Whether you're playing golf or baseball, singing or dancing, studying or reciting, every good teacher will tell you to do so in a relaxed way. Yes, work hard, but never under tension, and do not strain. Relaxation not only makes you feel better and thus work better, but it affects your memory as well. Memory doesn't work well under tension and strain. You know how vexing it is when you have a name on the tip of your tongue, but the name just won't come forth. Then, when you stop straining and begin talking about something else in a relaxed and normal way, the name comes bobbing up like a cork. Your memory will work best when your mind is not under tension and when you are not straining. This is important to know because hours of studying will be useless if you can't remember what you've just learned. Here are four sure-fire relaxation methods, followed by one tension preventer.

The Count-of-Three Method. Just before an interview, or just before seeing a dentist, your palms are sweating, your body is tense, and your breath is short and shallow. Here's what to do (count slowly and calmly through each step):

Through the nose, inhale slowly while silently counting to three.
Hold your breath for the count of three.
Through the nose, exhale slowly while silently counting to three.
With breath out, count to three. Repeat the cycle several times.

The Doctor's Method. Medical Science has come up with an extremely practical breathing exercise to reduce blood pressure: Breathe in until the lungs can hold no more, and then take in a quick extra gasp of air, through the mouth. Breathe out slowly and evenly. Repeat this seven times. What works for high blood pressure also works for high exam anxiety. You can quietly practice this exercise while studying for your exams and during an exam.

The Palming Method. Here's another method that you can do easily, especially at your desk at home or in the library. Close your eyes gently, and cover them with the palms of your hands.

Avoid any pressure upon the eyeballs by resting the lower part of hand on the cheekbones, and the fingers on the forehead. The eyeballs should never be pressed, rubbed, or massaged.
Now, the light is fully excluded from the eyes, even though the eyeballs remain untouched.
Mentally visualize some pleasant scene or incident. Move your eyes to different parts of the visualized picture. Don't stare at any one spot. For example, if you are seeing a lake, first look at the near shore, then at the forests at both ends. Movement of the eyes is important in this method. In less than a minute, you'll feel relaxed again. Repeat this minute's worth of relaxation whenever you feel stress.

The Optimum-Rest Method. Five minutes in the position of optimum rest are equal to hours of sleep. So if you still have a lot of studying to do, but find yourself tense, tired, and tempted to take a nap, here's a better substitute:

Lie flat on your back on the floor.
Raise your knees, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
Separate your feet to about eighteen inches (about shoulder width).
Point your toes in and your heels out.
Allow your knees to come together in a relaxed way.
Cross your arms so that your hands hang limply alongside your neck.
Close your eyes, relax your mind, and imagine your favorite serene quiet scene.