During a study break . . .

The Optimum-Rest Method

• Lie flat on your back on the floor (use a rug or pad).
• Raise your knees, keeping you feet flat on the floor.
• Separate your feet to about eighteen inches (about 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.

Before the test . . .

The Palming Method

• Close your eyes gently, and cover them with the palms of your hands.
• Avoid any pressure upon the eyeballs by resting the lower part of the palms on the cheekbones, and the fingers on the forehead. The eyeballs should never be pressed, rubbed, massaged, or handled.
• 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 far 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.

During the exam . . .

The Count-of-Three Method

• 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 (steps 1 to 4) several times. (Once you have the rhythm, you need not continue counting, but keep up the same timing and the same pauses.)

Or

The Doctors’ Method

• Breathe in until your lungs can hold no more.
• Take in a quick gasp of air through your mouth.
• Breathe out slowly and evenly.
• Repeat steps 1, 2, and 3 seven times.