​​And breathe…

Blood coursing through your veins, dry mouth, heart pounding, sweaty palms, light headed…sound familiar?

We have all experienced this physiological arousal at some point in our life, otherwise known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. What was once a necessary response to aid survival in our ancestral past has not disappeared, even though humans no longer face the same survival challenges.

The difference now is that we no longer face wild animals but rather we are faced with modern day stressors like exams, relationship difficulties or financial hardship.

Unfortunately, our students will often respond to exams in this way and some may even become unable to complete an exam due to overwhelming arousal. I remember feeling exactly this whilst I was a student, both at school and particularly at University, where I felt completely out of my comfort zone.

There is so much teachers can do to support their students when dealing with exam pressure, of course we all need a little bit of stress to perform our best, but not when it becomes debilitating.

One method I have taught the sixth form students is to use the 7/11 technique for breathing. Breathing in for 7 seconds and out for 11 slows down physiological arousal. Focussing on the breath can ground you quite quickly. If this is done for a few minutes it can bring a sense of calm to your mind and body and ready you for the task ahead.

Why don’t you try this to bring about a sense of calm.

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