Like many teenagers across the UK, my son starts his GCSE exams in the next few weeks. He's worked hard for this and he knows that it would be a real shame to drop marks, maybe even grades, because of exam nerves or a momentary loss of concentration.
I've been supporting him over the last few months using hypnotherapy to improve his focus (and motivation, because let's be honest there are a million things a 15 year old boy would rather be doing than revising - even hypnotherapy with his mum) and to banish any fears around the exams themselves. Has it worked? Well, his confidence is soaring, his grades keep improving and he actually seems to be looking forward to the exams... even if it is only to get them out of the way.
Now not every teenager has a clinical hypnotherapist on tap, but there are some easy and effective ways to harness the power of the subconscious mind that can help make exams a walk in the park. Here are my top ten tips for revision and exams to share with your teen - do try this at home!
1. Trigger Your Memory
Our brains are fantastic at creating sensory triggers - for example a smell or a taste that evokes a vivid memory of a particular person, or when a song comes on the radio and it instantly transports you to the time and place you first heard it. We can use this to our advantage. When you are revising, add a few drops of an essential oil (ideally one you enjoy the scent of) to an oil burner, or a diffuser, or even just a bowl of hot water, and let the smell fill the room. When it comes to your exam, dab the same scent on a tissue and inhale for a memory boost. The familiar smell should improve your recall of whatever you were learning when you previously experienced it. For an added bonus, use rosemary, sage, peppermint, or eucalyptus essential oils which are high in eucalyptol, known for improving concentration and memory. The same trick can also work with taste (perhaps try a particular flavour of mint or boiled sweet) and music - although its unlikely the invigilators will allow you to play your favourite revision tracks in the exam itself, you could listen to the same playlist immediately before the exam to get your brain in focus mode.
2. Find Your Calm
Take a moment at the beginning of each exam to calm yourself. When you're panicking, it's hard to focus, or think, or remember, and that's the opposite of what we want in an exam situation, so it's worth spending a minute or two on this. Inhale through your nose for a count of three, and exhale through your mouth for a count of four. Repeat five times. You may feel a little silly, but I promise no-one will notice. If you are still feeling jittery, put both feet on the floor and imagine that the physical connection to the earth is an anchor, drawing feelings of calm up through your feet, along your legs and across your whole body, one muscle at a time.
3. The Power of Storytelling
We remember stories much more easily than we remember facts (or formulas, or dates, or names...). For example it's relatively easy to recall in detail the plot of your favourite film, novel or game, but if I asked you to list what you've eaten over the last three days it would take real brain power. When you are revising, trying organising the information you need into a story. It doesn't matter if it's a nonsense story, maybe an atom going on a picnic or Lady Macbeth making a Tik Tok video on the best handwashing techniques - if anything the sillier the better because it's more likely to stick. When you get in the exam room, just tell yourself the story.
4. Fake It Til You Make It
A really simple and quick technique for dealing with nerves is to act 'as if'. Walk into that exam room as if you were feeling confident, flash a smile at your teacher and turn over the exam paper as if you were already certain you knew the answers, complete the exam as if you had unshakeable self belief. It might sound strange but your brain really can't tell the difference between the 'as if' attitude and reality, it assumes you've got this (and you have!).
5. Remember The Time
If you need a little more inspiration to put tip number 4 in action, then think about a time when you really did feel confident and in control. Maybe it was a sporting achievement, or a compliment from someone whose opinion you really value. Close your eyes and try to recall that feeling in as much detail as possible, in every part of your body. Replay the scene in your head as many times as you need to until you can feel the emotions you experienced on that occasion rising up inside you now. Open your eyes, and go and ace the exam.
6. Visualise Success
Have you heard the story about the basketball team who only imagined practising their shots over and over again? In test conditions, scientists discovered that the team that didn't pick up a ball but instead focused on visualising their success improved just as much as another group of players who had been out on the court sweating all week. Spend some time in the lead up to your exam playing out the scene in your imagination. Picture yourself feeling relaxed on the journey to school, confidently walking into the exam room, opening up the exam and finding that you do know all the answers, finishing the last question with a sense of calm achievement, certain that you have done well.
You might find the first few times you play the scene through in your mind that your brain throws in a few 'but what ifs' - the bus is late, or your pen runs out of ink, or you've prepped for the wrong exam... this is actually really helpful because it allows you to put plans in place to counter any and all of these situations to make sure that they don't come up on the day.
Just keep on going, keep replaying the scene where you take an exam and everything is perfect over and over until your brain knows this to be fact.
7. Sleep
Sleep. That's it. I can't tell you enough the importance of sleep for optimal brain performance. Go to bed at least half an hour before you think you are ready - you might find you spend a few nights staring at the ceiling while your body adjusts to this new pattern (you can use this time to visualise success as in tip 6!) but eventually you'll settle in to it. If you do enjoy a lie in at the weekend, you will never find a more perfect excuse than 'I need the extra sleep so that I can do well in my exams', so take advantage of it.
8. Dear Future Self
In the moments where it feels like you've been revising forever and you just can't bring yourself to care any more, take a few minutes to write a letter 'as if' it was from your future self. Explain in as much detail as you can how good it feels to have passed your exams, to have achieved even better grades than you had hoped for, to be following a path into a college course or a career that really excites you. Write about how your family and friends reacted to the news of your success, and what you did together to celebrate.
It's really hard to stay motivated without a regular reminder of what it is you are working towards, and why you want it, so gift yourself that reminder.
9. Look After Your Brain
If you were training for a marathon you would make sure you were taking extra care of your body, and what are exams really but a marathon for the mind. I've already mentioned the importance of sleep, but I'm going to throw it in again - get more sleep! Other really simple habits that your brain will thank you for are drinking plenty of water, eating a healthy diet, taking regular breaks during revision (a 5 minute break every 25 minutes, and keep your revision sessions under 2 hours), limiting screen time and getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. You can buy vitamins and supplements that have been especially designed for mental focus, and certain foods (my mum swore by fish and bananas but do your own research on this) are particularly loved by brains.
10. Do Not Attach Your Self Worth To An Exam Grade
If you take away nothing else from this list, please remember this - you are so much more than a bunch of letters or numbers on a piece of paper. Yes exams are important, but your results do not define you - you are exactly as kind, clever, creative, funny, honest, loyal, as you were before you sat down in that hall. If you can keep a healthy sense of perspective then you've already succeeded, and I can't wait to see what you can achieve in the long and wonderful life ahead of you.
Ok this was a much longer post than I had intended but I do hope you and your teen found it helpful. If you have any additional mind hacks for exam success please do drop them in the comments below!
If your teenager is struggling with exam nerves and you think that a hypnotherapy session could be useful for them, please do get in touch on shonie@theseartfulhours.com - if I can squeeze them in before their exams then I absolutely will.
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