With just over a week until the Junior and Leaving Cert exams kick off, it's normally around this time when panic and pressure sets in.
So if you’re someone who is studying at home, or you know someone who is, clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist Fiona Brennan has some key advice to help get you through it.
Fiona joins Dermot and Dave for Mind Yourself Now to reveal her top tips.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
It’s normal to be stressed during exam time. However, getting a self-care routine for both the student and the parent is very much essential, "in the home it's almost more important that the parent is calm as much as the younger person is".
Simple things like offering lifts/making healthy lunches can be a huge difference as can being mindful of the noise levels in the house.
Parents should be careful of the language they use - for example don’t say things like "don’t be stressed", "don’t be anxious" or "don't panic" - as they can actually create a the opposite effect.
How to deal with panic
Put everything into perspective, in the scheme of their lives, this is a tiny part. There are so many avenues and roads to finding your true purpose and what you wish to do with your life.
The three C’s for exam stress:
Calmness - the brain can't operate when it is stressed, it can't find the solution. How the breath, self-care routine, regular breaks, sleep, healthy nutrition, the language you use, stay away from stressed-out students, comparing notes after, keep your own focus.
Consciousness - being present - study and concentration during the exam, focus only on what is in front of you. Focus not on what you haven't studied but what you have.
Confidence - Create images and mental rehearsals of the grades you wish to achieve, see yourself opening the results in August, see the grades on the page and work your way back. How do you need to be/feel to achieve those grades? Consider past achievements to help boost your confidence.
We here at Today HQ have everything crossed for you so relax and give it your best shot.
For more information, you can check out, and contact Fiona on her website www.thepositivehabit.com
You can listen to the chat in full by pressing the play button on screen.
