Coping with exam stress

Exam time can be a stressful time for a whole household, with parents worrying about how well the kids will do, how much they are studying and what’s going to happen next.

Everyone deals with stress in their own unique way but there are some key things that can help everyone balance their stress levels out. Some of these may seem simple but you will be surprised how many we forget when we are under stress.

Supportive environment – for a teenager to feel supported by not only parents but all the family does make a difference, even if your only answer to your support is a grunt, keep going it is making a difference, honest.

Sense of control – helping them understand what to expect on the day, what to learn and ways to revise all of these help your teenager feel as if they have prepared as much as they can. The amount of preparation and planning helps build self confidence in not only themselves but their knowledge a key to dealing with exams. 

Positive mental attitude and outlook – focusing on the bright side and the positives of what they have done/learnt, having an optimistic attitude builds resilience and helps them face whatever is put in front of them in the exam room.

So what can we do on a day to day basis:

·       Find a space for them to study – remember we all study differently some people need silence while others work better with music only they know what’s best for themselves.

·       Maybe your day planning skills can help your teenager put together a revision schedule, you manage to pay your bills, have food in the house and get everyone to school/work on time (most of the time) then you have skills that might help.

·       Remind them to take short breaks and move away from their desks

·       Making time to eat properly, take time for exercise and also have some fun this helps the brain to relax and so it becomes more able to take in more information.

·       Drinking water, eating fresh fruit, veggies, nuts and protein are all good for the brain and blood sugar levels.

·       Relaxation techniques are good to hand on to your teenage – deep breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth) 3 or 4 times, lying down then closing eyes and visualising a calming scene or simply going out for a walk outside.

·       Know what to expect from the exam by looking at past exam papers and knowing exam timetables both of these are simple things to help calm nerves which in turn help the brain focus more on the topic than the event.

Always remember that passing an exam is only part of the story.

Good luck to the whole family