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Final examinations are over and marking is in progress, waiting for exam results is a nerve wrecking experience for most students.

It is important, however, not to get stressed out. Engage yourself in activities that can help you calm down, reduce your anxiety, and focus on the next stage in life. No exam result can hinder you achieving your life goals in the long term. All you need to do is keep working hard at it.

End of year term breaks are usually the time that grade 7, Ordinary level and Advanced level students prepare themselves to take up the challenge of the next level. For the grade sevens it’s probably a new school, a totally new curriculum and hopefully, new friends.

For the Ordinary level student, the questions are innumerable! And of course the Advanced level student is exited from main stream school into a whole new academic, professional, social level which requires much more responsibility and accountability.

In the midst of all these considerations, we must remember the saying “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy”. Taking a break and focusing on extra curriculum activities is a great way of destressing oneself after a rigorous examination period. Physical activity is a great way to reduce stress. Exercises produce natural painkillers that boost one’s mood. Get involved in an aerobic activity like running, swimming, cycling, or even walking. Join a sports club and engage in your favourite team sport.

The human brain has a strong negative bias, meaning we generally focus more on the negative things and allow the positive things to slip past us.

Identifying and reminding yourself of your strengths will help you combat this bias to make sure you are giving yourself a fair shot.

Try making a list of things that you know you do well, and things that you can be positive about. For example, if you have studied and revised carefully, acknowledge that as strength. Regardless of your results, you should celebrate the fact that you worked hard on your exams. Reward yourself by doing something you enjoy. If you can do it with friends, all the better. Spending time with friends and loved ones is an excellent way to beat stress and promote a sense of calm and well-being.

It is common to find yourself pondering over your exams, but you need to remember that worrying about them will not have any effect other than causing you anxiety. Worrying about whether you did badly or well in your exams cannot change your results. It could, however, keep you from performing well in the future. If you are worried about how you did, try to identify a few concrete things that you can do for the next exam you take.

This keeps you focused on positive action for the future. Surround yourself with people who can advise and encourage you with your future plans.

This is a sure way of getting yourself prepared for the next stage in life.

Planning something enjoyable for the results day will give you something to look forward to instead of just fearing the day. Happy holidays!

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