Importance of self-care

Whether we’re living through a pandemic or not, exams always create a wave of anxiety. When exam time fast approaches, it becomes very easy for everyone to feel stressed with trying to study as much as possible. However, it is normal to feel a bit worried about exams, especially if you're under pressure from school or family. The pressure and fear most learners experience come more from these external factors rather than writing the exam in itself!

Celine Damases, a grade 10 learner, said: “From my experience, I have realised that learners worry more about how their parents, teachers or friends/classmates perceive them if they end up scoring low marks”.

When stress and anxiety regarding exam time come into play, it is very easy to neglect one’s mental health. It is important to realise this sooner rather than later and to protect your mental health. Awareness in itself often helps reduce exam-related anxiety.

Psychologist Cindey van Wyk said: “Exam stress can cause you to feel anxious or depressed, and this might affect high school learners in more ways than one. It can affect the learners’ sleep, productivity or eating habits, which will only be an injustice to them and what they put out academically”.

Mental health is one of the most important things to prioritise during exam season. Here are a few ways to keep your mental health in check in order to ace the exams and come out of the exam season happy and healthy!



Study management

Actively and efficiently manage time when studying by creating a to-do list. It is important that you plan. You should know what subject you plan to study and when throughout the exam period. Planning helps you to stay on top of your studies and it will also allow you to be in control, reducing stress and anxiety.



Always make sure to eat

Some learners tend to skip meals and do not sleep well. Skipping meals occasionally might not hurt, but making a habit out of it or going to sleep on an empty stomach will undoubtedly affect your health in many ways. Especially when you have an important exam coming up. You will not have enough energy to study, and your mind will not be fresh enough to remember what you were able to study.



Talk to someone

The best way to reduce stress during the exam season is to talk to your friends to get your mind off things a bit. Ask for help! Talk to your teachers, a friend or family member if you need help with understanding something. There is no reward for suffering in silence. Lastly, don’t overthink! Intrusive thoughts can creep in and cause you to panic and fall off track. By keeping yourself occupied – with, for example, your work, exercise and social life – you can push these bad thoughts away.