Dealing with pressure about the future
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Dealing with pressure about the future
whether it's exam stress or worrying about where you'll go after school, staying mindful can help
Pressure leads to stress, a natural and extremely unhelpful state of alertness. The only time stress is truly useful is in a physical life or death situation, but otherwise it simply makes it harder to concentrate. Whatever the situation is, wherever the pressure is coming from (family, health, friends, etcetera), letting the stress build up is not the best way to succeed. One
common pressure point for teenagers is the uncertainty of their future, or possibly not knowing what route to take when leaving school. This can be made even more stressful when preparing to take exams, submit coursework with a deadline, or preparing for interviews. The one (slight) silver lining is that thiskind of pressure is likely to be something
you'll face occasionally during the next stage of your life, and you will find that life is all the easier to handle if you are already able to constructively deal with being under pressure.
Mindful thinking is a good way to relieve pressure, and deal with anxious thoughts before they get out of control. Start by giving yourself some time toyourself, ideally somewhere quiet. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. When intrusive thoughts appear, simply acknowledge them, but then let them go. If they involve anxiety, try not to
take the emotion on board. Breathe out, and let the thought go. Take the time to allow yourself to stay in this state, not focusing on anything but your breathing. Give your mind a break from anxiety. When you are ready to get on, keep those anxious thoughts at bay. Any difficult task is best done when you're not in a strong emotion, particularly one which makes the task harder. If you feel yourself getting anxious again,
just close your eyes
and breath deeply for
a few seconds. It's
important not to let
the anxiety take hold,
if possible.
How to deal
with pressure
Whether it's an exam or picking a university,
don't let stress build up indefinitely
Eat Well, Sleep Well
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combating
stress
If the cause of stress is
not treated, it can lead
to anxiety, depression,
and other mental health
concerns - take action.
It is simply easier to handle
difficult tasks and pressure
situations when your body feels
good. Eating cleanly (see healthy
breakfasts below) and getting a
good night's sleep is excellent
for your body. One good way to
achieve restful sleep is to avoid
phone use after a certain time
and not do anything else on
your bed (homework, revision,
socialising, etc) other than sleep,
or reading a book.
Take A Creative Break
Whatever you're doing, make sure you make time for
yourself to have a break. But rather than putting the T.V
on, why not use the creative parts of your brain? Whether
doodling, singing, playing an instrument, making art, or
writing, give your brain a well needed stretch in a way that
doesn't invite stress or anxiety. This keeps your mind active,
in a way that watching T.V simply doesn't do.
Meditation is Free and Therapeutic
This can be in the form of simple mindful thinking in a dark
room, or it can be with a guided meditation app. It can be
where you work, or where you rest, or even in the garden! A
number of the guided meditation apps are freely available,
and are recommended as part of living a stress-free lifestyle
(and can also help with sleeping well, see above).
Do a
senses drill
Use this guided meditation
exercise to deliberately
bring your attention to the
present in order to build
your resilience to pressure
in exams and other stressful
situations and events
One
Positive and Mindful Self-talk
Taking the time to give yourself a pep talk might sound corny, but it
is worth trying. When in a state of mindfulness, simply vocalise what
your goals are, and how you're going to achieve them. Use realistic
stepping stones to get to where you want to go, remaining both
objective and positive (“I'm taking the time to prepare and by doing
so, I'm going into this exam/interview confident and will do better”).
Pause what you are doing and
take two deep breaths.
two
Look around you and silently
name the first three things that
you can see.
three
Now silently name three things
that you can hear.
four
Focus on your body and silently
name three things that you can
feel, (e.g. warmth, tingling, or
coolness, for example).
five
Next bring your attention to what
you can smell and taste, noticing
what you experience.
six
Take two deep breaths to end the
exercise.
Go for A Walk
Stretching your legs can also help stretch your mind. If you're prone
to worrying when walking, consider using one of the meditation
apps to help keep your mind centred. Walking near nature also helps
to keep your pressures in perspective, reminding yourself that there
is a bigger world out there beyond whatever is causing you stress.
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5 healthy breakfasts
A great day starts with a great meal. Go for something
healthy and filling to keep your mind and body strong
Turmeric Oats
• 50 g | 1.75 ounces | 0.3 cup
porridge oats
• 200 ml | 7 fl oz |
0.75 cup milk of
your choice
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Your own choice of
topping (for example,
almonds, sliced apple,
ground linseed)
Cook the porridge
oats in the milk
as per the packet
instructions, either
on the hob or in the
microwave to your
preferred consistency.
Stir in 1 tsp ground
turmeric and serve
immediately, with your
choice of toppings.
Overnight Oats
• 50 g | 1.75 ounces | 0.3
cup porridge oats
• 2 tbsp plain
Greek yoghurt
• 100 ml | 3.5 fl oz
| 0.5 cup milk of
your choice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Choice of fruit to top
• 1 tsp nut butter
Put your oats in a
bowl, jar or reusable
container one that
has a lid. Add the
milk,yogurt and
cinnamon. Stir,
cover and leave in
the fridge overnight. The next day
you can eat it cold or warm through
on the hob or in the microwave.
