MANAGING STRESS & ANXIETY

A little bit of stress can be a good thing as it motivates us to knuckle down and work hard. But exams can make stress levels get out of hand, which can stop our children from performing to their best. So it's important to address it and get it back under control.

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Stress & Anxiety Symptoms

Look out for prolonged or extreme cases of the following if you feel the work's piling up on your child:

• Difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty waking up in the morning

• Constant tiredness

• Forgetfulness

• Unexplained aches and pains

• Poor appetite

• Loss of interest in activities

• Increased anxiety and irritability

• Increased heart rate

• Migraines/headaches

• Blurred vision

• Dizziness

 

If you've noticed three or more of the above symptoms and they have experienced them for a few weeks you may need to do something about their stress levels.

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How to manage exam stress

• Help your child to learn to recognise when they're stressing out. A break or a chat with someone who knows the pressure they're under will get things into perspective

• Eat right. Treat them like a well honed machine - encourage them to eat fresh fruit and veg and have a proper breakfasts. Fuel their brain as well as your body - no one can think straight on coffee and chocolate.

• Sleep well. Encourage them to wind down before bed and not to revise under the duvet .

• Exercise. Nothing de-stresses the mind faster than physical activity, so build it into their timetable. Being a sloth makes our mind sloppy too,

• Panic is often triggered by hyperventilating (quick, shallow breaths). So if they begin to feel themselves  losing it during the exam, encourage them to sit back for a moment and control their breathing. Deep breath in and out through the nose, counting to five each way.

• Steer clear of any exam 'post-mortem'. It doesn't matter what they mate wrote for Question 3(b), it's too late to go back and change answers, so it will just make themworry even more.