Beat exam stress

8 ways to help your son or daughter beat exam stress

With exams just around the corner, it’s tempting to hide your teenager away with nothing but their textbooks for six weeks.

But you could step back, take a deep breath and follow our handy guide to maintaining a healthy and happy teen. Who knows, it might even have a positive effect on you too.

Get organised

It’s going to be busy, with revision sessions and exam timetables to remember. So helping your son or daughter draw up a schedule is a good idea. This way, they can see what’s coming up and prepare for it.

Let there be snooze

Teenagers need more sleep during exam periods. Encouraging them to get an early night will help improve their concentration, reduce their stress levels, and generally give you a bit more peace and quiet. Good news all round.

Cook them clever

A balanced diet is essential all year round – but during exam period it’s all the more important. Healthy meals, lots of water and the odd treat make for one happy and productive teen.

Digital detox

Taking a break from social media will work wonders. It’s not easy, but removing the distraction will help them get more out of their study time. We recommend short device-free stints at first, to ease them into it.

Exercise the mind

When they’re not stuck indoors revising, get them out and about. Running, swimming and team sports help get more oxygen flowing to the brain and release endorphins. Even just taking a break to go for a walk will help clear their head.

Socialise

Seeing friends and family will help take their minds off things. And time spent with animals has been proven to lower stress and up positivity. So don’t worry if they take time off to see people – especially if those people have pets.

Dangle a carrot

Make sure they’ve got some non-study activities in the diary to motivate them. This could be anything from a catch-up with friends to pizza and a movie. The important thing is to have events to look forward to.

Be calm

The more stressed you are, the more stressed they’ll be – so start channelling your zen. The highest source of stress for young people around exam period comes from family pressure. So be there, but give them some space.

You’ll do everything you can to help them succeed – and so will we. From day one, we’ll be here to support and challenge your son or daughter towards a successful future. And the good news is, they still have until 3 May to make us their firm choice.

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