Our coaches on study-life balance

It's really easy for GCSE or Nationals revision to take over your life, so you need to make sure to make some time to do things that you enjoy. Iain set an amount of time in his day to meet his friends and talk to them. That meant that he could set some time to focus on his Nationals revision without being distracted. However, Chloe preferred to revise by herself, because when she was with her friends she talked too much! Jacintha has some wise words, "It's very important to choose your study friends carefully. Make sure that you study with friends that will concentrate on their work and not distract you." Nung’s school was really helpful and gave her lots of support to maintain a healthy study-life balance during her GCSE exams – she says to never be afraid to ask for help. Mind Set expert Anxiety Josh says that looking after yourself physically and mentally is very important. He says exercise is a great way to destress and feel happier. Exercise really helped Baxter with his GCSE revision, doing boxing for an hour or two made him feel good and want to do more revision. But if exercise isn't your thing, you could set some time aside to do another hobby, like Milly did. She thought it was important to make time for doing the things she loved, like painting. If you'd like to know some more about how exercise can help with your revision, then have a look at this guide from Team GB Olympic gymnasts, Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova. Rohan said that thinking about the summer holidays was definitely a major motivator to help him push through his exams. Lauren says that having a regular sleep pattern is so important as it helps your memory consolidate your revision. To find out more about how sleep can be a super power when you are studying for your Nationals or GCSE exams, give this short video a watch.