WELL-BEING: MINDFULNESS

FOR EXAMS
What is mindfulness? Mindfully making a drink
To introduce your students to the concept of mindfulness,
Mindfulness is essentially awareness. It is about training
you might like to ask them to think about something they
the attention to notice our thoughts, feelings, emotions,
do several times every day, like making a drink. Rather than
sensations, physical reactions and anything around us that
the very mechanical doing mode which they will typically
is happening right now, without judging them. This can
use, ask them to try and ‘experience’ each element of the
help us to make better, more skilful decisions. The brain
task and be fully present throughout and to think about
can be ‘rewired’ to work in more helpful or skilful ways. In
some of the following:
many ways it’s like brain training. Just as people go to the
gym and lift weights regularly to build muscle, mindfulness • What can you hear? For example, when making a drink,
helps train the brain by doing the practices daily. notice the sound of pouring the drink or boiling water.
• What can you smell? For example, for tea, coffee or juice,
Preparing for exams notice how the smells change as you make the drink.
Neuroscientists are starting to understand more about how • What can you see? For example, notice the colours and
mindfulness practice can help. Studies indicate that it helps how they change.
in two main ways, especially when it comes to exams. • What can you feel? For example, the warmth or coolness
of the drink in your hands.
1 It helps to increase the density in the front of your brain.
• What can you taste? For example, when taking a sip
This is the part of the brain associated with memory, our
of the drink, notice how it first tastes and any changes
ability to solve problems and to manage distraction.
in taste.
2 It helps us to manage strong or difficult emotions. • Enjoy being in the moment as you consume your drink.
Feeling some stress and anxiety around exams is natural
This simple exercise can have a big impact. Many people
and, indeed, can help boost performance. It’s when this
find they notice and taste far more. When you take time to
becomes too much that it becomes a problem.
slow down and live in a more moment-to-moment way, you
Mindfulness helps to calm activity in the bit of the brain are able to experience life more fully and appreciatively.
associated with worry. This can then help to create a greater sense of calm.

Doing and being Being kind to yourself

Very often, you might find that your students want to get Exam preparation can be a stressful time, so it’s important
straight into doing a task like revision just to get it finished to encourage your students to take some time out regularly
and out of the way. This is called doing mode — it helps to to be kind to themselves: to recharge their batteries, give
get things done, but not always to consider the best way of their brain some breathing space and acknowledge all the
tackling the task. Mindfulness helps by giving your students good preparatory work they’re putting in. Remind your
a moment to pause and enter being mode. This allows students to take regular breaks and enjoy some ‘downtime’
them time to ground themselves and to be fully focused with friends and family to help recharge.
on the present moment, so they experience things more These mindfulness practices can help your students to stay
fully. Usually this will help them to take a calmer and wiser calm and focused as they revise for their exams.
approach to a task, which will mean they’re more effective.
The pressures of revision and exams may make them feel Important
that taking ‘time out’ from revision to do these practices is If you suspect that stress and anxiety are getting on top
not possible. However, regularly doing even short practices of your students, encourage them to speak to someone
where they can drop into being mode can begin to give they trust. Opening up about how they feel can really
them greater mental space or clarity. help in dealing with what can be an intense time. If they
have recently experienced the loss of a loved one, a
traumatic event, have been diagnosed with a mental
illness or have any ongoing physical pain, it’s really
important that they check in with someone (such as
a parent, counsellor, doctor or you, their teacher) before
doing these practices.

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 Well-being: Mindfulness for exams

Practising mindfulness
Just like learning any new skill, for example playing a sport
or an instrument, mindfulness is something that has to be
practised daily to have richer benefits. Doing daily practices
of 10 minutes or so can really help your students to move
their awareness to be fully in the present moment in a
non-judgemental way, helping them to avoid overthinking,
which can lead to worry, anxiety and stress.
Good posture for practice
Getting your posture correct for doing mindfulness practice
is really important. These practices are designed to be
done in a seated position. The Body Scan can also be done
lying down. Tell students to try to find a chair they can sit in
that allows their feet to rest fully on the ground with their
ankles, knees and hips all at right angles and with their
back slightly away from the back of the chair. The room
you choose should be somewhere you won’t be disturbed.
Make sure that students’ put their phones into silent or Practice 2: The three-step breathing space
flight mode. Let other teachers that you work with know The benefits
that you’ll be doing mindfulness practice so that they do Worrying about what has gone on in the past or what might
not disturb you. Mindfulness can help your students to take happen in the future cannot change events and distracts
a healthy, effective approach to revision. But ensure they you from the present — from what you are doing now. The
remember they will still need to plan and revise! present is something that you can change, so that is where
your focus should be. For example, you can explain to your
Practice 1: Mindfulness of breath and body students that worrying about their exams in several months’
The benefits time won’t be as helpful as them revising now!
Very often our minds like to wander. In this practice, your The three-step breathing space practice can help your
students focus their attention on their breathing and students to fully ground themselves in the present and
on different parts of their body. It’s a bit like shining a gives them a few moments to rest and recharge. The
torchlight so that they focus on just one thing at a time, practice is structured a bit like an hourglass. The three-
feeling the sensations that arise. Practising this regularly step breathing space is a very useful practice if ever your
helps the mind wander less, which leads to less worrying students start to feel stressed and want a pause to help
and helps with concentration. Remind your students that it them step back and get perspective.
is normal for the mind to wander while you are meditating
Guidance on the practice
as that is what minds do! They are just trying to train it. The
Mindfulness of breath and body practice will help your The great thing about this practice is that you can do it in
students to develop their awareness and focus, which can three minutes or less. Use it with your students to take a
help with revision. In addition, focusing on breath also has break in class to ‘recharge’ themselves while revising. Or,
a calming effect (great if they’re worrying about exams). your students might find it a useful exercise to help ground
Moving the focus to the body can also help to identify themselves just before or even during an exam.
physical feelings caused by stress. Examples of stress in the 1 Firstly, students do a ‘weather check’ of the mind, to
body might be ‘butterflies’ or cramps in the stomach, hands see what’s going on by observing their thoughts, giving
shaking, getting sweaty or the mouth going dry. them a more objective viewpoint of how busy or calm
Guidance on the practice their mind is.
Explain to your students that if their mind wanders, they 2 Then, students turn their attention to their breath,
should try to bring it back with a sense of kindness. It doesn’t helping them to focus in the present moment.
matter how many times the mind wanders, it’s bringing 3 Finally, students expand out that awareness to
it back each time to the focus on the breath or the body sensations in the rest of their body, becoming aware of
that’s important, as they are increasing their concentration where they may be holding any emotions in the body as
and training their attention each time. Tell them not to get stress or tension.
frustrated as it is just part of training the brain.
To access the audio file for Practice 2, please use the App.
To access the audio file for Practice 1, please use the App.

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