Though exam stress and the pressure to do well in school,and secure admission in a good college are normal, it can cause students to feel anxious, which in turn can affect their sleep and concentration and lead to a poor performance. The first step to deal with exam anxiety is to recognise the signs of stress. Second, parents, educators and the school must encourage an open and honest communication with the students to help them emerge stronger. Here are a few ways to deal with this issue:
Set realistic goals: Provide opportunities for students to set realistic and achievable short- and long-term learning goals. Involve parents to help align their expectations with their child’s.
Time management: Students often get stressed when they feel that they are running out of time to complete something. Developing effective and simple structures around time-management can help them relax and stay focused. Help them create a plan — a written work schedule or breaking down of tasks into manageable chunks — to address the ‘out-of-control feeling’.
Sleep: To deliver one’s best performance, a person needs seven-eight hours of sleep. Also form the habit of sleeping and waking at the same time every day.
Positive self-talk: Anxiety often leads to negative thoughts and self-doubt. Educators should try to replace this with a positive thoughts. Make students look back at how far they have come and how much they have already achieved. Also reinforce that they have prepared well, and there should be no reason to worry.
Healthy mind-set: Reminding students that failure is an opportunity for growth and learning is a key aspect of success. In this unprecedented time of COVID-19, students have many unanswered questions about their future but it is imperative for to understand that change is the only constant. Apart from keeping one’s physical body healthy, one must also enrich and nourish the mind. Simple breathing exercising, practising gratitude and mindfulness strategies will all help.
It is also important to remind students that challenges will make them stronger and help them write unique success stories.
The writer it Head, Career Guidance Counsellor at Aditya Birla World Academy
