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 Article of the Month - March 2006
Examination Stress and Improving Mental Ability
This is a stressful time of the year if you are a student. You have examinations over the next couple of months and may have big projects to submit. Feeling the pressure to do well in examinations and to complete a multitude of assignments can make you forgetful about the little things, worried, irritable and very strained. Our relationships and social life sometimes have to take a backseat, or, they may be distracting you from your studies. This applies, too, if your job is particularly demanding and/or you are facing hard deadlines.
How do we cope in these situations? What can we do to give us the best possible chance to succeed? How do we support our bodies, feed our minds and cope with these demands mentally and emotionally? The good news is there are lots of measures we can take to look after ourselves. To quote Arthur Vogel (premier herbalist, nutritionist and naturopath): "Nature provides everything we need to protect and maintain our health."
Here are just a few of them:
- Homoeopathically, there are lots of wonderful remedies to help through this time. Try any of the following:
- Fear of exams/exam stress
- try the AAA combination: anacardium, ambrogrisia, argentum nitricum: pre-exams nerves, forcing yourself to go through with it
- lycopodium: will need the toilet, will feel it in the gut with a churning stomach, or bloating, can suffer acid reflux with it
- gelsemium: will have difficulty breathing, feel weak (esp. knees), tremble and take on flu like symptoms
- aconite: will think they are going to die with the fear, will be highly anxious, rapid heartbeat
- argentum nitricum: fear of failure, must perform well and demanding on the self, will feel weak and need to sit down
- silica: fear due to lack of energy and lack of self-confidence. Timid. Will feel constipated and may sweat on head, suffer headache and muscle spasm.
- Picric acid: For when the brain seems is tired, there is indifference, lack of will power and a lack of will to do any mental work, sleeplessness with burning sensation in spine, weariness
- Combination of tissue salts: Calc Phos, Kali Phos, Mag Phos for nervous fatigue from overwork
- Narayani Tops Mix 104: this is ideal for the stressed, overworked, mentally strained person.
- Narayani Stress Spec 6 for all states of stress, also helps to bring emotional calm.
- Narayani Calming pill Mix 6 for calming down emotionally, mentally and physically. I have seen this relax the tensest of people.
- If in doubt, ring your homoeopath for a quick consultation to see which remedy would suit you best.
- Stress takes a toll on the nervous system as well as on your body. Support your nervous system with Kali Phos tissue salts. New Era produce a wonderful range and are available at most good health shops. I have even seen them for sale in Tesco.
- To improve mental acuity, I can recommend the Australian Bush Flower combination Cognis essence. It has helped me during my studies, and many of my clients.
- Herbally, you can take ginkgo biloba herbal tincture as directed on the label to help increase the blood circulation to the brain. It is said to improve memory, increase alertness and nerve transmission speeds, and relieve tension and anxiety. Be careful if you have taken a lot of aspirin previously, or have blood pressure problems.
- A good vitamin B complex will support your brain and nerves at this time.
- If you are stressed, then your body may be in a flight or fight response. The body copes with stress as if it were facing a real physical threat. Hence, a suppressed immune response, elevated blood pressure, muscle tension, increased heart rate, adrenaline surges and suppressed digestive processes will result. You need to take care of this situation with exercise, relaxation (yoga, music, etc.), dealing with the toxicity generated with milk thistle herbal tincture or nux vomica 30C, and supporting the body and mind to switch off the flight or fight response to allow digestion, repair and regeneration to occur. Do this by focussing on something other than studies and deadlines: read a funny book, meditate, have lunch with a friend, dance to your favourite music. Give yourself a mental break and an emotional treat.
- Take some good antioxidants as they prevent free radicals from causing damage in your body. Free radicals are generated during periods of stress and need to be tackled specifically. You also need to try to get your body to regenerate and repair. Try Co-enzyme Q10, herbs like Siberian ginseng, bilberry, chamomile and/or dong quai.
- Get enough sleep. It's difficult at this time when there is so much demand on your time, but it is important to plan and factor your sleeping needs. You need 7-8 hours sleep nightly for optimum functioning. Less than 5 hours sleep can inhibit your capacity to remember all the facts and information you are trying to remember for exams.
- Finally, remember to do the obvious things like drink plenty of good quality water, eat properly, take a good supplement and get some exercise. Exercising can help you relieve some of the strain we hold in our bodies during periods of stress as we tense up. Endorphins released during exercise can help you think more positively and clear your mind for good mental work.
References
Prisma by
Frans Vermeulen
Materia Medica of Narayani Combination Remedies compiled by
Robert Davidson
Prescription for Nutritional Healing by
Phyllis Balch and James Balch
Prescription for Herbal Healing by
Phyllis Balch
Please be advised that the above are only my personal views. I have advised based on a healthy person on no medication. Any measures you take are at your own risk. Consult a nutritionist, herbalist and homoeopath before taking high doses of supplements, herbal tinctures and some homoeopathic remedies. This information does not replace medical advice and you should consult your doctor if you have any concerns about your condition or how the above can affect your medication.
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