Istanbul Gelisim University - A good breathing exercise suggestion to deal with exam stress

A good breathing exercise suggestion to deal with exam stress

There are only a few days left for the High School Entrance Exam (LGS), which will be attended by more than one million students. Physiotherapist Çağıl Ertürk pointed out that simple breathing exercises to be done before and during the exam will reduce stress and anxiety, and said, "We observe that our minds are clearer and our perception level is higher with breathing exercises, which will reflect on exam performances."

The High School Entrance Exam (LGS), which more than one million students and parents await with excitement, will take place on Sunday, June 6. A few days before the exam, a method to relieve stress symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, insomnia, and stomachache experienced before the exam is suggested by the specialist. Stating that the stress can be reduced with simple breathing exercises, Physiotherapist Lect. Çağıl Ertürk from Istanbul Gelisim University said, “We see that breathing exercises and breath management have been scientifically proven by many studies. Breathing exercises are very important for students. We have a vagus nerve in our body, which we call the tenth cranial nerve. We can consider this as the longest nerve in our body. This nerve is a nerve that heals, repairs and calms our body. Therefore, together with the breathing exercises we do, we actually stimulate this nerve. This puts our body in repair, calming and resting mode.”

CALM YOUR BODY BY STIMULATING THE NERVES

Stating that the nerves are stimulated with breathing exercises, Ertürk said, "My advice, both during the preparation period for the exam and especially on the exam day, is to calm the body as much as possible by stimulating this nerve with deep breathing exercises. We have two types of breathing, which we call thoracic and diaphragmatic breathing. Here, we try to create a conscious awareness with breathing exercises. There is no need for a course for this and our students can experience it themselves.”

REPEAT AT LEAST 10 TIMES

Ertürk described the simple exercise to be done with these words:
“Put one hand on your chest, take a deep breath and exhale while feeling your chest swell. Repeat it ten times. Afterwards, Put your hand on the diaphragm and feel the swelling of the abdomen under the diaphragm and exhale. The more you repeat this exercise, the more you stimulate this nerve. This is how we transition to calming down state.”

POSSIBLE TO DO BEFORE SLEEP AND DURING THE EXAM

Recommending that students go to the exam location early, Ertürk said, “They can go to the exam hall a little earlier, breathe the atmosphere and do these exercises in that environment. They are very stressed the day before, they may have trouble falling asleep. They can also perform this breathing pattern the night before.”

THE LONGER, THE BETTER

Suggesting that the students who will take the exam next year should also do this exercise, Ertürk said, “The earlier we prepare for these exercises, the more we train the neuronal structure of our body. It becomes permanent.”

MAY AFFECT EXAM PERFORMANCE

Stating that the students can not perform the performance they want due to the stress they experience, Ertürk concluded his words as follows:

“With breathing exercises, we observe that our mind is more open, more aware, conscious, and our level of perception is high. This will reflect on our exam performance. Even if our students can't do anything, they can do relaxation exercises. We can do exercises to relax our shoulder girdle muscles and neck muscles. It becomes a much better exercise prescription when it is done by combining the exercise strategies recommended by physiotherapists. Do not let students wear out and lose their motivation. I always think they will be successful if they can manage this process along with exercise and relaxation techniques.”