Exam stress tips for parents

This time of the year exams stress is at the order of the day.  It is a time that can be extremely stressful for parents (most of the time for moms) and their children.  Sometimes parents even tend to have more exams stress than their children.  So here are some exam stress tips for parents.

Exam stress tips for parents: Introduction

Parents often ask the question “How can I better support my child during exams”.  There are a few basic things which you as a parent can do different these exams.

Exam stress tips for parents: Tip 1 – selftalk

Be aware of your selftalk. What do you say to yourself and what do you say to your child during this busy and stressful time? This words that you say to yourself is called your selftalk – the things you tell yourself. Do you perhaps say things like “I don’t know how we are going to get through the exams”, “It’s going to be a terrible time of fighting in our house again”, “I don’t even know where to start”, “How am I going to get time for all that I need to do together with the exams”, “I’m a nervous wreck”, etcetera.

The words that you tell yourself set free either feeling good (for example endorphin) or feeling bad (for example cortisol) hormones in your brain. You can explain it to your child that the hormones is like feeling good or feeling bad ‘juice”. Therefore change your selftalk to things like “We are going to be a strong team this exams”, “It will go well”, “You can do it”, “You’ve done it so many times before”, “You are a star”, “Let’s just keep going”, etcetera. Start today to set free “feeling good juice” in your brain and support your child to do it as well.

Exam stress tips for parents: Tip 2 – Take care of yourself first

Take care of yourself as parent first. In an aeroplane part of the safety procedures before all flights take off is, “Should there be an emergency, and oxygen masks drop from the panel above you, attend to yourself first before you help your children or any other person”. Get your ducks, as parent, in a row first by doing the following exam stress tips for parents:

• Get enough sleep.
• Drink enough water (plus/minus 6 – 8 glasses per day).
• Eat healthy.
• Go for daily walks with your children (15 minutes will make a big difference).

If you feel there’s no time, make time and see the difference that will add to a more positive atmosphere at home.

Exam stress tips for parents: Tip 3 – brain gym

Do some brain gym. Brain gym exercises are movement exercises which “switch” your brain on and make it more sharp.

For more info on brain gym exercises go to the brain gym SA site. Do the brain gym exercises together with your child before school, before he starts studying and again if he / she gets exhausted during study time. Just don’t do brain gym before bedtime as it might make it difficult for your child to fall asleep.

Exam stress tips for parents: Tip 4 – Reduce overall stress levels in your home

Change the overall stressful atmosphere at home by:

• Taking frequent short walks.
• Ask your child to play his / her favourite inspiring song to you and just dance together (or just listen).
• Build in a special tradition (which will last for the rest of your life) like having coffee, tea, etcetera together at a certain time each night. Just be together and relax.
• Hit a pillow or a boxing bag.
• Acknowledge your own and your child’s emotions. Take time out if needed as a fight will cause setting free bad “juice”.
• Don’t preach, shout, scold, criticize your child, but in stead tell him / her it’s “time out” time and go and drink a glass of water, walk around the house, go to the bathroom in order to calm down and to be able to think logically again.

Exam stress tips for parents: Summary

Helping your child cope with exam stress starts with helping yourself as parent cope with “exam stress“.  I hope the “exam stress tips for parents” above would help you achieve that goal.

Just implement these exam stress tips for parents and make this exams the best ever and invest for the future exams as well. You can do it!