IF the upcoming Christmas holidays are less about festive cheer and more about slaving over a textbook in preparation for your Standard or Higher Grades, the next few months could be a bit stressful. Well, fear not, for here is a useful guide on how to stop your impending exams getting the better of you, so you can relax and have a happy Christmas and successful New Year.

1 ­ Exercise
When you're stressed your body produces more adrenaline than it needs. Hence you feel anxious, irritable, and unable to concentrate, which makes you even more stressed. One of the best ways to break this vicious circle is through exercise. Physical activity is a great way to get rid of that excess adrenaline. Go for a swim, a long walk, or play football with your mates to let off some steam, and come back to your studies fresh and calm.

2 ­ Stretch
Our bodies weren't designed to be hunched over a book or PC for hours at a time. While studying you'll find your muscles start to ache and seize up and you won't be able to concentrate on what you're supposed to be taking in. Make a point of getting up once an hour and moving about a bit. Here are two simple exercises to help relieve the stress in your body and therefore your mind:

Upper back In your chair lean forward sightly, letting your arms hang down by your sides.

Keeping your elbows pointed down, swing your hands up so they're level with your shoulders. You should look like you're about to snap some imaginary braces. Push your shoulders back, stretching your upper chest and taking the strain off tight neck and shoulder muscles. Hold the shoulders back and repeat this exercise five times.

Lower back Move your chair away from the desk or turn it so you have room to bend forward. Sit upright with your feet and knees about a shoulder-width apart. Try to relax your body as much as possible, and slowly bend forward so your shoulders rest on your knees. Let your arms swing down and try to touch the floor with your fingers. Hold the position for five seconds and slowly straighten up in your chair. Repeat five times.

3 ­ Sleep
This one's pretty obvious but getting eight hours of sleep a night gives your brain and body time to recover from the exertions of the day. This is especially important when studying. You take in significantly less information when you're tired.

4 ­ Organise your time
A lot of people get stressed because they feel they don't have enough time or control of their lives. A great way to overcome this is simply to organise your time better. When you're revising, having a plan for each day will help you feel on top of your workload, and give you a sense of peace and accomplishment as you achieve everything you've set out to do. So instead of trying to cram 200 pages of notes into your brain in a few days or ­ shudder ­ the night before an exam, why not spend 20 days going over 10 pages of notes each day. You'll absorb the information more effectively, gain a better understand of what you're reading, and avoid the stress that cramming brings.

Simple things like having a daily "To Do" list or a revision timetable over a few weeks will help you stay on top of things and keep stress at bay. Just don't forget to schedule in some fun stuff too.

5 ­ Eat and drink right
First of all, try and avoid drinking coffee. Sure, serious academics and artistic types are supposed to burn the midnight oil while dutching a black coffee, but caffeine is a stimulent and only makes stress worse. Reduce your caffeine intake ( this includes cola and tea, too) and drink more water instead. One of the simplest elements on the planet will help you concentrate, keep headaches at bay, and keep your body ticking over nicely.

As for food, you know that you're supposed to have five portions of fruit and vegtables every day, but also tryporridge, which boosts your brain by realeasing energy slowly, and salmon, which is high in the omega-3 oils that help make your brain cells. The healthier your brain is the less stressed you will be.

6 ­ Be prepared
All the above points are important ways to bust stress, but the ultimate way to not get anxious about exams is very simple: be well prepared. The main source of stress while studying is the fear that you haven't done enough. Here are a few simple ways to get you prepared for the day of the exam:

Past papers: Course syllabuses don't tend to change radically from one year to the next, so the main topics that are covered one year are very likely to resurface the next year.

Getting your hands on past papers is a great way to identify these "banker" topics. They also give you the opportunity to find out which are your strongest topics, and which ones need more work. Athletes train for big races, musicians rehearse for concerts, so why shouldn't students study for exams?

Note-taking: This is at the heart of good studying. When you read a text on a topic try and prise out the most important information and then write it down in a format you know works for you. This could be via mind maps, bullet points, on PowerPoint, or your own system.

The important thing is to collect the information in a way you will be able to use effectively.