Alicia Eaton advises families on how to get through the difficult exam period

As those looming exams come ever closer, children and parents alike feel the pressure and strain of being prepared and doing well.

Qualified hypnotherapist, psychotherapist and author Alicia Eaton, is aiming to help families through the difficult period with her new guide – Secrets of Exam Success.

Alicia has put together some quick tips as a starting point for parents:

Alicia advises students to keep their H. A. T. on, as if they are Hungry, Angry or Tired, revision will not go so well.  Put these things right first and notice the difference it will make.  Clear the cobwebs by taking regular exercise breaks – shuffling your body’s energy flow makes it harder for your body to hang onto negative feelings. 
 
Don’t slip into holiday mode:  As tempting as it is, don’t allow yourself to slip into ‘holiday mode’ during study leave.  Get plenty of sleep but stick to your normal school waking and sleeping hours – especially important if you have an afternoon exam as you need to be awake, refreshed and motivated.
 
Location: Choose your revision location carefully – as nice as it may be to lie under a tree in the local park, you’d be better off indoors sat at a desk or table.  The more your environment can resemble an exam room the better.  Our bodies naturally anchor thoughts and feelings to our surroundings and it will be easier to recall information if you start off in the right place.
 
Find YOUR way: Everyone is different – become aware of what works best for YOU by making a note of any particularly good revision sessions – eg. time of day; location; sounds you were hearing;   particular book or system
and even the clothes you were wearing .  If it worked well on one occasion, the chances are it will work well again.
 
Mind your language: As we speak and think to ourselves, our minds automatically create pictures to match our words.  So it’s really important to use positive language in your thoughts rather than negative  – eg. “I really want to pass my exams”, rather than “I don’t want to fail”.  Human beings are magnetically drawn towards the pictures in their minds, so make sure yours are good ones.
 
Turn the tap on: TFT or Thought Field Therapy, is a highly successful technique that involves tapping on the acupuncture points in the body. To get rid of those feelings of anxiety, use your middle and forefingers to rhythmically tap several times just under your eye on the cheekbone.  In Chinese acupuncture this point is located on the stomach meridian – if you tend to feel anxiety in your stomach, tapping here will give you some relief – and you can do this discreetly in the exam room too.
 
See your goal: Creating a very clear picture in your mind of what it is you want to achieve is a technique that all top sportspeople use on a regular basis.  Wayne Rooney doesn’t just go out on the pitch ‘hoping’ he’ll score a goal – he spends many valuable hours ‘mentally rehearsing’ by seeing himself score those goals.  Using the same techniques and actually seeing yourself taking and passing exams, will make you more likely to succeed.  Our bodies can’t tell the difference between real and imagined events, so you can trick it into believing that those straight ‘A’s are easily achievable.
 
Blow it away!: And what if you start to feel those panicky feelings just as you’re entering the exam room?  There’s an easy solution – place your hands over your mouth and nose, imagine you’re blowing up a balloon and blow really deeply three times.  Those panicky feelings are created by chemicals in your body and this simple exercise will blow them right away. For your free downloadable guide, visit: www.aliciaeaton.co.uk