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Exam fever: Stressed out & suicidal or sorted & self-confident? Take your pick!

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Two Class 10 girls aged 15, committed suicide by jumping off the eighth floor of a high-rise building in Hyderabad’s Saroornagar on Thursday night according to the police. The reasons for the suicides are not known, but police suspect the pressure of performing well in the examination may be the cause.

The pressure to do well has reached flash point this exam season and along with the sky high expectations of parents, teachers and peers, it is slowly but surely taking a heavy psychological toll on the young ones suffocating their will to live. While some are contemplating “dropping out” of the stifling system as a coping mechanism, a whole lot of others are suffering in silence and slowly crumbling under the intense scrutiny of being defined for life by their grades.

Talking on the severity of exam anxiety in India, mental health professions have once again highlighted the positive role that society can play to tackle this menace and the need for fundamental changes in the education system.

Students helplines are flooded with calls about kids suffering from poor appetite, sleep deprivation, bad hygiene, fatigue, frequent headaches, memory problems and lack of concentration. Professionals insist it is high time counselling and emotional therapy are taken up in real earnest, especially during exam time.

This year, some CBSE schools are in fact helping students de-stress through yoga and meditation, according to reports. “Keeping cool is very important for students. So it is advisable not to waste time on social media. They should take a break and listen to music or watch TV” advised one of the counsellors. A toll-free CBSE helpline number has also been given out to help students reach out to mental health professionals for general queries in case of any anxiety.

The basic instructions to students are: set reasonable goals, study according to a fixed schedule to avoid last-minute panic, take breaks while studying, eat healthy, drink lots of water, exercise to de-stress and most importantly talk to family and friends if something is bothering you so that solutions can be found.

In his pareeksha pe charcha ahead of Class 10 and 12 Boards, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged students across the country to face exams stress with confidence and concentration instead of getting bogged down by it. The PMO received thousands of questions from students across the country, ranging from how to deal with parental pressure to negotiating cut throat competition.

Modi’s suggestions to students include: improve the quality of sleep for complete rest, balance IQ and EQ for a better sense of mission and first learn to de-focus if you want to focus.

His advise to parents is simple: avoid curfew-like situation in homes during board exams and don’t compare your children with others.

“You should compete with yourself, not others. While going to school, forget that someone will give you marks or assess you, just think that you are your own examiner. Self confidence comes by challenging ourselves and working hard. We should always think of bettering ourselves,” he reminded students, an advise he also gives in his book Exam Warriors.

Fear has two meanings says a quote: Forget Everything And Run OR Face Everything And Rise – the choice is yours. So keep calm guys, it’s just an exam!

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