Contributed by Healthians Team
Exam time brings with it many extra stresses and pressures on children about what happens next. Exam stress can be unpleasant and can sometimes seem overwhelming. Some signs of exam-related stress are easy to spot, and others can be less obvious. Children who are stressed may:
- feel anxious and nervous to perform
- worry about not being able to cope with revision
- find it hard to focus
- have irritability
- indulge in negative talk such as “I can’t do this” or “I am surely going to fail”
It is really important to support our children to learn how to cope, flourish during these testing times. As parents, we want our children to perform well, we worry about their future, and we want to help them but are not often sure how to do it. The good news is there is a lot that we can do as modern-day parents to equip our kids with not only a sense of perspective but also a positive mindset when exam time comes around. Here are some of the things you can do to relieve children from the stress during exams:
Managing exam stress through exercise:
Exercise releases endorphins that can make your child feel good, reducing stress and helping them to get a good night’s sleep. Encourage them to take a simple walk to the market or play an outdoor game for 30 mins. This can be enough to help your child keep calm, mentally relax and return refreshed to studies.
Managing exam stress through Four-Seven-Eight:
This is a breathing technique that can help children to center themselves and calm down when they feel nervous. It focuses attention on the breath and also tricks the body into feeling more relaxed by bringing down an accelerated heart rate. This technique can be used at any time, anywhere by simply following the below steps:
- exhaling deeply through the mouth
- taking a deep breath through the nose for four counts
- holding the breath for seven counts
- exhaling through the mouth for eight counts
- repeating this four to eight times.
Managing exam stress through the right diet:
A balanced diet is vital for your child’s health and must be planned well keeping in mind the stress that the child is under. Some parents feed high-sugar and high-caffeine foods and drinks, such as energy drinks, coke, sweets, chocolates, burgers, and chips to children during exams. While it is okay to eat and drink small quantities of sweet things and chocolates, however taking in too much sugar actually slows down the passage of information in the brain. It adds anxiety, discomfort, and irritability. Where possible, encourage your child to eat healthy snacks like dry fruits, fruits, milk, curd, and eggs.
Managing exam stress through compassion:
Compassion and support of a loving family is a vital key to helping your child dealing with exam stress. Children find it very difficult to deal with the ordeal of exams on their own. Provide them with sufficient opportunities to obtain guidance from you and do so with kindness, compassion, and discretion. Listen to their apprehensions, give them support and avoid criticism. Help them create a study time-table so there is sufficient time for revision. If they are panicking because they haven’t yet started to revise, assist them in a calm, reassuring and positive manner. Let them know that grades are not the end of the world. Give them permission to move on if things do not go well.
Remember, helping children to feel in control during the exam period is really important. Don’t let them lose precious time in fear and anxiety. Children need to know that you are going to help and support them, but that actually you will still love them and be proud of them no matter what they achieve. We have an excellent article on the eye health of your child. We hope you find the article beneficial for you
