Yoga expert reveals 4 calming techniques for students to break the ‘exam fever’

It will soon be that time of the year when competition and comparison will be in the air as the examination dates near, leaving students to deal with piling stress and expectations from parents and teachers. Despite the age groups, exam phobia or ‘exam fever’ is very common which could lead some to struggle in overcoming it as it might push them towards anxiety and even depression in some cases.

The reason for this exam fever are fear of scoring poorly, high or unrealistic expectations, fear of letting down parents or educators, using grades as an impression of self-esteem or assessment of self worth, lack of confidence or negative self-talk. These could have a negative effect when they write the exam and hinder their academic performance.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Namita Piparaiya who is a Yoga and Ayurveda lifestyle specialist and founder of Yoganama, spilled the beans on 4 calming techniques for students, especially those who will be attending board examinations, to break the ‘exam fever’ as the advice to “breathe deeply” does not always help with relaxation and can even make anxiety work.

“The fastest way to get some relief from exam stress is to take some slow deep breaths. When we start breathing slowly it starts relaxing the nervous system and helps put us at ease,” Namita revealed. She added, “However, a soon as we say ‘breathe deeply’, people start over breathing by trying to take excessively large amount of air in - which doesn’t help with relaxation and can even make anxiety work. Therefore its important to get the technique of deep breathing right to get the most out of this practice.”

Here are four ways to do just that:

1. Start with lengthening your exhalation: Don’t worry about your in breath, simply focus on slowing down your out breath. Exhale leisurely as if you want to take all the time available to release the breath. Do this without getting breathless or putting too much effort.

2. Improve your inhalation with balloon breathing: In this technique we focus on correct inhalation. Simply close your eyes and think of your lungs as two balloons. When you inhale, the balloons expand in all directions, likewise your lungs will expand pushing the belly out, while also lifting your ribs. If you place your plans around your waist, you should feel this 360 degree expansion in the body. Do this everyday for 10 to 20 rounds to improve your breathing pattern.

3. Double your exhalation: Once you’ve learnt how to inhale correctly, you can start focussing on making your exhalation longer. A good way to do this is to make your exhalation double the length of your inhalation. Which means if you count to 4 as you inhale, count to 8 as you exhale at the same speed. If this is not comfortable start with 4:6 and build up from there.

4. Alternate nostril breathing: Once the above three steps are comfortable, you can start alternate nostril breathing which is a great way to bring balance to the body and mind. Its a powerful purifying technique which is good to do not just around the exams but throughout the year to keep yourself mentally fit.

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