Exam stress can start when you feel you can’t cope with revision or feel pressure from your school or family.
You might worry you’re going to fail, or you won’t get the grades you need for the course or job you want.
Working towards exams can create feelings of worry and being under pressure. However, there are a range of things that you can do to help deal with the stress that you might be feeling. School Nurses have advice and tips on coping during this time. This may include things like relaxation and mindfulness.
Mindfulness is about learning to focus on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting anxious feelings, thoughts, and physical reactions.
Relaxation training can be used alongside a process of 'systematic desensitisation' – this is where a person visualises a scene while completely relaxed, and the mental image evokes some of the feelings of the real scene.
The idea is that if you learn to relax while visualising yourself taking the exam, you can also learn to be relaxed while taking the exam.
Useful links
- The Mix offers a wide range of free, confidential support for under-25s
- Young Minds is a UK charity focused on the mental health of children and young people.
- BBC – advice on getting through exam stress
- NHS -advice on exam stress
- ChildLine has guidance on exam stress and pressure
