5 Ways To Support Teenagers During Exams

When many teenagers are preparing for their exams to go to college is quite stressful. If we also take into account the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic has caused, we can understand that young fellows have every right to be concerned. Even without all this, however, this period is crucial for a teenager. Feelings of anxiety and fear, the possibility of failure, anxiety about the result, and doubt about the choice are real obstacles, and the teenager is invited to face them. If the environment is supportive and helpful, then it can probably manage this abundance of emotions and their alternation. So what can parents do to help their children at such a time?

1. Avoid merged relationship
   The choice that the teenager will make concern themselves. As a separate subject, therefore, it must be left to choose its way without parents interfering by imposing their own dreams on their child. However, we have seen teenagers choosing studies based on what their parents love or want rather than themselves. Therefore, it is important that parents, although they may consider their child’s choice wrong, try to have a dialogue during which they will really listen to what is needed, advising it rather than criticizing the path the individual has chosen. Even if they think that this path is entirely wrong, it is better to let the teenager make their own choices, accepting that they may change course in the future.

2. Investigation of the origin of anxiety
   Parents would be correct to investigate whether their child’s anxiety is caused by the objectively stressful period or whether it is also generated by other factors. The most common, unfortunately, is for the teenager to be more concerned about disappointing their parents and teachers or even the wider environment, such as the rest of the family as a whole, rather than themselves. So, in this case, it is crucial for parents to help the teenager understand that this period concerns them exclusively and not to aggravate their anxieties. Of course, they should also understand that although they empathize and sympathize with their child or are very anxious about their future, it does not mean that they share the same anxiety or that they can feel perfectly as their child feels.

3. Avoid comparison with others
   It is very basic to avoid comparison with what others have done or chosen. It is not rare to see parents judge their children and their choices by having other children as a criterion. However, every teenager is different, experiencing the condition and the relatively inevitable stress involved differently. Every child has their own personal dreams, goals, and possibilities and is not necessarily ready to decide at the moment the direction they want to take in life. Therefore, parents should focus on how to support the child without spending time on comparisons with other people, even with siblings.

4. Consolidating a supportive environment
   Stability in everyday life, dispassionate reactions, and extensive dialogue are essential components of this period. Teenagers who are going to undergo any exams are already bombarded with information from school, teachers, and the environment, so they need a reassuring and calm environment by returning home and not parents who are completely stressed. It is necessary that parents give space so that the child can share their thoughts and concerns without feeling that they will judge or worry them. Still, they must help it both emotionally, avoiding tensions at home and lifestyle changes, and practically, encouraging it to take care of itself, eating more healthily, or maintaining a good sleep schedule.

5. Treatment and discussion with mental health experts
   In cases where the child’s anxiety cannot be regulated and affects it by making it have a hard time in daily life or leads to panic attacks, it is vital that parents accept that they may not be the right ones to advise their child and contact a mental health specialist. The teenager, in this way, will have an additional person in the supportive environment, with whom he will be able to share some thoughts and feelings and discover what it is that he needs to cope with this challenging condition. That is, they will acquire an “ally”.

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