Exam Stress and Anxiety

Introduction Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their life, but for some people it can be an on-going problem. A little bit of anxiety can be helpful; for example, feeling anxious before an exam might make you more alert and improve your performance. But too much anxiety could make you tired and unable to concentrate. It is normal to feel a little anxious in new situations such as a change of timetable or during exam times.

What does stress or anxiety look like? Physical a pounding heartbeat breathing faster palpitations (an irregular heartbeat) feeling sick chest pains headaches sweating loss of appetite feeling faint needing the toilet more frequently "butterflies" in your tummy   Emotions feeling worried or uneasy a lot of the time having difficulty sleeping, which makes you feel tired not being able to concentrate being irritable being extra alert feeling on edge or not being able to relax needing frequent reassurance from other people feeling tearful  

Things that can make stress worse Too much caffeine can lead to anxiety. The NHS have said that energy drinks are not suitable for young people due to high caffeine content. This can lead to lack of sleep, heart palpitations and anxiety! Lack of sleep and being unorganised can lead to issues with stress at exam time.

Ways to make things better Work smarter, not harder Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that will make a real difference. Take control The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it's a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else

Ways to make things better Connect with people A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way- supported study is an excellent way to do this. Have some 'me time' Some times with school and extra-curricular activities we forget about time to ourselves. During exam time it is easy to ‘study’ all the time, however short study periods with breaks can make a huge difference to stress levels.

Further Supports Pastoral care or a Principal Teacher of subject NHS Moodzone Mind BBC Bitesized