1. P.M.R PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION
Frown and relax x 5
Head tilts and rolls x 5
Shoulder shrugs x 5
Hand stretch & tense x 5
Thumb massage
Leg tense and relax 5
Toe scrunch and flex x 5
Chair body stretch x 2

2. S4 STUDY SKILLS

3. Mind, Body, Fitness and Environment.

4. Looking after your brain and your body
In this section you will learn:
Simple exercises that will keep you in good physical shape.
The importance of eating and drinking healthily.
How to go about creating a study environment that is right for you.
How to feel good about yourself so that you have the necessary confidence to tackle exams and cope with the stress that they sometimes bring.

5. Simple Exercise
In order for your brain to work at its best, it’s important for the rest of your body to be working properly. Try to make time every week for some exercise.

6. Eating for an amazing brain
Healthy Food
Eating for an amazing brain
An essential part of making sure your body is working properly is eating properly.

7. A balanced diet – 5 basic food groups
Bread, other cereals and potatoes
Fruit and vegetables
Milk and dairy foods
Meat, fish and alternatives
Foods containing fat and salt, foods and drinks containing sugar

8. A balanced diet
One particularly important mineral in your diet should be iron. It’s been shown in a number of studies that iron deficiencies have an adverse effect on academic performance.

9. Iron Things which can lower the body’s absorption of iron
Caffeine (coffee, tea, Coke)
A lack of Vitamin C
Good sources of iron
Meat
Green vegetables
Dried fruit like dates, figs, raisins, apricots
lentils

10. Breakfast
Skipping breakfast means your energy levels will be low throughout the day, and your ability to concentrate and learn will be affected.
Use breakfast cereal bars to get you started if you normally do not eat breakfast.

11. Snacks
If you’re spending a lot of time in the library or in your bedroom studying, it’s a good idea to have a few snacks to keep you going, but it’s important to have the right kind of snacks.

12. Snacks
Crisps and chocolate might be tempting, and they are alright in moderation, but they are not the best things to keep your brain working at its top performance – you may experience a 5min rush of energy but this is likely to be followed by a real lack of energy.
Try some nuts and raisins, or some dried fruit – they have good combinations of vitamins and minerals without having too much sugar – these also release a steady flow of energy.

13. Drinking water
Not drinking enough water can affect concentration, bring on headaches and will reduce your energy levels.
Try drinking a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon in the morning to replace the water you have lost through sweat and breathing in the night.

14. Drinking water
Take a bottle of water to school with you and make sure you drink something at interval and lunchtime.
Drink something when you go home after school and also after your evening meal. Don’t drink too much before bedtime, otherwise you’ll have to get up during the night.

15. Where to study - choosing your workspace
Think about your learning style and preferences.
Do you need quiet?
Do you need a computer?
Do you need music?
Do you need friends to talk things over with?
Do you have the correct equipment? Coloured pencils, highlighters, folders, polypockets

16. What factors are important when creating the right study environment?
Environment for a visual learner
Do not sit beside or near a window – too tempting to day dream.
Do not sit in a room with a TV on – you know you will watch it.
Have some wall space that you can use to put up study notes/post-its or images to support learning.

17. What factors are important when creating the right study environment?
Environment for an auditory learner
Sit in a room where you can talk to yourself.
Listen to yourself recite information on a tape recorder.
Allow background music.
Read aloud the information you are learning.

18. What factors are important when creating the right study environment?
Environment for a kinaesthetic learner
You have to be comfortable in your surroundings.
Have space to move around.
Have plenty of paper, pens and possibly a computer to make notes or mind-maps.
Use PowerPoint to create revision notes.

19. How to feel good about yourself
CONFIDENCE!
Examination time puts you under new pressures, but it is essential you keep your self-confidence. You must believe in your own abilities and strive to achieve your goals. There are always things which will knock our self-confidence, so we must work hard to develop it and nurture it so that it is healthy and renewable. Go do something you know you are good at, put on a new outfit, get your make-up on – anything that makes YOU feel good about yourself!
Make two boxes – ‘A Worry Box’ and an ‘I can’ box. At the end of each period of study complete a statement for each – make sure you then take up the worries with a friend or the teacher so they can make their way to the ‘I can’ box.

20. Beat exam stress! BREATHING EXERCISE: Deep breathing technique
Exercise to rid the body of excess adrenaline.
Sleep at least eight hours a day.
Eat a variety of foods to help memory and curb mood swings.

21. Relaxation Techniques
BEFORE SLEEP
1. Take the time to clear your mind of anxiety. Play some quiet soothing music or sit or lie comfortably, blocking out any other thoughts other than calming yourself and focus on just you and your breathing. Breathe in for five, hold for five and out for ten (this may take practice!) for ten breaths. Then breathe normally until you feel totally relaxed.

22. Relaxation Techniques
BEFORE THE EXAM
2. Sit up straight, close your eyes and breathe out until you empty your lungs. Hold for three seconds, then breathe slowly until you feel your lungs full again. Repeat this exercise until you feel calm and in control.
3. Use the ‘thumb massage’, whilst reading instructions.

23. Perform well in the examination Practice these tips during your study time. By the time you come to sit the exam they will come naturally!
Show a confident, organised approach to your answers.
Keep your work tidy.
Show your intentions with a plan / map of your answer.
Write legibly and neatly.
Use headings, number answers, and label diagrams.
Leave space between your answers, in case you go back and put in more detail, later on, when rereading your work.

24. Summary Exercise regularly Eat and drink healthily
Create the right study environment for you
Increase your confidence