Written By Darshan M (Grade 10)
Stress is a state of mind where one is taking some amount of pressure or tension. It can come from any thought that makes you feel frustrated or angry. Stress is your body’s reaction to a challenge you face. Sometimes stress bursting can be positive, such as when it helps you avoid any kind of danger or meet a deadline.
Stress levels may be higher than usual during exam time. Exam stress can be overwhelming. It can confuse and exhaust you. If everything seems to be getting on top of your mind, there are things you can work on to keep calm.
When you are not able to understand some course material that can also add to your stress. Keeping a routine and taking regular breaks important to have regular study breaks and make time for relaxation and exercise.
Practising mindfulness helps you focus on what’s happening right at this moment. Going for a walk, running, or to the gym is not a waste of time. It’s a great way to clear your stress and can help you focus.
Watching your liked TV show or going to the movies are also good ways to take a break from a hectic schedule. External pressures around exams can be huge. These can be sometimes hard to deal with, especially with your own family members and people you respect. You need to remember that it’s your own and important life and your exam, with you in control.
Exams have always been a little stressful for students. More pressure is put from schools as students feel that they are ‘judged’ on the results they score and some more pressure from parents as they feel that life is not as easy and they do not want their kid to see those struggles.
However, one could also discuss that the rising level of students and parents coming to mental health advisers for help is a sign of a more open and a liberal society that we live in as it demonstrates that we are becoming more comfortable discussing these issues of mental health with people who can help us. Another source (The Guardian) states that more than half of mental health cases in the UK are in students from the age of 14 onwards and that 75% of mental health issues will be faced by age 18. These ages are the prominent years when students are preparing for their exams which leads to the issue of why the level of support among teenagers is not changing when the number of mental health issues in young people is.
Overall, the exam years of high school are the hardest years of one’s life and it does not help with stress when students can’t even have a look at exam papers. Since the recent changes in the curriculum, including the grade boundaries changing and the whole exam content being completely rearranged, many students are struggling with the whole premise of not being able to prepare for old exam papers and example texts. This adds yet the next level of stress to students as they feel completely unprepared for the upcoming exams, which greatly impacts their schooling life. Can our society address this issue before the situation gets worse?
Featured Image Courtesy – The New Indian Expres