We all want to help our children and young people succeed in their exams, especially in their preparation and choices beyond these testing times. But how do you recognise if your child is particularly stressed? What can you do to help calm them so they can continue their exams without feeling the adverse effects of stress?
A little bit of stress is the necessary and useful response in times of pressure, but too much will cause adverse effects, as we all know.
A great place to direct your child to (as it is unlikely they will listen to you, of course!) is informative websites that can communicate directly to them without the authoritarian edge.
Sites like the BBC’s Radio 1 advice pages, which has a great section on schools and studying, and lists the following as Stress Symptoms:
- 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
Three or more of the symptoms can indicate stress, so make sure that both you and your child are aware of the signs. There are also hints to manage the stress, including learning to recognise the signs of stress, eating right, communicating and sleeping well!
These all seem like common sense approaches to dealing with stress, but we are often loath to follow them ourselves so expecting our children to follow our advice can be frustrating. Peers, and media channels that speak to them directly, can often do this in a less judgmental way and reduce confrontation (and therefore even more stress).
It can also help you approach more difficult subjects without conflict, such as the use of alcohol, cigarettes and so on to combat stress; as well comparisons with others, bullying and more.
Have you recognised any signs of stress in your child at exam time? How did you cope with it?
Career Analysts 