Exam Stress

Written By Laksh Thaker (Grade 10)

The word ‘exam’ is to be synonymous with anxiety and stress. in the last 7 years, our country has lost 12582 lives due to stress according to a report from DNAIndia.com. Students need to understand that a piece of paper cannot decide our future. This does not mean that we put a stop to our efforts. Exam stress in a directed way is always beneficial. But this stress should not affect our mental health and mental hygiene. In the last 20 years, mental depression has been seriously taken by governments and international organizations. Mental health is a vital life skill for children. This might sound cliché but it’s true. The Indian education system has given a lot of importance to pen and paper tests. Not every child is capable of memorizing prolonged answers. Not every child is a JEE topper. Some are like Sachin Tendulkar. if Sachin’s parents had forced him to study instead of playing cricket we probably wouldn’t know an entity famously regarded as the god of cricket. As the greatest scientist of the 20^thcentury, Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius but If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree; it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”.

Thus a child may or may not be able to study. But when he gets a lesser score he gets depressed and considers himself a minor among the other academically well-performing students. Considering himself inferior, he might get demotivated and doubt his capabilities. This is the reason why we see young adolescents getting into bad company and also getting addicted to various forms of distractions. They get involved in distractions because this provides them temporary pleasure. I would urge parents, not to pressurize their children for good academic performances. Do not compare them with others. This in turn may lead to negative effects on the nurturing of children. 

How can we decrease stress? 

As I mentioned before little stress is fine because this creates a sense of responsibility towards hard work in you. But overstress may not be fine. To overcome this we need to organize our time in such a way that all your workload is managed. Thoughts are frequently negative harbingers of failure and fear. We must not overthink. Yoga keeps our minds calm. Meditation for 30 mins a day can decrease stress significantly.

This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t divert our attention from studies. Sometimes hobbies like playing sports, art, etc can also decrease stress significantly. Maintaining a balanced diet is extremely important. Try not to use social media as it diverts our minds toward negatives.

Exams are now an integral part of student life. They are essential to the education system but are also a huge source of stress to the students. We need to keep in mind that our marks are not the speedometer for success. Many have been successful without being academically good. Yet basic education is necessary for all. 

Featured Image Courtesy – english.com