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Feel Good

Term 3 can be very stressful….fact! So here at the Students’ Union we thought we would bring you a practical guide that will hopefully go a long way in making sure that you get that Feel Good Factor during the dreaded exam season.

Download your Feel Good Guide here

Even just simple things such as eating the right food, doing a little exercise and drinking plenty of water can have a massive effect on the way you’re feeling!

Each week we will be exploring a different way of making sure that you are feeling good this term with our Feel Good Mondays.

Week 2 - Healthy Eating

Eating well is a major part of feeling good, what you eat and when you eat it can affect your mood, your stress levels and your ability to concentrate.

In order to make sure you're all in tip-top condition for those upcoming exams we've put together a few brain-boosting recipes as well as a little guide to shifting stress with food

Cinnamon and Raisin Porridge (serves 2)

  • 2 1/4 cups of water
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup regular rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • soya milk or skimmed milk
  • honey
  1. Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high
  2. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed - about 5 minutes
  3. Add cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts, stir, cover the pan and turn off heat
  4. Leave to set for 5 minutes
  5. Serve with milk and honey

Swiss Muesli (serves 2)

  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/4 cup dried apricots chopped
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 4 chopped dates
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 banana
  1. Mix all the ingredients asve the banana together with some water on a low hear, stirring occasionally until water is absorbed - about 7 minutes.
  2. Serce with a touch of low fat milk or unsweetened soya milk
  3. Top with chopped banana

Brain boosting smoothie (serves 2)

  • 3 cups low fat milk or substitute
  • 1 1/2 cups plain low fat yoguty
  • 1 banana
  • 1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup each of mixed fruits
  • 2 tbsp flax oil or 1/2 cup flaxseeds
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter (optional)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  1. Blend and enjoy!

Blueberry & Cranberry Smoothie

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup cranberries
  • 3/4 carton of cranberry juice (or milk)
  • 1-2 bananas
  • Ice (optional)
  1. Blend and enjoy!

Wheat-free pasta with Pesto Sauce and Oil Rich Fish

  • 250g/90z (approx) wheat free pasta
  • 100g/4oz (approx) jar pesto sauce
  • 180g/6ox (approx) tin salmon or other oily fish
  1. Cook the pasta in boiling water as per the instructions on the packet
  2. When the pasta is ready, drain and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Add approx one tablespoon pesto sauce per person and gently mix in with the pasta.
  3. Open the tin of fish, drain liquid, remove any large bones and flake with a fork. Add to serving dish containing pasta and pesto and mix gently together

Avocado salad and seeds

  • 250g (approx) bag of mixed lettuce
  • Watercress
  • One avocado
  • A handful (25g) sunflower seeds
  • A handful (25g) pumpkin seeds
  1. Open the packet of mixed salad or watercress and place in a serving dish
  2. Remove skin and stone from avocado. Cut avocado into small pieces and add to mixed salad
  3. Sprinkle on the seeds
  4. Serve plain, with olive oil or the salad dressing of your choice

Fruit and Oatcake Dessert

  • 2 apples
  • 2 bananas
  • 8 dried apricots
  • 6-12 oatcakes
  • 40g (broken) walnuts
  1. Peel bananas and rinse apples and dried apricots
  2. Cut fruit into small pieces and place all together in a small saucepan
  3. Add a minimum of 3 tablespoons of water and simmer gently for approx 10 minutes or until fruit is soft, adding more water to prevent the mixture becoming too dry and sticking to the pan
  4. This tastes great as it is but, if available you could add a dash of lemon juice and/or a teaspoon of chopped ginger and/or a pinch of cinnamon powder, according to your taste
  5. Meanwhile arrange oatcakes in the bottom of individual bowls. (You may have to break them into pieces to make them fit
  6. When fruit mixture is soft, pour into individual bowls to cover the oatcakes. If the fruit mixture contains enough liquid the juices will soak into, and soften, the oatcakes
  7. Serve with a sprinkling of broken walnuts

Week Two - Exercise

Regular exercise can help you combat depression, anxiety, panic attacks.

Adults should do a minimum of 30 minutes moderate-intensity activity five days a week – this can include active hobbies, sports, cycling and daily living (housework and even walking to Tesco and back with shopping!)

