By Emily Pearce, Content Team Contributor
For students, summer should be a time to unwind from the academic year and enjoy yourself. However, if you’ve just finished your exams prior to summer, this may not always be the case. If you’re a GCSE, A-Level or university student, the first few weeks of the summer holidays can often be plagued by anxiety surrounding grades and assessment results. If you are experiencing distress about your impending results, I’ve got you covered. Here’s what you can do to alleviate these feelings of stress, anxiety and academic pressure:
Let it go
Easier said than done but try to let whatever happened in exam season go. Whether you knuckled down and revised for hours on end, or pulled all-nighters to cram the content, you can’t do anything to change the past now. As long as you believe you tried your best, there’s nothing to worry about. If you like to journal, writing down your worries surrounding results in a journal may prove a beneficial outlet for these negative feelings. However, the most important thing you can do is to focus on the here and now. Practicing meditation and mindfulness can help ground you and develop your awareness of the present.
Reach out for support
If you feel like you’re drowning in stress, don’t be afraid to reach out. Talk to friends, coursemates and family. They’ll be more than happy to support you and may even offer anecdotal advice to ease your anxieties. Everyone has experienced receiving exam results at some point in their lives, so your anxious feelings should be nothing to be ashamed of. Another option could be your academic institution’s mental health support services; these should be easily accessible and will have tailored advice for students suffering from academic anxiety and panic. Additionally, you could have a read through No Panic’s e-Resources and if things get really bad, contact the helpline on 0300 7729844. If you’re under 18, you can email youth@nopanic.org.uk. Please ensure you don’t suffer in silence!
Distract yourself
There’s plenty of things you can do to distract yourself from feelings of anxiety and panic, whether this be with someone or by yourself. These could include:
-Go on a hike/long walk if the weather is nice. It is summer after all!
-Exercise and get your adrenaline pumping. You could ride a bike, go for a jog, swim at the local pool, head to the gym etc.
-Read for fun. Avoid anything academic or heavy going.
-Organise and clean your room with some upbeat music playing.
-Find a new sitcom to binge. My personal favourites include Modern Family, Friends & Parks and Recreation.
-Get creative. Even if you’re not particularly artistic, you could pick up a craft, try your hand at an adult colouring book, make some weird and wonderful art etc. The choice is yours!
Plan ahead (but don’t dwell)
It’s tempting to ruminate on what comes next after exams. Perhaps your grades will determine which uni you end up at, or whether you’re able to get into your chosen college course. Of course, it’s important to plan ahead for what comes after results day, but it is also equally important that you don’t dwell on these next steps. You could come up with multiple plans, depending on the scenario, to regain a sense of control over your future. Write down on a piece of paper what you’ll do in the situation that you get the grades you ‘need’ and if you don’t. Then, put this away until the day comes.
You’ve got your results back…what now?
If you get the results you wanted, congratulations and good luck with the next steps in your academic life/career! If not, don’t panic. Reach out to your school/uni’s support service and they will be able to advise you on the next steps. Regardless of how your grades turned out, make sure you take care of yourself and treat yourself for all your hard work. Remember there is always a Plan-B. Everything will work out for you in the end, even if it’s not the end you originally planned for!
