Exams Create Real Stress
Date Published: 26/11/2009
Year 12 exams may be over but at Samaritans Crisis Line we know that there are still tens of thousands of young people undertaking exams state-wide. We understand taking exams and waiting for results is very stressful for students and their families and we would like to remind young West Australians Samaritans Crisis Line is on hand to offer confidential, emotional support 24 hours a day to anyone in need.
Panic, anxiety, fear about the future, guilt and despair are just some of the feelings students might be experiencing. Without anyone to confide in, these feelings can become unbearable, but asking for help is not always easy.
High expectations and pressure from parents, teachers or friends can push students to the brink, particularly when they feel their results don’t quite meet expectations. Learning how to recognise when they’re under stress is one of the first steps towards dealing with it.
Signs of stress can include:
- Lack of sleep
- Loss of appetite or irregular eating
- Panic attacks and difficulty breathing
- Tight, knotty feelings in your stomach
- Low energy and lack of concentration
- Loss of interest in things around you
- Mood swings
- Feeling generally unwell or unable to relax
Youth Liaison Officer Mandy Paterson, explains why talking helps.
“Talking openly about how you really feel can be like opening a door to new answers, it puts you back in control and may help you find choices you didn’t know you had”, she said.
People can feel pressured into hiding their feelings because they are embarrassed or don’t want to burden family or friends. But hiding how you feel might only save the problem for later and stress can build up until it becomes unbearable. Remember your emotional health is very important and Samaritans is here to help whatever time of the day or night.
As Raff Di Bartolomeo, Manager of Fremantle Headspace explains, the exam period can be a tough one for young people and the transition period from primary school to high school and high school to other studies can also raise a new range of issues.
“It’s the time of a young person’s life where they are forming a new, separate identity from their parents while at the same time still needing their parents love and support. So it can be hard for parents to know what to do and what to be concerned about,” Raff said.
It is normal for the behaviour of young people to change during high stress situations like exam time and much of what a parent may see is part of that normal experience.
If you do have concerns for your children it is important to seek advice or support for yourself as well as for your child. It’s about young people and family members having people within the community that they trust and feel safe communicating with. This might be friends or family, your family GP or a service for example Samaritans or Headspace.
While none of these things on their own are particularly telling, several of these together may indicate a potential problem and should be addressed.
Emotional support can be vital during these times. While trying to calm children down if they seem upset or angry can give them the impression they are wrong to feel what they are feeling, sometimes the best thing is simply to listen and encourage them to express their worries and fears and there may come a time when a young person needs to speak to someone outside the family. That’s where the Samaritans can help, offering support any time of the day or night.
The Samaritans Crisis Line can be contacted 24/7, 365 days per year on 9381 5555.
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