The 30mins doesn’t have to be all in one go – it could be made up of three 10 minute bursts throughout the day!

How to... Do exercise during exams

  • Incorporate exercise into your coffee breaks
  • Take the stairs in the library rather than the lift
  • Think about joining the gym, sports club or take up jogging
  • Walk round to a friend's rather than chatting to them on the phone
  • Stand while talking
  • Walk or cycle instead of taking the bus

And remember, no skimping on hydration just because its exams! 6 to 8 glasses of water a day people. And we’re not talking shot glasses either!

Week Three - De-Stress

Top Ten ways to Destress

1. Get Organised
Physical clutter reminds us of things that need to be done. Therefore taking five minutes at the end of every day to clean your work space and write a to-do list for the next day will make your morning a lot less stressful and means you can find what you need straight away.
2. Learn to say no
We've all been influenced by people in our life who tell us we should do this or we ought to do that, and we may end up living a life that others have decided for us. Don’t feel pressured to go out when you’re busy or commit to things that might disrupt your study plans. You’ll be much happier if you can take control of your time and keep on track with your revision.
3. Laugh out loud
Believe it or not but laughing really does make you feel better instantly. Laughter activates your body's stress response, then quickly cools it down, leaving you relaxed and full of endorphins (but remember to keeps those laughs to a minimum in the Silent Study Areas of the Library).
4. Feel good environment
Make sure your body and mind know the difference between work and play by separating your work and sleep area.
5. Be realistic
Don't try to be perfect - no one is. And definitely don’t be scared to ask for help to clear up any uncertainties.
6. A problem shared is a problem halved
Don't keep your fears, hopes, anxieties and anticipations to yourself. Talk about your work project, share your worry and verbalize your frustration with a good friend or family member. Talking things over always helps put issues into perspective, and you won't feel so alone with the problem.
7. You time
Remember to take time for yourself and incorporate ‘you’ activities into your day. You'll be more successful in actually doing ‘you’ activities when you give them a time and place on your calendar.
8. Breathing
It sounds too good to be true but deep breathing is a great on the spot relaxer. Close your eyes and begin with a deep breath, pushing your abdomen out as you fill your lungs with air. Inhale gently through your nose. You can exhale either through your nose or through your mouth. Sit quietly and breathe for ten completed breaths. This is usually enough to get you back on track, but you can sit and breathe for as long as you need to.
9. Stretching
This can be simply moving your head to each side and up and down, slowly. You can then shrug your shoulders up toward your ears and then let them relax. Next, you can move both arms across your chest, crossing over each hand alternately. Then, move your shoulders back toward your spine. If you have been working on a computer for a long time, you should also put your palms together as if in prayer and press gently. This will relieve tension in your wrists.
10. Mini Self Massage
This de-stressor can make you feel wonderful even though the technique is really quite simple. With the thumb of one hand, massage the palm of the other hand. Make small circles with your thumb, working every area of the palm, and eventually work your way up each finger. Switch and do the other hand.

Beating Exam Stress

1) Take a step back
Exams bring out the best in some people, and the worst in others. But at the end of the day its true what your parents say… you can only do your best – and your best is all that you can do.
2) Be organised
If you find out exactly what you’re facing, you can work out a plan for dealing with it, and this will go a long way towards putting your mind at ease. Make sure you know how you will be examined, and what you’ll be examined on. If you can, get a copy of the syllabus and past exam papers. Catch up with anything you've missed, so that you’ve got all your notes up to date.
3) Plan a timetable
Take time to plan a revision timetable that’s realistic and still flexible in case it all goes pear shaped. Also make sure that your revision timetable is linked to your exam timetable, so you revise subjects in the right order. In planning it, give yourself clear priorities and try to balance your revision with other demands on your time – meals, sleep or other commitments, as well as time for relaxing. Identify your best time of day for studying.
4) Its all about units
One way to structure your work might be to divide each day into three units (morning, afternoon and evening), giving you a total of 21 units per week. Estimate how long you think it will take you to revise each of your topics, allowing more time for things you find most difficult, and divide the topics up between the units. However everyone needs time off and it’s important you have some sort of fun to combat the term three blues. Always leave yourself a minimum of six units of free time for sports, social time and hobbies per week.
5) The basics
As well as all the above don’t forget to get enough sleep, eat properly, drink plenty of water and take regular exercise. It sounds too simple to be true but it really will make revising and focussing a lot easier.
6) Study groups
Think about getting together in a study group with some friends off your course. It can help with revision and give you an opportunity to talk to each other about what is worrying you, letting off steam and reducing tension. Just make sure it doesn’t turn into a gossiping session.
7) Take a break
There is no way your brain can concentrate at full capacity for hours on end and you will just end up being unproductive. To make sure you are not wasting time and effort it’s vital that you take a quick break in-between revision - don’t try to study for longer than 45 to 60 minutes at a stretch. Set your alarm clock for about an hour, work solidly in that time with no faffing and then take a 5 minute break – whether it be going for a walk, texting a friend or grabbing some water. However remember that if you are working in the library and you leave your study space for longer than 30 minutes you personal items will be cleared to free up space for someone else.
8) Facebook is the devil
Ok well it’s not quite the devil but in term three it comes pretty close. We all know that the amount of time we spend on facebook during revision time probably equals a week of our lives. However even though stalking your friends is a lot more interesting than a text book, try rationing your facebook time by only allowing yourself five minute timed sessions. Make it something you look forward to as opposed to seeing five hours pass by staring at the tagged photos from last night.

