{"id":8832,"date":"2019-08-22T15:24:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-22T15:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?p=8832"},"modified":"2021-08-18T11:51:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T11:51:51","slug":"how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/","title":{"rendered":"How post-exam stress follows people through life – and why it doesn\u2019t have to"},"content":{"rendered":"

With school exam results days all past now, kids will be getting ready for their next big step. For those of you well out of school though, this time of year can often bring flashbacks to your own teenage stress on results days. Ever have nightmares where you\u2019re back in the school exam hall unprepared or, worse, undressed?! You wouldn\u2019t be the only one, and we\u2019ve found that nearly half of adults suffer from what we\u2019ve coined \u2018Post-Exam Stress Disorder\u2019. From recurring nightmares to an ongoing fear of failure, people are haunted by their exam stress even decades later.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We did a national survey of 2000 adults, and of those who said they\u2019re still traumatised, 39% told us their nightmares involve them failing a test, 17% dream about not revising enough and 11% show up to the exam \u201cinappropriately dressed\u201d! We\u2019ve also found that women are more likely to have dreams that relate to lacking confidence, while men disproportionately panic over logistics like clothing or location. More worryingly, our survey told us that 24% adults feel their current sense of self-esteem is linked to the grades they ended up with at school or university. With \u201cPost-Exam Stress Disorder\u201d, what should be an exciting time in everyone\u2019s education is instead taken over with panic.<\/p>\n

Thousands of kids go through this every year. The tense lead-up to exams and then the countdown to results day weeks later. Their future rests on what letters (or numbers if it\u2019s GCSE) get printed on those bits of paper, whether it\u2019s 6th form college, what unis they\u2019ll apply for, and, if they\u2019re a school leaver, where they\u2019ll be spending the next few years. It\u2019s a quick – and major – leap from childhood just a few years ago, and often the first time that real-world demands are made of them. We spoke to psychologist Dr Kate Jenkins, who specialises in counselling adults with actual Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Regarding these recurring exam-time dreams, she says, \u201cDreams often reflect our deepest fears […] Exam dreams may be experienced by those who fear being measured against others and found lacking in some way\u201d. She also told us she sees the lasting impact of exam stress in lots of her patients and knows there can be more done to prevent it.<\/p>\n

But while some worry about big changes is normal, it really shouldn\u2019t haunt teens\u2019 lives forever. If exam time and results days were less stressful for teens though, our participants feel they\u2019d be less traumatised in the long term. One in five of the people we spoke to thought celebrating other forms of achievement more could help reduce the pressure placed on exams. If a teen has a positive attitude to exams at the time, then no matter how they do, they\u2019re less likely to look back on them and get shivers down their spine. But while we can\u2019t prevent exam stress altogether, by making efforts to calm their approach to exams, we can help set kids up better for the future.<\/p>\n

Ways to stop your child getting post-exam stress<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. \n
      \n
    1. Reinforce their confidence by listing all of the achievements, not just academic ones (times when they were generous or helpful, sporting and creative success).<\/li>\n
    2. Emphasise that exam results are just one type of achievement out of many, and no matter how they\u2019ve done you\u2019ll help them come up with a plan.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Tell them you\u2019re proud of them! If they\u2019re worried they might\u2019ve let you down, you can put that idea to rest by making it clear that you\u2019re impressed by how far they\u2019ve come.<\/li>\n
    4. The pressure teens put on themselves is often the biggest issue with PESD. Studying for tests shouldn\u2019t feel so high-stakes. Help them out by making memory games out of their course content with silly prizes (an extra Netflix episode for example). This helps train positive associations with their subjects.<\/li>\n
    5. Help them visualise lots of different options for next steps\/careers. If all they can see is medical or law school in their future, it makes reaching those goals very stressful.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      As well as making exams and results day run as smoothly as possible, helping your teen enjoy studying throughout the academic year is another powerful way to reduce post-exam stress. The great thing about our tutors<\/a> is that they all went through their school exams in the past few years, and they\u2019re still sitting their own at university. They know just what your teen\u2019s going through, so they can strike up a rapport and give really accurate advice. Lessons are tailored exactly to your child\u2019s needs. By sorting out anxieties and filling in any learning gaps early in the year, they can approach any future exams with confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      With school exam results days all past now, kids will be getting ready for their next big step. For those of you well out of school though, this time of year can often bring flashbacks to your own teenage stress…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8836,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[299,788],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With school exam results days all past now, kids will be getting ready for their next big step. For those of you well out of school though, this time of year can often bring flashbacks to your own teenage stress...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/en-gb.facebook.com\/MyTutorUK\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-22T15:24:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-18T11:51:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2084\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1309\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MyTutor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MyTutor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/\",\"name\":\"How to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-08-22T15:24:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-18T11:51:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c73140197d1bbf1aa85ec442089e7403\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg\",\"width\":2084,\"height\":1309},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c73140197d1bbf1aa85ec442089e7403\",\"name\":\"MyTutor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45c16c6d2547a06e1dbc76d3f7e1d2d7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45c16c6d2547a06e1dbc76d3f7e1d2d7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MyTutor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/author\/robert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor","og_description":"With school exam results days all past now, kids will be getting ready for their next big step. For those of you well out of school though, this time of year can often bring flashbacks to your own teenage stress...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/","article_publisher":"https:\/\/en-gb.facebook.com\/MyTutorUK\/","article_published_time":"2019-08-22T15:24:16+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-18T11:51:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2084,"height":1309,"url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MyTutor","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MyTutor","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/","name":"How to tackle post-exam stress | MyTutor","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg","datePublished":"2019-08-22T15:24:16+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-18T11:51:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c73140197d1bbf1aa85ec442089e7403"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/parents\/exams-and-revision\/how-post-exam-stress-follows-people-through-life-and-why-it-doesnt-have-to\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/943526-12-2.jpg","width":2084,"height":1309},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c73140197d1bbf1aa85ec442089e7403","name":"MyTutor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45c16c6d2547a06e1dbc76d3f7e1d2d7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45c16c6d2547a06e1dbc76d3f7e1d2d7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MyTutor"},"url":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/author\/robert\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8832"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8832"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8832\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8838,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8832\/revisions\/8838"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mytutor.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}