As well as worrying about revision, students stress about what to eat and what to wear

I HAVE TO admit, I've even surprised myself with how relaxed and chilled out I'm feeling today. There is a certain foreboding sense of turbulence lurking just under the surface of my cheerful veneer, but so far, I've been keeping any panic at bay by repeating the mantra, "Don't take life too seriously - you'll never get out alive."

I've got English Paper I this morning - it's a great boost for me to be starting with one of my strongest subjects, in which I got an A1 last year. However, I know that others who don't feel as passionately about English as I do will be delighted to get it out of the way, while I still have my least favourite, Irish, to dread next week.

It's such a relief to have the two English papers on separate days.

I appreciate that many people still have two exams on each day, but English is particularly hard on the hands. In my English mocks, I wrote 14 A4 pages for Paper I and 26 for Paper II. Thank goodness our hands can now recover overnight in between! For English Paper I, I've decided to write a short story as opposed to an essay. When I write an essay, it tends to sound didactic and preaching, and I don't think that 19-year-old know-it-alls are too endearing to correctors, so I stick to what I'm good at. Therefore, I have a short-story orientated mnemonic rattling around in my head today - (Thanks, Mr Eager!) - and I keep reminding myself that there is no such thing as stupid questions, only stupid people.

Speaking of stupid questions, the issue of nutrition has been brought to the forefront of attention in my house of late, specifically my nutrition. My food consumption and weight are suddenly open to scrutiny and discussion by my worried parents, who have been watching too many Exam Food for Thought-type shows.

I appreciate that they simply want me to be at the peak of my health walking into the exams, but it's really very frustrating to have additional stress over something so insignificant! I know, too, that it's not just me under this pressure at home. Leaving Cert students often gain or lose weight around this time of year, depending on their disposition, and neither are criminal offences.

We'll all get back to normal once the exams are over. As a slight young woman, the loss of a few pounds over the course of two weeks of intensive study has shown sharply on my diminutive frame and I've had to explain to my mum that intense brain activity burns calories and that big, heavy meals can make the body and mind sluggish, which wastes precious study time. My mother's concern, on the other hand, is that I won't have the strength to lift a pen and write for hours. The battle continues . . .

Meanwhile, time to address the big issue: what will I wear today? Most schools require that their students wear their uniforms, which aside from the fact that most uniforms are uncomfortably hot in June, is a marvellous idea, as it circumvents the problem of finding an appropriate outfit while in a tragically delicate state of mind just before an exam.

Obviously, as an external candidate, I am devoid of that option, so I turn to my wardrobes in apprehension. Shallow as it may seem, the smallest things can set off a ticking Leaving Cert student stress bomb, so I really want to have everything prepared for this morning. Everything about these exams comes back to efficiency. All my necessities will have been laid out last night. I will not wear too many layers, as it would waste precious seconds removing them during the exam. I'm not sure if I've ever even gone to the bathroom during an exam. It's all a race against time; a race in which the winner is not he who finishes first, but he who writes most of greatest quality. Therefore, jeans and T-shirt may cut it for today. So, with my stress-o-meter still reading borderline, I'm not too worried. The balance may tip in favour of stressed this morning but I know that it won't last long. The main tension of the Leaving Cert is the build-up, and by the time English is over I'll be in my stride.

* Today my thoughts go out to the family and friends of Sarah Alford, of Enfield, Co Meath, who died tragically on May 21st, and would have been starting her Leaving Cert tomorrow.

Laura Brady is a repeat Leaving Cert student at the Institute of Education, Dublin