Week 4 - Sleep vs Caffeine

Sometimes we incur a ‘sleep debt', making us tired and irritable, unable to concentrate or to function properly. It stops once the debt is paid off.

Things that may disrupt your sleep pattern

  • too much stress
  • ill-health or physical pain
  • emotional difficulties, including anxiety and depression
  • overusing alcohol, tobacco and caffeine

Tips to help you sleep

  1. Establish a regular routine. Go to bed only when you're tired and get up at the same time each day. Avoid napping during the day.
  2. Check your sleeping arrangements. Think about comfort, temperature, light and noise levels.
  3. Learn to de-stress before bed. Dismiss nagging thoughts by writing them down. Have a warm bath, practise a relaxation technique, or listen to a relaxation tape. (But don't read or watch television in bed.)
  4. Don't eat late. Avoid rich, spicy or sugar-rich foods, red meat and cheese. Choosing wholemeal, low-fat, magnesium-rich foods (green salads, broccoli, nuts and seeds) may encourage sleep, as may drinking hot milk and honey.
  5. Get enough exercise, so your body will be naturally tired.
  6. Don't stay in bed. If you can't sleep, get up after 20 minutes and go through your relaxation routine again.
  7. Try some reverse psychology: keep your eyes open and tell yourself to resist sleep. Interrupt unwanted thoughts: repeat a soothing word to yourself. Visualise a scene or landscape that has pleasant memories for you.
  8. Talk to your GP. Sleeping pills present problems, but a brief course is sometimes appropriate.

Night-time relaxation routine

Breathe deeply, counting slowly up to four as you breathe in, hold for another four seconds and then breathe out slowly. A good yoga technique to relax is to consciously tense and relax your muscles, in turn, starting at your toes and working up your body.

Caffeine - The Issues

  • Caffeine increases mental alertness and concentration and can improve performance. However, too much caffeine (and this will be a different amount for each person) has been found associated with: anxiety, cravings, depression, emotional instability, insomnia, mood swings, nervousness and premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Regular tea and coffee drinkers may be confusing the mental boost apparently provided by their favourite cuppa with the affects of avoiding the unpleasant caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Caffeine dependency can be acquired with as little as two or three cups drunk daily. A normal dose of caffeine is about 50 mg to 200 mg. Caffeine works best when you take it on an intermittent, off-and-on basis.

Caffeine and Sleep Don’t Mix

Caffeine can have a disruptive effect on your sleep. The most obvious effect is that it can make it hard for you to fall asleep. This will reduce your total sleep time. Caffeine also can reduce the amount of deep sleep that you enjoy and sleep is so important especially during exam time.

At high doses, caffeine can produce these common side effects:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Increased heart rate
  • Increased breathing rate
  • Muscle tremors

Withdrawal symptoms can occur when you stop taking caffeine after using it regularly for a long time. These symptoms include:

  • Headaches
  • Sleepiness
  • Low energy levels
  • Bad moods

All in all: Keep caffeine levels down to a minimum!