Navigating exam season: Advice from Cork experts

Exam season can be stressful for the whole household.

For Cork mum, Helen Quealy Murphy, what has struck her most about this period, and in particular the Leaving Cert, is the “strange mix of helplessness and intensity it brings”.

“I have four teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 – one has been through the Leaving Cert, three have done the Junior Cert, and one is about to sit it.

“I found it more stressful than I expected. I’m hoping when number two sits it next year, I’ll be a bit more prepared,” she says.

For Helen, the hardest part was watching on when it seemed the sheer volume of work and the frustration didn’t seem to be paying off.

“It’s difficult to stand back, but in our case, trusting the process really mattered ¬ trust your child as well as the system around them.

“Practically, the small things made a difference. Keeping the house calm, not asking too many questions, making sure they got fresh air and exercise, and just being available. One thing that worked well for two of my daughters was having something to look forward to between exams — heading out for a smoothie or bringing a treat up to them in school. It turned the exam days into something more manageable, even relatively enjoyable,” she said.

Helen also stressed that it passes more quickly than you would think.

“Try to keep things steady and in perspective. The Leaving Cert isn’t the be-all and end-all as much as it was back in my day— there are many different routes and plenty of ways to reach the path your child wants to take.

“Most importantly, deep breaths, patience, trust and love. This too shall pass – but the nana’s blessed candle and Novenas didn’t hurt either!”

Supporting through nourishment

When teenagers are revising, sitting exams and dealing with nerves, what they eat can have a huge impact on their energy, concentration, mood, and sleep.

Nutritional therapist Frances Baker says some simple measures can help students to avoid feeling stressed and burnt out and she shares these here:

Start with a protein-rich breakfast

A nourishing breakfast is essential for focus, memory, and steady energy. Sugary cereals, pastries or toast may give a quick boost, but this is often followed by a dip in energy and concentration a couple of hours later. Skipping breakfast and relying on tea or coffee can have the same effect, leaving pupils feeling tired, irritable and unfocused.

Instead, aim for protein, healthy fats and slow-release carbohydrates to help keep blood sugar steady. Good options include eggs on sourdough or wholegrain toast, Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and seeds, porridge with nut butter, and Greek yoghurt, or a smoothie with protein, fruit and healthy fats.

One of my favourite options is protein pancakes. They feel like a treat but are incredibly nourishing, and they are brilliant on an exam morning.

Recipe: Mash one ripe banana with two eggs, one tablespoon of milled flaxseed, half a teaspoon of vanilla extract and half a teaspoon of baking powder. You can also blitz this in a blender. Cook as small pancakes in a little olive oil and serve with Greek yoghurt and a few blueberries.

Choose snacks that sustain energy

Snacks can be really helpful during study and exam time, but it is best to move away from sweets, biscuits, fizzy drinks and energy drinks. These can spike blood sugar and leave students feeling more anxious, tired or irritable later on.

Instead, go for snacks that combine protein and fibre, such as oatcakes with hummus, apple slices with peanut butter, a boiled egg, Greek yoghurt with berries, a handful of nuts and seeds, or dark chocolate with nuts. Keeping these visible and easy to grab works particularly well with teens.

Keep well hydrated

Hydration is often overlooked, but dehydration can contribute to fatigue, headaches and poor concentration. Encourage teenagers to sip water throughout the day. Coconut water or diluted natural fruit juice can also be helpful, but I would avoid too much caffeine and energy drinks, as these can interfere with sleep.

Build a balanced dinner

After a long day of school or revision, dinner should help refuel the body and support winding down.

Aim for protein such as chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, beans or lentils, plenty of colourful vegetables, slow release carbohydrates like brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes, and healthy fats such as olive oil or avocado. Oily fish like salmon, sardines and mackerel are some of my favourite foods to include. They are rich in omega-3 fats, which support brain function, mood and concentration.

Simple dinner ideas include salmon with sweet potato wedges and broccoli, chicken stir-fry with brown rice, turkey or lentil bolognese, an omelette with vegetables, or bean chilli with avocado and rice.

Support sleep

Sleep is essential for learning and memory. It is during sleep that the brain processes and stores information, so late night cramming often does more harm than good.

To support sleep, avoid caffeine and energy drinks in the afternoon and evening. A calming snack before bed can help, such as banana with nut butter, yoghurt with berries, oatcakes, warm milk, or herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm.

Getting outside into natural light in the morning, even for 15–20 minutes, helps regulate the body clock. In the evening, dim the lights and reduce screen time, especially phones, for at least one to two hours before bed to help the brain switch off.

Revision and exams can feel like a long road, and they can take their toll on energy and mental health. I hope these simple tips help your loved ones feel more steady, resilient and confident as they move through exam season.

• Frances Baker is a Nutritional Therapist.See www.francesbakernutrition.com or @francesbakernu on Instagram

Stress management

Niamh Hayes is a Positive Health Coach who specialises in nervous system regulation. She emphasises that stress is normal.

“When it comes to exams, a contained level of stress is the driver behind motivation, focus, and getting through the long days of studying, preparation, and actually sitting down to take the exam. It is also something that can help caregivers stay focused and respond appropriately in their role in helping the student.

