Not a year goes by without the media reporting a number of suicide attempts by adolescent children due to fear of boards, or their poor performance in the boards. Stress inflicted upon these children has become a quite a concern for parents, schools & society alike.
Stress comes in all forms & is an unavoidable consequence of life. We all experience stress in our day to day life & have different ways of coping with stress. Stress is the body’s way rising to a challenge & preparing to meet a tough situation with focus, strength, stamina & heightened alertness. Eventually, we all need optimal level of stress to accomplish our desired goals & it should be life enhancing, not life threatening.
The fast pace of modern lifestyle has put our children under heavy stress & their present occupation with technology (computer, laptop, tablet & I-pod etc.) keeps them unaware of natural environment & traditional healthy sports. Till few years back, if the child has got first division then there always a celebration time for parents & family but now every child, every parent, every school is running in rat race of getting high percentage. From the time child enters class IX, teachers start mentioning their boards in a threatening way. Once in class X, the pressure is tremendous for improved performances in boards. Even the parents view the boards as the only criteria to ensure admission into a subject stream of choice. For class XII students also, their score is paramount to gaining entry to the various further studies they aspire. Each parent’s desire for their children to do them proud & every school endeavour to achieve a good result combine to create a pressure on children.
Comparisons, peer pressure & parental expectations are major concerns for students attempting their board exams. Right approach & right coping strategies may stimulate an adolescent to overcome anxiety & maximize own performance in the examination.
Eating healthy, good sleep, exercise & physical activity are the key elements of consideration especially during exam time. A balanced diet is vital for your child’s health & good sleep will improve thinking & concentration. You must be thinking, why we should exercise during exam days as children are already stressed out with lack of time & it is just a waste of time. But as a Physio- Occupational therapist, I highly recommend exercises, which not only give you health benefits required to keep you fit, but also it works as a stress buster. Exercise will help in boosting up children’s energy level, clear their mind & relieve stress. Walking, Cycling, Swimming & dancing are all effective ways of doing the same.
As a parent, you have several ways to help your child to pass this stressful time. The first & foremost thing is to choose an appropriate time & place to talk to your child. One needs to realize that a board examination is just another milestone. Once internalised, this can be easily passed on to their children. Parent’s attitude helps the child to allay his fear & insecurity. Help them to draw up a revision schedule. Make sure that they don’t revise in front of the television as this breaks their focus. Encourage them to contact teachers when they get stuck while revising. Before they go in for an exam, give them the assurance to be positive. After each exam, encourage them to focus on the next exam, rather than dwelling on things that can’t be changed. Remind your child that feeling nervous is a normal reaction.
Listen to them, give them support & avoid criticism. Make sure they know that failing isn’t the end of the world & if things don’t go well, there is always a next time. Let them know that however they do you are still there for them & still love them.
I wish the board students & parents the very best.