Managing Exam Stress. Providing services we would be happy for our own families to use

Transcription

1 Managing Exam Stress Providing services we would be happy for our own families to use

2 Exam Stress: Help is at hand This booklet guide is for anyone who is about to take exams, or anyone supporting someone who is taking their exams. Its aims to provide information on stress, look at how stress might impact our performance and provide some helpful hints and tips for managing exam stress. As it can be common for exam stress to impact on us in different ways you may find it useful to read our information guides on sleeping well, anxiety and depression. What is stress? A definition of stress may be Strain felt by somebody: mental, emotional, or physical strain caused by, e.g. Anxiety or overworking. It may cause such symptoms as raised blood pressure or depression. 2. Cause of strain: something that causes stress. In current society, we may refer to ourselves as being stressed when we in fact mean that we are under pressure, or under strain.

3 We may feel like everyone else around us isnt stressed, they seem to be coping fine and don t seem to do half the revision that you do. Stress tends to come when it is prolonged and there is no release in that pressure. Stress begins to impact us in a number of ways: How we think e.g. we may think negatively about ourselves, or what we are doing. How we behave e.g. we can withdraw from activities that were previously helpful and start unhelpful activities such as smoking more. Our emotions e.g. may feel frustrated, angry, low or anxious some of the time. How we feel e.g. we may feel tired all the time. We shall go on to take a closer look at the signs and effects that stress can cause.

4 Signs that you may be experiencing stress Have a look at some of these signs, and tick those that are relevant to you: Struggling to concentrate Noticing signs like sweating, heart racing Getting irritable with others Thinking that I am going to fail Spending too much time revising, or not enough time Thinking that everyone else is doing better Trouble sleeping Worried about letting people down Not eating well Stopping socialising or socialising too much. If you have ticked some of these boxes, it may be helpful for you to get some tips before it becomes unmanageable. If you have ticked the majority of the boxes, you will be experiencing exam related stress and it can be helpful to get some support from friends, family or others to manage this.

5 But why me? We may feel like everyone else around us isnt stressed, they seem to be coping fine and don t seem to do half the revision that you do. We will discuss later about negative thinking, but how likely we are to become stressed can be part of our personality. There are two personality types - type A and type B. Both have incredible strengths. You will have qualities of both, however one might feel more you that the other. Which one are you? TYPE A Must be on time for things Must get things done on a deadline Want everything perfect Might interrupt others conversations Like to do more than one thing at a time Always in a hurry TYPE B Unhurried about appointments Can leave things unfinished for a while Easy going and doesn t mind things not being perfect Can listen and wait easily in conversations Focus on one task Not rushed about many things

6 So, now you have identified which personality type you might be, it can be helpful to understand how this might be effecting you. Personality Type A: If you are more this personality, you will aim high and have high expectations for yourself. This personality may be more prone to stress for those reasons. These are great qualities. However, if we imagined a line, one side of that line is helpful, but if you crossed that line it becomes unhelpful. Personality Type B: If you are more this personality, you will be more accepting of change and be easy-going about personal goals. These are good qualities. However, if we imagine a line, one side helpful. It becomes unhelpful if you cross it. TYPE A Likes to be on time, homework is rarely late, on time for lessons and start of school, get praise from others and feel good about ourselves. HELPFUL UNHELPFUL Spend time every evening doing homework, turning down invites from friends, feeling anxious when it might look like we ll be late e.g. traffic jam and feel irritated.

7 TYPE B Work gets done nearly always on time, not feeling worried if it is late, can leave things till last minute and feel comfortable. HELPFUL UNHELPFUL Work builds up and there is too much to do, work becomes late, you feel anxious/worried and others become frustrated at you. Why do we get exam stress? Remember previously we said that stress comes from pressure or strain that is prolonged. This stress can impact on how we feel, how we think and what we do. So when we think of exams, we can think that there is a long build up of preparation revision and mock exams before getting to the actual exam. Is there any wonder that some people may experience exam stress under these conditions? For some others, there may be factors that add to the build up of exam stress. For example, pressure from parents to do well, a university offer, pressure from ourselves or previous unsuccessful attempts at passing exams. This all feeds into a vicious circle. Have a look at the diagram (figure 1) on the next page and see if it feels familiar.

