How to survive the stressful upcoming weeks as a GCSE student – Savannah Collis
I am writing this article in the hope it will aid my peers, but also those in younger years looking ahead to GCSEs and one day being in the position the current year 11’s are in now. That position being, half term is approaching and after the; what will seem extremely brief, 10 days rest we have our much warned about mock examinations.
From the day we break up; February 14th, we will have 87 days until the first exams commence. This number to me and many others in my year is sickening and is extremely frightening. However, this way of looking at it is only helpful to a certain degree, having a stressed point of view will give you the “pull your socks up” mentality which is useful especially to those not yet worried at all. On the contrary, being overly stressed and panicking with a countdown you look at every day is not healthy, it just leads to a spiral of anxious and restless thoughts. It isn’t productive to worry and get yourself into an upset about GCSEs, you’re better off working as hard as YOU can and having adequate rest etc.
So what is the right amount of stress to have then? Well, there is no fully right answer however, finding the right balance of stress and being relaxed will be very important over the next coming weeks. Stress is natural and normal, if we weren’t ever stressed it would be quite worrying, having a handle on the stress is the important part to this and help with this can be found in Ellie Hewes’s article “The Key to stress is perspective”.
My Tips for the upcoming weeks are:
- Organisation. Keeping on top of things will automatically eliminate part of your stress, having things under control will help you to stay on track and will make working an easier and calmer process. Try and plan ahead, now is the perfect time to devise a revision schedule for half term so you know what to revise when and you can have structure to your holiday to ensure you’re getting enough work and rest. It’s also good for guilting you into working when you feel like slacking. I find Pinterest is good for finding revision timetables and some resources to.
- Rest. Finding the time to wind down is essential for having good productivity and staying healthy, whether you read a book, go for a walk, go to the gym etc. Anything that gets you away from your books for even half an hour is good for you. Sleep is also extremely important as sleep deprivation is so detrimental to your learning and revision, if you’re not well rested nothing will simply go in.
- Be social. Talk with friends and family about how you feel or anything you want, it can be totally unrelated to GCSEs. Meet up with your friends so you can work together and take your rest together, this is something I personally find very helpful, I meet up with friends for revision days and then go to the gym with them for example.
- Perspective. Ellie’s article could not have said it any better. Put your stress into perspective, think about the bigger picture and think ahead to when all of this will be over, and your worry will seem so distant in your memory. I find looking ahead to the summer good for this as I think of all the fun and stress-free times I am going to have after all my exams.
- Talk it out. Get all apprehensions, thoughts or whatever is on your mind off your chest. Just expressing how you’re feeling with someone is a relief in itself. Sharing your stress is good as it can become overwhelming so talking to someone can get you any help you may need. For example, you can talk to a fellow pupil in The Quiet Room set up by the *ABC.
I don’t have the answers to how to get through this tough time and I am going through it just the same as every other year 11 in the country now and every year 11 before me who had to sit GCSEs. I do however have some personal methods I use to cope with this stressful period, some of those being:
- Herbal teas; I drink a calming chamomile, vanilla and manuka honey Pukka tea, it is really relaxing and I find it nice to drink whilst I work. I also drink a night time special tea from the Pukka Tea range which helps me sleep better.
- I go to the gym as much as I can as exercise is a fantastic outlet and is really beneficial for mental health.
- I try and do the odd yoga class or meditation when I can to help clear my mind. My gym offers yoga classes and I use the Calm app to meditate.
Those are just a few examples of what I find useful to help me get through this demanding time, my main advice is to find at least one thing that helps you cope and manage your stress. I hope that my peers have a stress balanced next few months and that this article has put some minds at ease.
*Anti-Bullying committee
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