How to survive exam season

Our work with children tells us that anxiety around exams is a huge cause of stress for young people and their parents. Helping kids through this tricky time requires a lot of courage on the part of their adult carers because we have to let go of our own expectations of success and perfection. Young people develop at different rates and in different directions. Your teenager may be a natural high-flyer or they may not be at all suited to a system of exam-based testing. And yet the dancer, the gamer, the sportswoman, the animal lover and the maths genius are all funnelled through the same process. 

To help you survive GCSES and A Levels remember the following:

• Praise the positive: Saying ‘well done’ for 5 minutes of revision is better than saying ‘why haven’t you done an hour?’
• Hold onto the bigger picture: if things don’t go as planned then exams can be retaken and plans changed
• Eat, drink and be merry: a well-nourished and relaxed body and brain can perform at its best, regardless of the amount of studying it has done
• Aim for ‘good enough’: let your child know that they are ‘good enough’ for you whatever they do or do not achieve. And let yourself know that your value is not linked to the performance of your children

Good luck from Bramham Therapy to all our lovely kids taking A Levels, GCSEs and other exams at the moment. We’re here to help if you need us.