8 Figure 1 Situation French exam in two weeks Thoughts I am no good at French, I failed last time Emotions Feeling upset, anxious and frustrated Physical Racing heart and sweating Behaviours Over-revise French OR don t revise at all

9 What can we do about exam stress? Plan ahead: No matter which personality type you are, it is helpful to plan ahead. Planning ahead ensures that you do not over revise, or that you revise enough and ensures you dedicate enough time to every topic. Here are a few handy hints and tips to help you plan: Write down the topics you need to revise and break it down into small chunks. Make a revision timetable. Plot out all the topics on the timetable and when the exam is. Get some previous exam papers towards the end of your revision. Find what revision styles work for you. Is it alone or with a parent/carer/friend? Do you learn best by drawing diagrams, talking about it or do you like to write things out? Plan things to do outside of your revision and events to look forward to after your exam. This will be like rewarding yourself for having completed the revision or the exam.

10 Challenge or change how we think: If we think we will not do well, we may begin to act in a way that makes this more likely. Therefore, how we think is vital to overcoming exam stress. I like this lesson I am no good I passed my mock exam! I will fail I am no good at revision I will fail Notice above. The left speech bubble has a combination of helpful and unhelpful thoughts. When we are stressed, we are more likely to focus on the negative thoughts. You can challenge these thoughts by asking yourself some simple questions: Am I focusing on the negative or the positive? What is helpful about thinking in this way? Do I need to look at the bigger picture? Am I asking questions that have no answer? What could I change about my situation? Am I condemning myself based on one single event?.

11 Is this fact or opinion? This is a very useful question to ask yourself. Sometimes, because the thoughts we have are ours, we don t question them and we believe them. We clarify the terms fact and opinion below: FACT Undisputable (e.g. a week has seven days) Based on real events Lead by rational thought. OPINION Disputable (e.g. it feels like a long week) Based on feelings Emotion lead. If we had a thought I am going to fail this exam but then challenged it by asking it is this fact or is this opinion? We may have the following arguments... FACT I didn t fail my mock exam No one has said I will fail. OPINION I feel like my friends are doing better I feel stressed. A lot of the time, these thoughts are just thoughts. They are here because you feel stressed. Challenging them helps us to realise that there may be little or no facts that support that thought. Therefore, it is merely an opinion.

12 Quick Do s and Don ts! DO - Take regular breaks. - Plan things to look forward to after the exams. - Remember there is life after exams. - Challenge your negative or unhelpful thinking. - Get a goods night sleep and plenty of rest. DON T - Just focus on the topics you enjoy. Ensure there is a mix. - Increase smoking or drinking alcohol. - Listen to unhelpful people. - Be tempted to cram in your revision. And most important... How do you eat an elephant? The answer is - ONE BITE AT A TIME! The same is true for revision and the exam is the elephant. By taking it piece by piece you will be able to tackle it! Supporting someone who is taking exams It can be a tense time for the whole household if people are taking exams. The following hints and tips can help you support those experiencing exams shortly:

13 Eat well, Sleep well, Live well: try to encourage a healthy diet through the exam period, and that they stop regularly and leave the house for a break. Allow a wind down time before bed. Encourage the use of relaxation or calming music before bed to help with sleep. Don t add to the pressure: they are probably already putting enough pressure on themselves, or feel they have enough from other people. Listen to them, give them support and advice if they ask for it. Be positive: before they go to their exam. Be reassuring and positive when they talk about how it went. Help them: they may struggle to get motivated to start revision, or you may be concerned they spend too much time revising. Whichever it is, ensure you offer them the right help that suits their personality. Make time for fun: ensure they still meet with friends. Book treats through revision and after exams, like a movie night in or a meal out so you all have other things to focus on. Discuss their nerves: talk to them about how you felt before your exams and what things helped you, to encourage them to discuss their feelings. If they can t/won t talk to you, perhaps there is a friend and family member that can offer a listening ear.

14 Useful Contacts Open Minds - Provides short term therapy for those with anxiety and depression. Grimsby branch 7-9 Osborne Street Grimsby DN31 1EY Tel: Cleethorpes branch Grimsby Road Cleethorpes DN35 7AQ Tel: NAV.OpenMinds@nhs.net Single Point of Access - The crisis home treatment service provides an open referral system where people can self-refer via the Single Point of Access. The service can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tel: The acute crisis home treatment service is based at Harrison House, Peaks Lane, Grimsby. Rethink - Telephone support service for anyone affected by any mental health issues. Tel:

15 Web: Samaritans - Telephone support service for anyone affected by any mental health issues. Tel: Web: Childline - The pressure can be difficult to cope with. You can speak to a counsellor on the phone, online chat or by . There are lots of online resources to read and videos to watch. Tel: Web: and try searching for exam stress. Useful Websites

16 NAViGO, NAViGO House, 3-7 Brighowgate, Grimsby, DN32 0QE T: (01472) E: W: Registered office: NAViGO House, 3-7 Brighowgate, Grimsby, DN32 0QE Company Registration Number search NAViGO Health and Social Care Issue version: OM