Beating exam blues

May is the month of exams. For those students in a sweat swotting up to their future, here's a few holistic pointers on how to stay calm, focused and smart.

Practicalities: Pump oxygen to those grey cells. Study in well lit and ventilated rooms. Sleep at least eight hours every night, take regular breaks at intervals and go out in the fresh air. Avoid late-night cramming. Devise a study plan with breaks pencilled in every 40 minutes. Give yourself realistic study targets and treats upon reaching them. Stretch at regular intervals, roll your neck, link your hands behind your neck and raise your elbows. Exercise is also a healthy outlet for stress and frustration. So include a walk, swim, cycle or run in your study plan.

Acupressure: Using your thumb, press the Shenmen point on the little-finger side of the wrist crease, to calm the mind. Alternatively, using the pads of both your fingers press the middle of the eyebrows and also the crown of your head.

Aromatherapy: Burn two drops of the following essential oils in a room diffuser, near your study desk or sprinkle a few drops on a hanky and sniff at intervals. Peppermint helps mental fatigue while basil clears the mind and improves concentration. A drop of basil on a tissue sniffed before and during the exam will give you a head start.

Rosemary has been used since time immemorial to stimulate memory. The ancient Greeks would entwine sprigs of rosemary into their hair before sitting for their exam to enhance their mental prowess. Shakespeare's Ophelia offered rosemary for remembrance to Hamlet. This cerebral oil invigorates circulation, refreshes and clears the mind, activates the brain and stimulates nerve endings.

Soak in a bath of grapefruit, basil, bergamot and lavender (a drop each) and spend the night before the big exam doing something you enjoy.

Bach flower remedies: Try the rescue remedy to soothe nerves at exam time or larch for low self confidence. Alternatively check out hornbeam for fatigue, a feeling of being burdened, temporary mental and physical exhaustion and procrastination. Place two to four drops of the remedy sublingually four times daily or add several drops to a large glass of water and sip a few times a day.

Body work: Treat yourself to an Indian head massage. Massage is extremely effective in the immediate short-term relief of stress and anxiety. An Indian head massage targets the taut and painful muscles of the face, scalp, neck, upper back and shoulders. Besides relaxing these tight muscles brought on by long periods spent hunched over books or in front of a computer screen, an Indian head session can relieve tension headaches, insomnia and eye strain and increase energy levels.

Brain food: Eat a wholefood diet full of high energy, slow releasing complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, quinoa, millet and buckwheat, lots of fresh green veg, fruit, nuts, seeds, pulses and protein. Have a good breakfast each morning - say an organic oat cereal with diced bananas, especially on the day of your exam. Although the tendency under stress is to binge on junk food, chocolate, sugar and other processed foods play havoc with sugar levels. This yo-yoing affects memory retention, leaving you feeling more lethargic in the long run. To avoid these fluctuations eat a little and often. Drink lots of water. Ditch the coffee. Excessive caffeine increases anxiety. Substitute with Ginkgo and relaxing Vervain herbal teas.

Supplements: Vitamin B complex, Magnesium, Omega 3 and 6 oils and amino acids for efficient neuro-transmitter functioning. Magnesium also relaxes constricted blood vessels which contribute greatly to headaches.

Helpful herbs for increasing blood flow to the brain include Ginkgo Biloba and Gotu Kola.