BY CLAIR WHITTY
It’s almost exam time which can be stressful for students, parents, and teachers. How are you coping?
I know everyone is different and that some of you will sail through with flying colours. Either way you might be interested in these facts I read in a study done on 1,000 parents of teenagers. This study focussed partially on how parents felt exams affected their children. A whopping 82% of parents said that their teens’ worries were around their exams or education.
66% of parents believed that their child reached a point where they felt unable to cope with school, exams, or the pressure of their education. 47% thought it affected their teen’s mental health, and 44% believed it hit their confidence. Interesting to note also is that 27% of parents said they felt more stressed than their child did about the exams. And one in three found it difficult to help their teens through the anxiety of exams.
It is so sad to see exams causing so much pressure, stress, and anxiety. As parents or caregivers, we can support them in managing this stress. Sleep for example, is very important, teenagers need about 8-10 hours a day. Quality sleep will help them deal with stress. It supports their mental alertness, and how well they put all of their learning together. This applies to all of us really.
We can encourage them to plan a revision timetable and help them to breakdown their work load into smaller tasks, to take regular breaks from study. A healthy diet and exercise are important. Conscious breathing, meditation, relaxation, and visualisation practices are brilliant to help relax, find inner peace, and to find the ability to stay calm in stressful situations. Having some down time with friends with help them unwind too.
Herbal remedies can help them or you. Higher Nature Balance for Nerves contains magnesium, passion flower, B vitamins, and theanine all included to aid relaxation, reduce stress, and to feel calm. It’s suitable from age 13. If you would like to try something different there’s A.Vogel Passiflora Complex tincture. It’s particularly useful for supporting those prone to worry or feeling under pressure. It’s suitable from 12 years of age. These are just some of our most popular herbal remedies to help.
Hope these tips can help get you through this stage of life successfully.
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