Tips to tackle pressure during Board exams

TESTING TIMES: Many parents are unaware that their child is under tremendous stress.

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New Delhi: With Board exams around the corner testing times are here again for students as well as parents. While some students perform better under pressure, others totter. So, where should parents draw the line?

Gifty, a student, has been burning the midnight oil to pass with flying colours in his class 10 board exams.

“There are these phone calls saying I'm studying for eight to 10 hours. We start to think that they are studying for 10 hours and why am I not studying that much,” a visibly worried Gifty Kurien said.

Inspite of being a topper Gifty’s mother Marianne is constantly under pressure that her son lives upto everyone's expectations.

“Everyone is asking how much percentage he is expecting to get, so if he does not come up to everyone's expectations we will be very depressed,” Mariama said.

Many parents are unaware that their child is under tremendous stress and in most cases they themselves are to blame for it.

“Parental expectations are really high on the list because they do have a lot of expectations from the children and many times we find children coming to us and speaking about it,” Principal, Amity International School, Mohina Dar said.

Children at this stage are extremely vulnerable. As a parent you need to ask yourself certain questions to find out if you are unknowingly adding to that pressure on your child:

• Are you feeling tensed or anxious about your child performing well? Are you passing your anxiety onto your child either verbally or non-verbally?
• Do you get hassled whenever your child heads for a break? Most students are responsible enough so as to not while away their time, your intervention could only unnerve them.
• Do you feel pressurised by the society or other family members and over-expect from your child? As a parent you should know what's best for your not bother about the societal pressure.

“A bit of stress can enhance performance but there is a stress curve and those who succumb to pressure are the ones who've crossed this curve,” Adolescent Psychiatrist, Sitaram Bhartiya, Dr Amit Sen said.

As a parent you need to draw a line between pushing your child to do well and knowing when you are pushing your child over the edge.