“However, you don’t want those stress levels to stay high all day and night because it impacts how easeful, tight or disconnected your body feels, how regulated or fast your heart and breathing rates are, how easy or difficult it is to fall and stay asleep, what your appetite and digestion are like, and whether you feel calm and present, wired and irritable, anxious and nervous, or discouraged and unmotivated. It also affects your mindset, the quality of your thoughts, how capable you think you are, your ability to focus, and your overall energy levels,” she says.

Niamh said that for students, the ability to perform your best at exams is greatly impacted by how stressed you are, or how regulated your nervous system is.

“For parents and caregivers, your own stress levels have a huge impact on the nervous system of others, because nervous systems are always receiving safety or danger cues from other nervous systems. The calmer, more present and regulated you can be, the calmer and more regulated your student will be. There are already enough external pressures on students around exam time, so what they truly need is your calm presence, reassurance, and encouragement. They need you and your nervous system to be their steady anchor while they navigate turbulent waters.”

Niamh says that with a few simple tools, both student and caregiver can ensure that the stress stays contained enough to be helpful rather than a hindrance. She shares these here:

Managing stress

Managing stress depends on how your nervous system is responding in the moment or the type of stress response you are having. You are always moving in and out of different nervous system states or stress responses throughout the day. You are generally either regulated (calm, connected and present), activated (fight or flight, irritable or anxious), shutdown (lethargic or unmotivated), or in a state of freeze (feeling stuck or procrastinating).

The key is to be able to recognise which response you are having in any given moment, because the stress management tool you use will depend on your current experience.

An activated stress response is fuelled by adrenaline. To be able to manage this type of stress, you want to move your body to discharge some of that energy. Shutdown or freeze need more gentle tools to allow energy return to the system.

You only have a certain capacity each day. When you are starting to reach your capacity, that is when you will experience irritability or anxiousness. When you try to overstep your capacity and push through it, that is when you experience overwhelm, shutdown and potentially burnout.

Think of your capacity as a demand versus support equation. When demands are high, you need to lean on your supports a little, more, to keep things balanced and your nervous system regulated, otherwise the demands will become too much, and stress will rise to a level that is no longer helpful. The key is to give the nervous system plenty of opportunities to come back to regulation throughout the day.

Niamh’s top tips for the exams

• Build a list of supports or resources – the people, places or activities that help bring regulation to your nervous system. They calm you down, make you laugh, give you a sense of presence, freedom or joy, or quieten your mind. Pick something that you can do from the list each day in the lead up to, and during exams. It can simply be sitting outside in the sun, listening to your favourite song, a conversation with your favourite person, or going for a walk in your favourite place. Immerse yourself completely in the thing, even for a few minutes, to decrease stress levels and bring balance to the nervous system.
• Check in with yourself regularly. If you’re in an activated stress response, do something to move some of that adrenaline – shake out your limbs, jog on the spot, push your hands into a wall, do some heel bounces, dance, or take a full inhale through your nose, followed by another small inhale, and then exhale as slow and long as you can through your mouth. Spend 60 seconds doing any of these tools.
• If you’re in a shutdown or freeze state, do something to bring a little more energy into the system. Allow your eyes to wander around your space, sway from side to side, push your hands and feet down into a surface, go outside and feel the air on your skin, do gentle stretching, listen to soothing music, or have a warm drink or shower.
• Studying and sitting exams provides enough of a demand on the nervous system, so try to limit how much time and energy is spent on other demands. Saying no to unnecessary commitments, setting boundaries, and getting help from others will help to keep things feeling balanced.
• Work and break blocks – forcing yourself to study longer than you have capacity for will negatively impact your productivity. Instead, set a timer, study for that period and then take a break. The breaks are where your nervous system gets a breather, and will allow you to return with more focus again.
• Study environment – keep your environment calm and tidy, pop your phone away while you’re in your work block, keep snacks and water to hand.
• In your downtime or study breaks, focus on things that regulate you, not distract or numb you. Pick something from your support or resource list to do.
• Nourishment – focus on nutritious food, staying hydrated, getting restorative sleep, moving your body, time outdoors every day, and deep belly breathing.
• Connection – one of the greatest contributors to nervous system regulation is connection with others. Spend time chatting and having fun with others.

Niamh’s advice on what to do just before an exam, during and after

• Before: check in with yourself and notice if you are activated, in freeze or shutdown. You want a little stress activation, to help you focus, but not too much or too little. Choose something from the list of tools above to bring some regulation and balance into your nervous system.
• During: do regular check-ins with yourself, ground yourself by feeling your body on the chair and feet on the ground, look up and away from the paper regularly to allow your gaze to widen and eyes to soften, take a couple of deep belly breaths, keeping the exhale longer than the inhale.
• After: think about closing the stress response cycle of that exam before moving on to the next. Take a little time to move your body, walk or chat with someone, anything to help discharge the stress energy and allow the nervous system to regulate again. This will help to give you some more capacity before you face into studying or the next exam.
• Niamh Hayes is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Positive Health Coach, Contact anchorwellness@hotmail.com or follow anchor.wellness on social media.