How to reduce stress and anxiety during exams

Rohan Just taking a big inhale and exhale really helps calm you down.

Dr Radha It's really important that you recognise the signs of stress. That might be changes to appetite, problems falling asleep, aches and pains, being more grumpy or snappy than usual, or loss of interest in what you enjoy. It's helpful to manage your stress as soon as you recognise these signs. There are lots of things you can do to stop it from getting out of control. If you're feeling this way for longer than a couple of weeks then seek advice from an adult. It can also be helpful to speak with your GP who can link you in with professional support.

Jacintha For me, during GCSEs, sleep was integral.

Rohan With sleeping, it sort of took like a while for me to get in the rhythm. By the time I got to my exams, I had a good regime of sleep. It all came together once the exams were happening.

Dr Radha You need time to sleep and to rest your brain, because that brain has to work the next day.

Dr Colton We all worry, and that's normal. Use your stress in a positive way. Harness it and use it to motivate you. GCSEs are your first major assessments, so stress is completely normal, and it also shows that you want to do your best, which is a great start.

Josh Uncertainty about exams can make you feel anxious. No matter how much you revise, you can never remove all uncertainty. So it's good to revise using mock papers so you can practise dealing with the unknown. You can't find out what the exact questions will be, or even how the exam will go for you. Focus your attention and efforts on the things you can do something about, which is preparing and revising for your exams. Everything else you can let go.

Dr Colton Take enough breaks. Try being in nature to reduce your stress and just going for a walk and improve your mood.

Chloe My number one thing to relax is to have a bath.

Sekani I like to meditate quite often, it really helps me. It just clears my head and doesn't get me worried about any exams I have coming up.

Dr Radha One thing I recommend to help with stress is to simply avoid or reduce your use of social media, deactivate or uninstall apps that cause anxiety.

Shay I always found it really hard to stay off my phone when I was revising, so I ended up turning my phone off and putting it in a drawer, maybe in the kitchen or downstairs so that I wouldn't have the temptation of going on it.

Dr Colton Mindfulness can be a good way to manage stress, paying attention to the here and now, to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you can improve your mental wellbeing.

Nung I've made a wellbeing box that has all my favourite memories, my achievements and what I've accomplished so far. It's to help me stay calm and stay motivated. I look at it and think "this is where I'm going to be in the future. This is the reason why I'm doing this."

Jacintha I found writing in a journal was really, really helpful for just writing a few emotions down really helped, and when you look back at it in a few months, I realised that things weren't as bad as they seemed.

Daniel What keeps me calm is doing things that make me happy, whether that's making music, listening to music, gardening or watching movies.

Josh The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. If you are struggling with stress, speak to a parent or a teacher about how you are feeling and ask for help. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.

Milly I think it goes way of keeping calm in your revision and exams is definitely to speak to other people. Everyone in your year is going through the same thing at the same time.

Nung During the time I had had my exams, I was too hard on myself. I just kept thinking, "I'm not going to do well. I need to revise constantly", not give myself a break. Looking after yourself and being kind to yourself is my advice.

Anxiety Josh Hi, I'm Anxiety Josh. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Feeling the pressure of revision? Well I've got three tips to help you out.

Tip number one is: Remember how important it is for boundaries and structure. Plan out some times to revise but also plan out some times for you. Get the balance right and that revision will be spot on.

Number two: Reward yourself. It doesn't just have to be a big graft. You can say, 'I'll do forty minutes of revision and ten minutes of fun time' or thirty minutes and twenty. That's OK, the brain likes a reward. So it's good to put in the hard work to motivate you to keep doing it.

Tip number three: please remember that your value is not all based on your output. Give it a go. Your intentions matter. I know there's pressure to get good results, but they do not define you entirely, take that extra pressure off because you're more than that.