- Learners from Grade 4 to Grade 12 are heading into their end of year exam season.
- Negative thought patterns and trouble concentrating are symptoms of exam anxiety.
- A calm study environment and regular breaks can help alleviate stress.
It's the final term of the school year and with exams of the horizon for learners from Grade 4 to Grade 12.
While there's a lot at stake for older learners, especially matrics who are working hard at ensuring a good start to the next phase of their lives at college or university, even the younger ones feel the pressure to perform.
Doryce Sher, a qualified pharmacist, aromatherapist and the founder of Aromatic Apothecary, explains, "Stress and anxiety at exam time arise in the amygdala region in the brain, causing increased levels of cortisol in the body. Negative thought patterns, self-doubt and fear of failure are all symptoms of exam anxiety.
"This mental noise impairs concentration, memory recall and disrupts sound decision-making. Expect the stress and have coping strategies and tools."
READ MORE |Dealing with your kid's anxiety plus 5 disorders to look out for
Here are some top tips for less stress and more focus during this exam season:
1. A calm and comfortable study environment
Younger learners will need their parents focused support with their study planning, while older children need quiet, organised spaces for studying at home, free of distractions and demands.
This is the time to adjust your child's chores and family responsibilities to prioritise their study and exam schedule.
2. Maintaining a balanced, healthy lifestyle
For high schoolers, studying without breaks, skipping meals, cutting off all social interactions and sleepless nights will not result in peak performance at exam time. Parents need to enable healthy eating, regular study breaks, daily exercise, some social interaction and sufficient sleep.
Thembekile Dhlamini, registered dietician and Association for Dietetics in South Africa spokesperson, previously advised TRUELOVE readers to "ensure that kids know where to find [healthy food] and make it more accessible for them. Put fruit baskets where they are visible so the kids can see them and easily reach them.
"Also with healthy snacks, ensure that they are where they can reach. Fill up their water bottles as it is important to keep them hydrated too. Cooking and freezing food for the days when you have limited time can [also] be an option".
READ MORE |How to help your teenager make better food choices
3. Less stress is a decision and an action
Managing stressful moments is active not passive. You need to do something to effectively shift out of the anxious state.
Doryce says, "We know that the best way to deal with stress and anxiety is through deep breathing - it's a failsafe, it always works. Often though, we are not in a state where we can master deep breathing."
She recommends aromatherapy nasal inhalers with calming essential oils like
4. Take regular breaks and keep calm with deep breaths
Studying for long periods without breaks can lead to burnout. Implement the Pomodoro Technique, which involves studying for 25 minutes and then taking a five-minute break.
When stress levels are particularly high, suggest your kids remove themselves from the study space.
Amy Haworth, a school counsellor at Squirrels Play Counselling, explains, "They can find a space away from their study area - it could be in their room or outside - and use this to breathe deeply, stretch, close their eyes and think about all the things they can touch, smell and feel in that moment. Perhaps think about 10 things that make them happy."