Top with the nut butter and fruit.
How to handle exam days
Preparing to take your exam can be done in the same way as you do
your revision – ideally as calmly as possible
Prepare for the Day
the Night Before
Set your alarm, iron/lay out your
clothes, and pack what you'll need
for the exam (pens, calculator, etcetera) in
your bag. If you have a packed lunch,
make it the evening before. Don't leave
anything for yourself to worry
about in the morning - if
you can do it in advance,
do it.
Have A Good
Breakfast
Don't go in on an
empty stomach.
Before
the Exam
Read All of the
Questions Carefully
Plan how much time you want to spend
on each one.
If an Essay is Needed
Spend a few minutes working through
a plan, with how much time/space
to spend on each section. Give
yourself more space than you
need.
late night
studying
Using your phone at night
keeps the brain active,
making sleep harder.
Consider using a “night
filter”, which changes the
screen to be more friendly
to the eyes.
If you have time to read cue
cards on the subject, have a refreshing
glance through – but don't try and do a
full cram session beforehand.
When Starting the Exam
Breathe and clear your mind before
starting to work. Get yourself in a calm,
mindful state. You've got this.
Check the Clock
Occasionally check the
time to see when to wrap
up a question and start
the next one, but try not to
become fixated on it. It's only
a guide on when to move to the
next part.
If One of the Questions
Feels Very Promising
Feel free to do this first, but don't
spend more time than is appropriate
on it. Make a good plan and stick to
it, don't spend twice as much time
working on the question you feel
Cheese and
Spinach Omlet
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tsp Parmesan
cheese, grated
• Large handful of
baby spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
Mix the eggs with the grated cheese. Heat
the oil in a frying pan and add the egg
mixture. Cook until almost set and then add
the spinach. Fold the omelette in
half and continue to cook
for another minute,
until it is cooked
throughout and
golden brown.
Serve immediately.
confident about unless the answer is
worth twice the amount of marks.
If You Have Time to
RE-Read Your Answers
Have a look through. If you want to
clarify something, add it as a footnote
rather than crossing it out (use an *, **,
etc.).
After the Exam
Relax. There's nothing to be gained
from going over your answers, once the
exam is over. Have a break, then when
you're calm, prepare for the next exam.
“Breathe and
clear your
mind before
starting''
Avocado and Egg
on Toast
• 1 slice wholegrain
bread
• half an avocado,
skin removed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Black pepper
to season
Toast your bread. Meanwhile,
poach to your liking. Dice the
avocado and use a fork to smash
it, adding the lemon juice and
a little black pepper. Serve the
toast with the smashed avocado
and poached egg, plus a pinch
of black pepper to taste.
Nut
Butter
Bagel
• 1 seeded
wholegrain bagel
• 1 tbsp nut butter
• 1 banana sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
Toast the bagel lightly,
then spread with
your choice of nut
butter. Add the
sliced banana and
sprinkle with
the cinnamon
to serve.
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Feeling the pressure
to succeed
When you're feeling the strain of other people's
expectations, remember to take a mental break
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Depending on where you are in
your education, you may feel that
parents/parental figures place a lot of
expectation on you to do very well in
your exams, perhaps they are already
talking about which universities you
should be applying for, or you may have
a particular institution lined up. This can
be a source of pressure, and it's possible
that your parents/teachers might not
see if you are becoming stressed. If
you feel you can talk to them about the
reasonable expectations they should
have, then you should do so. It will take
some of the pressure off, as well as put
them in a better position to help you
with your revision (easing up on chores in
exam week, for example). If you struggle
with inner confidence, think about the
extracurricular things that you enjoy
out of school, things that you know
you are good at. If you are good at
one thing, then there is no reason
to not be good at another thing with
practice and preparation. Above all, try
to stay in a centred and mindful place
when considering the potential outcome
of your results. Whatever happens, you
will be able to handle it, and you know
that staying calm and collected is much
more likely to help you approach your
exams as best you can.
“stay in a centred and
mindful place when
considering your results”
Dealing with an
uncertain future
When nothing is certain in the world, it can be easy to
feel there's no point in planning
The frustrating thing about the future is that even when you
spend a lot of time planning, there may still be an event beyond
your control that changes everything. Knowing this, can make the
thought of planning for your future feel risky, or even few-tul, but
deciding to not plan for anything at all isn't a winning strategy.
Instead, why not think about which path you ultimately would like
to take in life, and what small steps you're doing now that can
help make this more likely? For some careers, an early
commitment to volunteering or work experience is a good step to
get ahead, or perhaps being able to demonstrate you have the
same skill set that they may look for in
new employees.
Having an idea of the sort of person you
want to be is something that you can build up to.
For example, if you want to be a more competitive or a team
player person (if you have business aspirations) then learning to
play a team sport (such as lacrosse or basketball) will help
develop both of those attributes. Take the time to really consider
the kind of person you want to be, and think about the small
steps that can get you there.