Discover ways to support your child’s mental health through an exam period.
- Anxiety and worry means they might not prioritise eating. Nagging will add to their stress. Instead have their favourite foods easily available. Ask them what they want for dinner and cook their favourite meals. Don’t ask if they want breakfast, just make it for them. Even a few bites will make a difference.
- Give them the space they need to be stressed and feel anxious. These are natural feelings we shouldn’t be scared of. Listen and do not invalidate them by saying it will be okay. It might not be. Encourage them to focus on the now, one exam at a time and to seek help from school or teachers if needed. Remind them exams won’t last forever and are only a few weeks of their lives, these feelings won’t last for ever.
- Encourage them to take regular breaks and to get into the fresh air. Last minute cramming might be necessary, but walking and being outside is proven to reduce stress levels and not only allows us to breath but lets our brain breath too. A new and different perspective can be really helpful.
- Cease all nagging and take any unnecessary stress away from them. Annoying as a parent, but just for this period until the last exam is done we need to accept they will be untidy, and will not be able to think about anything other than the next exam. Us nagging just adds to their stress levels. and will make them feel like a failure.
- Have spares of all equipment just in case.A pen running out or, misplacing their pencil case could happen. They will be in survival mode with working memory stretched to its max! As a result they might not notice until the last minute. Having spares readily available that they can easily grab is a game changer in terms of managing stress levels.
- Manage your own stress levels. This means as parents we are topped up with patience to be able to be listening and supportive if things go slightly awry. Teens are likely to be short tempered during this time, and being able to let that just roll off in this period and see it as a stress reaction to the pressure they are under means we are supporting them rather than judging or adding to their stress levels.
Supporting good mental health strategies should be a key priority at this time.