1. Emotional Wellbeing & Exam Stress.
What is Stress?
Stress is the reaction people have to excessive demands or pressures.
It is an emotional reaction to a situation or experience that we are not comfortable with. When we feel stress our brain releases chemicals (adrenalin and cortisol ) to respond to the ‘danger’ and it triggers, an instinctive response in us : ‘fight,’ ‘flight’ (run) or ‘freeze
Emotional Wellbeing & Exam Stress.
Why am I so stressed by Exams?
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.
Its very common to feel stressed around exam time. You might feel there’s a huge amount of pressure to do well, or anxious you can’t fit all the revision in. The build up to results day can also leave you feeling overwhelmed and run down.
These fears and concerns are completely natural – your mates are probably feeling exactly the same, whether they let on or not. If these anxieties start to overwhelm you, don’t worry – there are things you can do to help yourself. The pressure to perform can feel like exams are the be all and end all of EVERYTHING EVER, but it’s important to look beyond that sweaty, exam-revision bubble. Take breaks, manage expectations and offer yourself some kind words – after all your mental health is at stake.
If stress repeats itself over too long a time we are then constantly in this traumatic response with nothing to fight or run from. So we don’t get rid of the stress chemicals and this can affect our health negatively e.g. harms your immune system so you get more illnesses, causes panic attacks or making you feel down or depressed.
Some stress symptoms :
Can’t concentrate, biting fingernails, Mood swings, Difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty waking up in the morning, Constant fatigue, Forgetfulness
Aches and pains for no apparent reason, Poor appetite, Social withdrawal, Loss of interest in activities, Increased anxiety and irritability, Increased heart rate, Migraines/headaches.
What is emotional wellbeing?
“Emotional wellbeing is not the absence of emotions, but it is your ability to understand the value of your emotions and use them to move your life forward in positive directions.”
…so it’s not about being happy all the time (no-one can be!). It’s about understanding and acknowledging your daily emotions and knowing how to deal with them healthily. Feelings are your bodies way of telling you to act e.g. when you feel hungry, you know to eat. When you feel stress, your body is telling you to talk to someone or do something to remove the stress or to feel better.

2. How can I cope with exam stress? Stress Busters
The best way to manage stress is to be aware of it, consider how it affects you and put things in place to keep it under control.
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 gosh 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. Try and 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.
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 seem intense right now, but it won't last forever.
Stress Busters
Take frequent breaks. Psychologists say we can only concentrate properly for minutes. When you're on your break, do something completely different - move away from your desk, walk about, or make a drink.
Think positive possibilities, not catastrophes. When we feel anxious, we often give ourselves negative messages like: ‘I can’t do this’, ‘I’m useless’ and ‘I’m going to fail’. The least helpful way we worry and stress out is by imagining the worst possible disaster might happen
Think about when and where you work best. Some of us aren't morning people, and not everybody finds themselves productive in the library. There's no one best place or time to work - it's about what works for you!
Find activities that help you relax. Maybe it's a hot bath, watching a TV show, or a creative activity. Schedule this down-time into your timetable.
Take a break from social media. Feeling guilty isn’t going to make you any better in the exam.
Stop comparing yourself. If you start beating yourself up because you haven’t done as well as a friend, recognise this as an unhealthy thought. Replace these thoughts with a reminder of all the things you’re great at – a bit of self-love never went amiss.
Ask your friends for help. There is no shame in asking for help. Perhaps you want to organise a study group outside of school where you and your friends can revise together and share revision tips.
Tune into the present. Instead of rehashing the past or forecasting an awful future, try to focus on the here and now.
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