Hey buds,
Now, since there is an active debate and strongly quoted demands of children across the country to cancel the board exams of Class 12th as the pandemic is growing serious and is leading to numerable consequences in terms of deaths, lack of resources, tightened health system, and growing mental health concern and trauma.
Though, at present, the news says that students have been notified that the boards are being postponed. But in trying times, it’s very important to understand some Mental health tips to manage Examination Anxiety and keep you going through the uncertainty:
1.Don’t Give Up On Studying
Understand, you, due to the changes in academic delivery, change of mode of the classroom, etc. have been more consumed with computers and mobiles. This has led to a significant decrease in attention, storage, and recall of information. You have got time to put into physical self-study. Please invest smartly! Even if, boards are canceled, you’ll be at an advantage of gaining knowledge, there is nothing to lose in the situation. A positive perspective can benefit behaviors and thoughts.
2. Don’t Make Yourself Vulnerable To News Regarding Coronavirus!
See, whatever is happening around the country is not your responsibility alone. Learn to prioritize your studies rather than criticize the system or parties! Just follow the instructions for your city and accommodate those changes. This is the best you can do for yourself and your family. I understand the stress emitting from the situation is bitterly tiresome and is affecting families in large. To an extent that families are being broken from the deaths resulting from the failing healthcare system and lack of resources available as we are literally running out of them!
Note- I am not discouraging you to keep an opinion. But, telling you to learn, that your functionality depends upon prioritizing what matters to you at what moment. On a subsequent view, it’s also alright to have an opinion. It’s not a condition to be fulfilled to be a good human. Plan excellency on what interests you and furnish the skills for the same.
3. Please Take No-Screen Breaks Between Your Studies.
It will be healthy for your eyes, mental health, social health, and physical health.
A simple image can act as a trigger to a chain of unrequited behaviors. Do you know what will be the result of this? You’ll be caught up in a vicious circle of languished thoughts leading to pain, poor functionality, and disinterest.
How?
Case example: You’ll be seemingly tired from studying and go to Instagram/ WhatsApp/ Facebook. You come across some information that is unnecessary for your consumption at the moment but you can’t avoid and engage in it! This will affect the state of your mind. You’ll get irritated and take the frustration out on social relationships. This will exhaust you and you will eat unhealthy food or waste time by going out and exposing yourself to the virus. In turn, resulting in damage.
Priorities should be set and carefully implemented.
4. Restrict Going Out Until Necessary But Engage In Physical Activities.
The situation in the course of the pandemic has grown increasingly severe. Maybe, nature or the covid virus was seemingly angered with the way we took it nonchalantly and the government lost strategic control over the management of the situation. Thus, it’s strongly advisable to not go out and chill. This was not the actual purpose of delaying the boards. You should indulge in physical activities for at least 30 minutes a day to avoid stress stir up a volcano inside you. Yes, this is possible. Do stretching exercises, yoga, and meditation. This will help you in maintaining a good orientation.
5. Be Mindful Of Your Diet – Mentally And Physically
Develop a better approach to choosing what you eat. Think to yourself, is what I am having required at the moment? How will it affect my body? Will it make me weak or physically ill?
What you surely do is, take care of your diet in the following ways, making it more nutritious and healthy
- Increase citrus and water-based fruits in your diet. This will keep you active.
- Limit coffee️. No more than 2 times. Avoid black coffee️. You are too young for that. Including milk in your diet is necessary. Same with tea. No more than 2 cups or smaller cups to keep you satisfied.
- Avoid oily and fried food. Chips, fries, burgers, pizza, chole bhature should be replaced with poha, oats, eggs, etc.
- Avoid sugary food and drinks. Coke, Pepsi, Limca – a BIG NO. Lemon water, jaljeera, sattu drinks, etc. should be consumed instead. Where sweets like ice cream can be eaten in moderation.
- Keep a Chocolate – preferably a bar of dark chocolate- handy. It helps calm your tensed motions in neurotransmitters down. But, again, everything in limitation is better rewarded. A pinch of smartness adds the flavor.
b) Mentally – Put things into place and maintain a routine.
- Make a schedule and follow it.
- Discuss with someone, how you want to proceed with it and ask them to keep a check.
