly. This happened in my Junior Cert History. I was convinced I failed after talking it over with friends, and I came out with a B! The exam is done, and you can't change what you wrote. You should now concentrate on exams left and forget about the ones you've done!

At the end of the day - they're just exams. I'm doing the Leaving Cert myself at the moment, and I know that it feels like the world will end if you don't do well. But here's the thing - the world will keep spinning! Your career doesn't define you, and there's plenty of ways to get to where you want to go. Maybe you want to wait to be a mature student, or do a PLC. Even if have to repeat, it's only one extra year to get there. You'll have roughly forty more years doing the job, so one extra year in school won't kill you! Once you know what you want to do, all you have to figure out how to get there.

Now Good Luck!