D-day is here. The Boards kick off today. You've done your preparations, and now is the time to focus on staying cool as you enter the examination hall.
Performance anxiety? It's normal — actually optimum anxiety helps, says Sameer Parikh, consultant psychiatrist, Max Healthcare.
Here are a few handy tips to stay cool right before your paper starts:
* Sleep well before each paper. Adequate sleep helps you stay calm the next morning.
* Don't overeat.
* Reach the venue with enough time at hand.
* Ameeta Mulla Wattal, Principal, Springdales School (Pusa Road) has this tip for parents: "Don't hang around with the kids at the venue. Just wish them well and leave. Parents can unwittingly transfer stress to children. Students feel more secure among peers."
* Any puja and meetha eating ceremony is best finished at home. Doing such things outside the exam hall adds to the pressure.
* Make most of the 15 minutes you get before you start answering the paper. Says Wattal: "These 15 minutes are for understanding the questions and drawing up a time table."
* Avoid last-minute cramming, says Parikh. "It doesn't help."
{{/usCountry}}* Avoid last-minute cramming, says Parikh. "It doesn't help."
{{/usCountry}}* Once inside the hall, settle down and calm yourself. If you feel nervous, remind yourself it's only natural.
* Once you get the question paper, read it thoroughly. Mentally set targets to finish various segments.
* Don't bother about how quickly others are solving the paper. Think positive.