{"id":29586,"date":"2025-10-29T13:35:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=29586"},"modified":"2025-10-29T13:35:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T05:35:27","slug":"mindfulness-that-actually-works-when-youre-stressed-about-exams","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/mindfulness-that-actually-works-when-youre-stressed-about-exams\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindfulness that actually works when you\u2019re stressed about exams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Reading time: 3 minutes<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Exams have a way of turning your brain into a pressure cooker. Between revision schedules, caffeine overload and that constant voice in your head whispering you should be studying right now<\/em>, stress can hit hard. And while everyone seems to suggest \u201ctry mindfulness,\u201d that can sound useless when you\u2019re staring at a stack of notes or a blank exam page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But mindfulness isn\u2019t about forcing yourself to relax or pretending you\u2019re not stressed. It\u2019s about managing your focus and energy so you don\u2019t burn out. Here\u2019s how to make it actually work during exam season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Keep it short and simple<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t need a long meditation session to be mindful. In fact, trying to squeeze in 20 minutes of silence between study blocks can feel impossible. Start with just one minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you dive into revision, close your eyes and notice your breath. Feel your body in the chair, your feet on the floor and the air moving in and out of your nose. That\u2019s it. Doing this before or after each study session helps reset your mind and stops stress from building into full-blown panic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use your breath to stop the spiral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re anxious before an exam, your breathing usually speeds up, which only makes your body think there\u2019s something to fear. Slow, controlled breathing flips the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try this simple pattern: breathe in through your nose for four counts, hold for two, and breathe out through your mouth for six. Repeat three times. You can do it before you walk into the exam room, during reading time, or even mid-test if you start to freeze.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your heart rate slows, your focus returns and your brain starts working again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Bring mindfulness into your study routine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mindfulness works best when it\u2019s woven into what you already do. Instead of forcing yourself to \u201cfind time for mindfulness,\u201d use it as a study tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you start revising, notice your thoughts without judgment. If your mind jumps to \u201cI\u2019ll never remember all this,\u201d acknowledge it and bring your focus back to the page. That\u2019s mindfulness, not erasing thoughts, but noticing them and choosing where to place your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try short, focused study bursts (like 25 minutes) followed by two minutes of mindful breathing or stretching. It keeps your energy steady and helps your memory stick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Ground yourself before and during exams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your mind blanks out mid-exam, try grounding through your senses. Silently name:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Five things you can see<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Four you can feel<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Three you can hear<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Two you can smell<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • One you can taste<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s fast, subtle and brings you back to the present moment – the only place your answers exist anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Mindfulness won\u2019t erase exam stress and that\u2019s okay<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You don\u2019t need to feel perfectly calm to perform well. Mindfulness doesn\u2019t remove pressure; it helps you stay clear-headed when the pressure hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stress is part of caring about your results. The key is not letting it run the show. With a few mindful minutes a day, you can stay grounded, focus better and walk into exams feeling a little more in control. And that\u2019s a win on its own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Mindfulness isn\u2019t about forcing yourself to relax or pretending you\u2019re not stressed. It\u2019s about managing your focus and energy so you don\u2019t burn out. Here\u2019s how to make it actually work during exam season. | Reading time: 3 mins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4418,"featured_media":26713,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"4576,4997,8510,8192,5910,5447","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_oasis-categories":0,"footnotes":""},"oasis-categories":[146,149],"class_list":["post-29586","oasis-news","type-oasis-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","oasis-categories-student-life","oasis-categories-wellbeing"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/adobe-1000x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Rachelle","last_name":"Erzay","display_name":"Rachelle Erzay"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-24 18:44:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/29586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oasis-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/29586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-categories?post=29586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}