As exam time nears, the cloud of stress looms large in every household. With so much competition around, children and young adults are often overwhelmed with the workload and the potential fear of how they will perform in exams. While stress is normal during exam time, stressing extremely can hamper the overall well-being of the student. Parents play a pivotal role in helping students manage their tension and prepare for the exams in a more calm and relaxed way. Parents should be educated and trained about how stress can exert strain on their children and how they can help to make them feel relaxed. So keep calm, and follow these simple tips to help your child bust the exam stress.

1. Ensure your children get a nutritious meal

A balanced diet is crucial for your children’s health and can help them feel healthy and sound during exam time. Avoid giving your children high-fat, high-sugar, and high-caffeine foods and drinks as it makes make them restless, ill-tempered, and moody. Encourage your children to choose from healthy options.

2. Make sure that your children get enough sleep

Staying up late into the night and having not enough sleep are a big no-no during exams. Getting enough sleep is vital to performing well at exams. Adequate sleep gives the brain the time to recoup and retain whatever was imbibed earlier. Ensure that your children get at least 8 hours of sleep on exam nights.

3. Encourage exercise during exams

Exercise helps in boosting energy levels, relieve stress, and clear the mind. Encourage your children to go out and involve in few physical activities like walking, cycling, jogging, climbing stairs, playing football, etc. to promote blood flow and to help your body and mind relax.

4. Never judge or compare

Your child’s score may not be what you have expected. Never question your child’s caliber on the basis of the scores. Refrain from comparing them to their peers and utter anything that might scar them for life.  Negative words or comparison with other students tends to hamper their performance in the exams. 

5. Let them take breaks

Incessantly studying for a long time tends to drain out energy and reduce its ability to retain knowledge. Encourage children to take short breaks and relax their minds. They may take a power nap, do meditation or yoga, listen to music or go out for walks in the fresh air and get re-energized. 

6. Show them ample Love and support

It is important to boost your children’s motivation and confidence level and show them that you understand, care, love, and have your support. Ensure them that your door is always open to them they want to talk to you about their stress. The care and support you provide make them more energetic increases their motivation and give them a sense of belonging. 

7. Seek professional help if required

If you feel, there is still something bothering them or they are consistently struggling in keeping their anxiety and stress in check during exam stress, get professional help. Counselors help children to tackle their exam fear and manage their stress.