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 Whether you're playing golf
or baseball, singing or dancing, studying or reciting, every good teacher
will tell you “Relax.” Yes, work hard, but never under
tension, and do not strain. Relaxation not only makes you feel and
work better, it affects your memory as well. Memory doesn't work well
under tension and strain. You know how vexing it is when you have a
name on the tip of your tongue, but the name just won't come forth.
Then, when you stop straining and begin talking about something else
in a relaxed and normal way, the name comes bobbing up like a cork.
Your memory will work best when your mind is not under tension and
when you are not straining. This is important to know because hours
of studying will be useless if you can't remember what you've just
learned. Here are four relaxation methods:
The
Count-of-Three Method
Just
before an interview, or just before seeing a dentist, your palms
are sweating, your body is tense, and your breath is short and shallow.
Here's what to do (count slowly and calmly through each step):
- Through the nose, inhale slowly while silently counting to three.
- Hold your breath for the count of three.
- Through the nose, exhale
slowly while silently counting to three.
- With breath out, count to
three.
- Repeat the cycle several times.
The
Doctor's Method
Medical Science has come up with an extremely
practical breathing exercise to reduce blood pressure: Breathe in until
the lungs
can hold no more, and then take in a quick extra gasp of air, through
the mouth. Breathe out slowly and evenly. Repeat this seven times.
What works for high blood pressure also works for high exam anxiety.
You can quietly practice this exercise while studying for your exams
and during an exam.
The
Palming Method
Here's another method that you can do easily,
especially at your desk at home or in the library. Close your eyes
gently, and
cover them with the palms of your hands.
- Avoid any pressure on the eyeballs by resting the lower part of your hand
on the cheekbones, and the fingers on the forehead. The eyeballs
should never be pressed, rubbed, or massaged.
- Now, the light is fully excluded
from the eyes, even though the eyeballs remain untouched.
- Mentally
visualize some pleasant scene or incident. Move your eyes to different
parts of the visualized picture. Don't stare at any one
spot. For example, if you are seeing a lake, first look at the near shore,
then at the forests at both ends. Movement of the eyes is important
in this method. In less than a minute, you'll feel relaxed again. Repeat
this minute's worth of relaxation whenever you feel stress.
The
Optimum-Rest Method
Five minutes in the following position
are equal to hours of sleep. If you still have a lot of studying to
do, but find
yourself tense, tired, and tempted to take a nap, here's a better substitute:
- Lie flat on your back on the floor.
- Raise your knees, keeping your
feet flat on the floor.
- Separate your feet about eighteen inches (shoulder
width).
- Point your toes in and your heels out.
- Allow your knees to come together
in a relaxed way.
- Cross your arms so that your hands hang limply alongside
your neck.
- Close your eyes, relax your mind, and imagine your favorite
serene quiet scene.
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