Exam season can make your children feel under pressure. It is a highly stressful time for some, and as mothers, it can be difficult to know what you can do to help them. If you are looking for some advice, you have come to the right place.
This helpful guide will discuss six top tips that you can follow to help your child overcome exam stress. From self-care tips for college students, improving your communication skills, and prioritizing sleep – we cover it all.
Communicate With One Another
Communication is vital if you want to help your child overcome exam stress. You want your child to feel like they can talk to you if they have something on their mind. Too many people keep their worries to themselves. Unfortunately, these emotions build up, and it can have a damaging effect on their mental health. Therefore, you must regularly communicate with your child. Ask them how they are feeling and if there is anything you can do to help them.
It can be reassuring to your child to know that they can offload their exam worries. For some, it can certainly feel like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders. If your child struggles to open up, you can use online resources to seek help. There are plenty of resources out there that can offer some valuable advice to strengthen the bond between you and your child.
Ensure They Are Getting Enough Sleep
Our bodies need a good night’s sleep to help us function and give us the energy we need to get up and go each day. Sleep deprivation has been linked to many serious health problems in the past, and it can certainly make the prospect of exams a lot more difficult for your child. You may be surprised to know that more than 50% of college students suffer from sleep deprivation.
As a parent, you should ensure that your child gets enough sleep. Don’t hesitate to check on them late in the night to see if they are still awake. Although it may seem like a punishment, you could also make a rule to take away smartphones and tablets after a specific time in the evening. This stops your child from using their tech late at night and keeping themselves awake. Take time to research bedtime routines online to help you identify other ways that you can help make sleep a priority.
Teach Them The Importance Of Self-Care
When we take necessary actions to improve our health, this is a process that we call self-care. During exam season, it is crucial that you teach your child the importance of self-care. Although they must take time to study, they also need to know when to relax. This can positively impact their mental health and give them a break from studying that they need. It helps them avoid burnout and can improve their overall self-esteem.
Encouraging your children to engage in activities they enjoy, such as playing sports or using their complete lacrosse gear sets for children, can provide a much-needed break from studying.
If you need some inspiration, take a look at these self-care tips for college students from Talkiatry. They give some excellent self-care tips, from exercising regularly to rewarding yourself for hard work. It is vital, as a parent, that you encourage your children to engage in activities that they enjoy. After all, exam season is hard on most students, and now and again, they deserve a break.
Look Out For Common Signs Of Stress
How do you know if your child is stressed? This is an important question as some children may show more obvious signs than others. Therefore, it can help to research some common signs of stress using the internet. Some children may have sudden, frequent headaches, while others may become a lot more irritable. Each person will experience stress in their own unique way. Although you can’t solve issues overnight, there are certain things you can do to help ease their worries.
Educating yourself of these signs will help you better understand how your child is feeling. Then, you can approach the situation sensitively. You can sit down with them and try to open up a conversation about how they are feeling. Often, your child needs a shoulder to cry on and someone to talk to. You can work with them to ease their worries, and it can help them feel like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.
Support Their Studies
For some children, the prospect of studying can be challenging. Some children may struggle to identify techniques that can help them, such as practice papers or study charts. Therefore, it can help to offer your suggestions. Work together with your child to make study charts and help them develop practical solutions that will help them stay motivated.
Use online resources to your advantage, as there are plenty of resources out there that can help your child create an effective study schedule. Sometimes, a bit of organization is all they need to give them the motivation they need to overcome exam stress. Your child will also seek comfort in the fact that they have your support as you are willing to help them in any way that you can.
Reassure Rather Than Adding Pressure
During exam season, most children feel added pressure from their families to succeed. This pressure can make them feel more stressed, which is certainly something you want to avoid. Rather than putting pressure on your child, it would help if you did what you could to reassure them. Putting too much pressure can negatively impact your child’s health; you can learn more about the dangers through some online research.
Try to use positive language. Rather than making remarks like “you better not fail”, tell your child that you will be proud of them no matter what the outcome is. Even if you humorously make these remarks, they can still damage your child’s confidence. Instead, they want to know that you will be there to support them, even if they don’t get the result they want. It is reassurance like this that can give them the motivation they need to carry on studying and fulfilling their potential.