- Maintain a balance between the activities – Studies, break, physical activity, sleep.
Note- Here as guide/ parents/ siblings, we need to understand that we don’t have to keep an eye 24/7. It’s not the big boss house. We just have to have a healthy discussion. Avoid too many instructions. It comes as the voice of dictatorship to the child and somewhere they feel incompetent about themselves. Whereas, too much freedom of choices should be given. That gives an idea to a child that result doesn’t matter too much and he can get away with things easily. The child should be induced in such a way that they are responsible for what they make of their career. 12th boards are just the start of the long career path they have to undertake in life. Motivate them to research, explore and plan the course of their activity. ( positive parenting tip)
6. Get Proper Sleep
Getting proper sleep is important
Sleep is very important for ensuring the good functionality of your mind and body. Setting a routine is essential to accommodate a body cycle during these times. According to studies, If you don’t, you’ll be at risk of forgetting more information than learning it! Yes, and also Forgetting is highest in the first 2 hours after learning material.
If you don’t sleep, you’ll experience a blank out! Yes, it’s true. Try taking a mock demonstration of it, if you are interested in research and its practical applications. It’s a positive behavior. You can then use after board time in catching some interesting research in psychology (promoting good education)
7. Keep A Physical Record Of Your Notes
More senses involved in learning the matter, more it’ll be learned! So make active notes, even in English! It will prove to be a helpful step towards retaining information or later reference for last-minute preparation. For notes, you can follow and take help from YouTube videos, but complete reliance isn’t encouraged. This is because trainers sometimes digress from the main point and over-burden with extra, unrequired information. In some cases, as per the evaluation of papers, it has come to my knowledge through some students that the explanation of theories is completely different from the one mentioned in the NCERT Book.
Public using social media platforms should be cautious in using it for dissemination of knowledge and users they are targeting. Major damage is happening due to such malpractices. Thus, a more school-focused orientation and help from teacher’s notes should be used for reliance, and seniors too! Network, connect with them, they would serve as the best mentors in this scenario. One can teach better after learning a lesson from their efforts.
8. Seek Help If You Are Experiencing Anxiety
How will you know?
You’ll experience some of the symptoms mentioned below :
1. Extreme cravings for sugary foodstuffs
2. Palpitations
3. Dizziness
4. Feeling out of control
5. Not able to concentrate
6. Frequent urination
7. Having difficulty in breathing
8. Procrastination
Please keep a note of changes experienced by you. Seek help if you think it’s too much to handle.
Drop an email at jigyasapsychology@gmail.com to get an appointment fixed.
9. Indulge In Light, Meditative, And Harmonious music
Make a playlist that has motivational, meditative, light music. This will calm your mind and thoughts and make you focus more. Music plays a very important role in directing our emotions and actions, so choose wisely! Loud and head hurting music should be avoided! Because they drain more energy from your mind and body after long exhausting hours of studying. Thus, they are more likely to help as a motivating source during hard-core fitness workouts and exercise routines.
Valuing and being a mindful consumer of mind, body, environment, and facilities can give positive results. A humble request to kindly consider the above information important regarding keeping a good state of physical and mental health! It will help you in aiming and fetching a good goal or targets that you have set for yourself.
Study smartly- Keeping a book in front of you the whole day and learning 40% is no good! This is a very important and crucial time in every aspect, please take care 
All the best!
– Jigyasa Tandon
About the author :
Jigyasa Tandon is a Teacher, Youth Mentor, Researcher, Certified HR, NLP Practitioner, Writer, Poet, Trainer, Social Activist, Mental Health Advocate, Counselling Psychologist (Experienced to manage Sensitive Groups), Mental Health Educationist, NIMHANS, Bangalore. She has laid the foundation of PSY-FI: For a Healthy Mind, an organization that is vocal for mental health education, resource building, capacity-building, mental health first aid, and counseling services. You can write to her at jigyasapsychology@gmail.com if you are facing mental strain, stress, the grief of a lost one, self-harm, Class 12th study material, and other workshops you want to participate in or conduct at your organization. She is currently running 3 peer support groups for lawyers, students, and teachers for facilitating mental health through Covid-19 Pandemic.