By Jordan Bickham
Staff Writer

While exams began today, many students have been stressing since this past weekend.  Although a little stress can be healthy motivation, when there is too much stress, there can be consequences such as poor grades, concentration and sleep habits which come back to haunt you.  In commemoration of this stressful week, here is a list of tips to help you sit back, relax and do well on your exams.

1.  When you are studying and you are having trouble focusing, try to leave, do something else and then come back to studying.  Sometimes focusing for too long can make it difficult to concentrate, so do not be afraid to take a break.

2.  Some things you can do when you are on a break that can help you focus more easily are exercising, eating a healthy snack or simply resting.  Exercising actually stimulates certain chemicals in the brain that help you focus and resting can easily invigorate you.

3.  Also, remember to always breathe.  While this tip may sound self-explanatory, when stressed, many people take shallow breaths which can cause light-headeness and can actually increase stress.  By taking long, deep breaths, you slow your heart beat, calm yourself down and can focus more easily.

Hopefully these short and easy tips will help exam week become a little easier, but if not, you can go to Reader’s Digest to find even more tips on how to stay calm.  Remember to relax and calm down before your exams, good luck!