Everyone gets stressed during the exams and results period but it's important not to let it get out of control.

(BBC Advice)

Everyone gets stressed during the exams and results period but it's important not to let it get out of control.

Exams... Ick

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 us from performing our best. So it's important to address it and get it back under control.

Stress Symptoms

Look out for prolonged or extreme cases of the following if you feel the work's piling up:
• 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 you've experienced them for a few weeks you may need to do something about your stress levels.

How to manage exam stress

• Learn to recognise when you're stressing out. A break or a chat with someone who knows the pressure you're under will get things into perspective.
• Avoid comparing your abilities with your mates. Those "Oh my God I've only read Macbeth 17 times" conversations are such a wind up. Everyone approaches revision in different ways, so just make sure you've chosen the method that works best for you. Make a realistic timetable. Stick to it.
• Eat right. Treat yourself like a well honed machine - eat fresh fruit and veg and have a proper breakfasts. Fuel your brain as well as your body - no one can think straight on coffee and chocolate.
• Sleep well. Wind down before bed and don't revise under the duvet - your bed is a sanctuary, not a desk. Get your eight hours.
• Exercise. Nothing de-stresses the mind faster than physical activity, so build it into your timetable. Being a sloth makes our mind sloppy too.
• Quit the bad habits. Cigarettes and alcohol never stopped anyone being stressed for very long.
• Panic is often triggered by hyperventilating (quick, shallow breaths). So if you feel yourself losing it during the exam, sit back for a moment and control your 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 your mate wrote for Question 3(b), it's too late to go back and change your answers, so it will just make you worry even more.
• Ultimately, don't lose sight of the fact that there is life after exams. Things might

Parents, don’t stress kids over exam results

Ismat Tahseen, TNN | May 22, 2013, 12.00AM IST

Parents, don’t stress kids over exam results

Experts in the city sound the alarm as suicide helplines get buzzing with frantic calls from students in the run up to the big result day.


It's just a short while away from the results of the biggest examinations — SSC and HSC — and already parents and their offspring have hit the panic button over what the outcome will be. While it is true that results can show the path towards a child's academic future, the pressure to do well is also making parents frenzied, over-stressed and high-strung. Student helplines have been ringing constantly and psychologists are seeing a rise in cases of student depression in the run-up to D-Day. While everything may be riding on this for young students, it is also a delicate stage in their lives, and parents often sadly forget this fact. "It's a time when parents conjure up worst-case scenarios and lay pressure on the child," says psychologist Malini Krishnan. "He or she is already nervous and parents too have anxieties, which is understandable. But if they are not careful as to what they say it will just add to a sense of failure and lead to breakdown in a child if he or she is vulnerable and on the edge," she warns.

Suicide rates on the rise

Sadly, while restlessness, loss of appetite and sleepless nights are just some of the symptoms, they can also manifest in suicidal feelings. Fear and distress have led to suicide in several cases (see box). "Suicide rates are on the increase," affirms Johnson Thomas, director of Aasra, a helpline that aids suicide prevention.

Latest figures from the organisation show that this year, the number of calls from students to the helpline is 30 a day. "These can be exam related or other factors can be involved," he says, adding, "The days before the result unavoidably bring about uneasiness, impatience, sleepless nights, loss of appetite and worry. Students have negative thoughts that if their percentage does not meet expectations, they might get humiliated. Often, what happens is when youngsters do confide their suicidal tendencies to their friends and family, the warning is usually not taken seriously and sometimes even brushed off as emotional blackmail. But, here is a child who is saying he or she is fed up, so the plea should never be ignored."

'Parents, you have given birth to a child, not a marksheet'
Social psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty cautions against letting things go out of hand. "One exam does not define life," says Dr Shetty. It is not a milestone but a stone with many miles to go. Parents must share their anxieties with other parents and counsellors. Remind yourself that you have given birth to a child, not a marksheet." Adds Thomas, "It's the parents here who are in for learning. They need to be trained in parenting."

Krishnan feels parents ought to put themselves in their child's shoes. "In doing so they will be more conscious of what they are saying, and it will make them more aware of what the child goes through. Basically, they must convey they message that, 'I am with you'. They must show support to the child," she says.

One way out: get kids to do an activity
A study says exercise may help protect children from stress. Taking a walk, a swim, shopping, or even clearing the room can help dealing with worry.

Recent cases of suicide

1. This March, a news report mentioned that Rani Muniraju, a second-year pre-university student, hung herself. Apparently, she was worried she wouldn't clear her Business Studies paper and was "very depressed".

2. In Surat, four students of Class X and XII committed suicide this March, apparently due to Board exam stress.
3. This March, a 19-year-old engineering student committed suicide after jumping off a highrise at Thakur Village in Kandivli (E). He had sent a text message to his mother saying he couldn't cope with college studies.

4. In May in Chennai, three cases were reported as the results of final exams began coming out. In the first incident, a class IX student, Abirami, hung herself from the ceiling. In the second, in Velachery, Meera (17), who was awaiting Plus Two results, set herself ablaze and in the third, Shyam Immanuel (17), awaiting Plus Two results, consumed pesticide at his house.