Exams are not nice - I think we can all agree on that one.

They are coming up for a lot of us at the minute and our stress levels are high. But the thing is, being stressed doesn't help us when it come to exams. By stressing, we are not able to focus properly and every aspects of our life are affected; family life, friendships, relationship, 'me time', etc. Stressing about exams is one of the worst things that you could be doing at this point in time - exams aren't everything so what's there to worry about?

Don't know if you're showing sign of exam stress? Have a look at these symptoms, if you have recognised at least three of these traits in yourself lately then you might want to seek some ways in which to destressify.

• Dizziness
• Constant tiredness
• Blured vision
• Forgetfulness
• Difficulty getting to sleep and/or waking up
• Unexplainable aches and pains around the body
• Poor Appetite
• Loss of interest in activities
• Increase in anxiety and/or irritability
• Increased heart rate
• Migraines and headaches

• Speak to people - If you can chat to someone like a friend or a member of your family about how stressed you are, they will be keen to help you. You never know until you ask, right? By speaking to someone, there will always be somebody there to help you pull through your worst times, makes sure you're okay and cheer you on.
• Recognise what's stressing you out - High expectations, you're friends doing better than you or just exams in general? Find out the source of what is stressing you out the most and work on defeating it.
• Eat right - Make sure you don't leave the house without having a proper breakfast, that doesn't mean just an apple or a cereal bar. Have a bowl of cereal, a cooked breakfast, some toast. Additionally, try to keep a balanced diet. With studying it can be hard to fit in proper meals but you need to find the time because without it your health will decrease.
• Sleep well - Get your recommended eight hours of sleep. This is so important, how else will you not fall asleep in your exam, eh? Seriously though, sleep is very important when it comes to keeping healthy and de-stressing - no last minute revision before bed, make sure you can fully rewind before you go to sleep.
• Exercise - The dreaded word to most people. Even though nobody really wants to exercise it helps calm the mind and de-stresses you. So try it, go to the gym, go for a weekly swim, try a bit of dancing or go for a jog.
• Quit those bad habits - Drinking alcohol, smoking or drinking caffeine can stress you out, if you can quit them, do it!
• Drink a lot of water - Stress can dehydrate you - ideally you don't want to be dehydrated. The recommend amount of water daily for women is 2.7 liters (11 cups) and 3.7 liters for men (15 cups). This is a lot to ask - 11-15 cups a day - but honestly, it will do you some good, and your skin will look fabulous too!
• Don't set ridiculous goals - Saying that you'll revise 12 subjects in a day is un-achievable and you shouldn't be putting that much stress on yourself. I wouldn't even set yourself a target grade either - yes, you've been told these by your teacher throughout the years but they really aren't important at all.
• Set yourself a revision schedule - If you set yourself a revision schedule, you will feel a lot better about how you are managing your time. Look at some mark schemes, have an hour of maths, do a past paper. Remember though, to do your revision in small chunks and to leave time for some relaxation.