Managing Feelings of Anxiety and Stress Surrounding Assessment
As we approach the half way mark of our first term of the year, our students are gathering momentum as they focus their energy on completing assignments and preparing for examinations later in the term. Whether it is our Year 12 students preparing for their second piece of internal assessment (IA2) that contributes to their final Year 12 grade in each subject, and ultimately their ATAR, our Year 7 cohort completing their first series of assessments in high school or our Prep students completing their first few weeks at school. As deadlines loom and days turn into weeks, feelings of stress and anxiety can often start to develop.
At times of heightened stress, the human body has a physiological reaction which is often referred to as ‘fight or flight’. Our heart rate may increase and the hormone, adrenalin, is released resulting in an increased focus. For situations that are challenging, and require a deeper level of concentration, this short term response can be a good thing as it prepares our body for confronting situations. However, remaining in a constant ‘fight or flight’ state can lead to overwhelming feelings of anxiety (Beyond Blue 2021).
Feelings of stress and anxiety can manifest themselves in any number of ways. If a student is feeling stressed they may experience sleep deprivation, a change in appetite or change in mood (QLD Health 2021). This is certainly not exhaustive but these changes in behaviour can often go hand in hand with anxious feelings which, in addition to the above signs, may cause a child to appear nervous, tense or restless (Beyond Blue 2021). It is important to understand that it is common for students to experience feelings of stress and anxiety, and these feelings will often pass with time or when examinations, deadlines or a particularly stressful situation is over.
Helping young people to develop the skills to manage feelings of stress and anxiety is essential and can provide them with a ‘toolkit’ that they can access when faced with similar situations in future.
- Acknowledge the young person’s fear - Let them know that it is ok to feel this and express belief in them that they can overcome this fear.
- Encourage bravery - Facing what makes a young person anxious can help them to understand that they can overcome their fears. This may start in a small way; contacting a teacher via email to ask for help rather than raising a hand in class.
- Set small goals - Talk about the challenges that the young person is facing. For example, when faced with an assignment, the idea of completing it can be overwhelming, however, breaking it down in to smaller sections can help it to appear less of a challenge.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle - Encourage healthy eating, regular exercise, spending time talking to family and friends – not via social media.
The strategies listed above are just a small number of ways in which we can support our young people who are experiencing feelings of stress and anxiety. In many student’s lives, these feelings will pass once the ‘stressor’ has been removed. If, however, these feelings persist and start to feel unmanageable, seek further help and support. This may be as simple as speaking with a classroom or tutor teacher, or perhaps seeking the support of the Heads of House, the College Counsellor or external to the College, through a GP. The first step, and often the most challenging for our young people, is the initial conversation. Information throughout this article has been drawn from a number of sources which can provide more in depth strategies and options for support; Beyond Blue, The Raising Children network and Queensland Health.
Charlotte Brook
Head of Senior School
References:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/mental-health-physical-health/stress-anxiety-depression/anxiety?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoqbsvuD_7gIV1gkrCh2vTwN8EAAYASAAEgI-6fD_BwE
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety/treatments-for-anxiety/anxiety-management-strategies
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/how-parents-can-help-teenagers-with-stress-school-study-exam-test
