T hose feeling stressed at themere mention of the HSCshould spare athought forLoraine Rushton. For more

than a decade she's helped HSCstudents, at both private and publicschools, reduce their stress throughyoga and meditation. It can meanteaching at up to 15 schools a weekbefore end-of-year exams.

"One school brought me inbecause year 12 students hadn'tcoped well the previous year; thecounsellor had seen students intears every week," the founder ofZenergy Yoga says.

Yoga and meditation offerpractical tools to help the bodyand the mind.

"They absolutely need time outevery week to learn to relax the bodyand de-stress. Students say they feel100 per cent different afterwards,"she says.

'It's less about studyinghard and more aboutstudying smart,'Dr Rachael Murrihy

While working with body, mindand breath is useful, there are plentyof alternatives available for thosefinding the HSC stressful.

Website reachout.com offersstudents myriad resources, whilethe Reach Out Teachers Networkhelps high school teachers supportyoung people's mental health andemotional resilience.

"Teachers can download lessonplans mapped to curriculumoutcomes in each state," the chiefexecutive of the Inspire Foundation[the group behind Reach Out],Jonathan Nicholas, says.

Nicholas believes sharingconcerns with others can make a bigdifference to stress levels.

"We recommend young peoplehave conversations [with friends orparents] if they are feeling thatthings are out of control," he says,noting that parents can help bymaking sure their teenagers areaware of sites like reachout.com.

Whi>n it rnmps tn stiiHv itself.

Be cool... Felicity McCallum teaches meditation to students Kathryn Mansour, Cassandra Malechi, Stephanie Scalise and Natalie Jukic. Photo: Steven Slewed:

Calmer approach to HSC anxiety pays off for year 12 studentFOR 17-year-old Natalie Jukic,there's simply no ignoring theworkload of the looming HSC.

"There are so many topics Istudy," she says. "With that comesan immense [amount] of work. It'sa huge amount of stress up front."

The year 12 student at MaristSisters' College, Woolwich admits

Nicholas says planning is the key." Stress peaks when we don'tmanage our time well," he says.

University of Technology, Sydney(UTS) research consultant, DrRachael Murrihy, agrees.

She works on a program (TakingCharge of Stress) that sees UTSexperts provide HSC-copingstrategies to more than 50 schoolsevervvear.

she's a "stresser" but says she'sfound a number of ways to combatHSC anxiety.

"I write a list of all the things Ihave due soon, then tick them off,"she says."It works because I can seeeverything so I'm not required to goback into my brain and recall it."

"It's less about studying hard andmore about studying smart. Youneed to be a supreme manager ofyour time, have a study timetableand have rewards for your study,"she says.

This means socialising comesafter you've done the hard yards, notbefore. "We try to encourage peopleto use Facebook or TV as a rewardvou give vourself after doing one or

Jukic also credits her schoolmeditation classes - run by youthministry co-ordinator FelicityMcCallum - with keeping her stresslevels down.

"It's been great in helping usunderstand who we are," she says."It's usually just 10 minutes at thestart of class but I really feel

two hours of work," she says. Shebelieves students can have a lifeoutside study if they adopt goodstrategies. "It's about a balancedlifestyle and not buying into themyth that HSC means you have togive up your life for a year.

"If you have really great timemanagement you should be able togotoamovieona Friday night, or a30-minute walk every day but you

relaxed when I'm meditating, like allmy stress and troubles have goneaway in that moment."

She's already noticed it payingoff. "It has helped me so much tofocus," she says. "I think it's reallyimportant to have that time awayso you're not always focused on thestudy; then I have a fresh mind."

need to stick to your schedule like adoctor's appointment," she says.

LINKSReach Out Teachers Network:teachers.reachoutpro.com.auStudent support: reachout.comYoga and meditation:zenergyyoga.comUTS programs: fls.org.au/schoolsZ.asp