Every student aims to be an achiever of high marks or top grades and this leads to exam stress and anxiety which get aggravated before the declaration of results. It is a natural feeling of anxiety which fades away with the declaration of the results. But what about the after-result stress and tension regarding future career planning? Soon all the examination boards starting from CBSE, ICSE, ISC, and state boards have declared their respective Class X and XII results and this is a high time for every student to decide about their next step in life. It is all together with a new start.
This post result declaration stress is something that every student needs to take in a positive way, no matter how much score you have achieved. It is obvious that this phase is a very tough nut to break through but always considers this anxiety positively to drive yourself towards a new future while improving your skills and proficiency.
To combat post-result stress, both parents and teachers need to follow certain steps. Rational thinking and understanding your child’s capability is very important before expecting from them and setting high-performance parameters.
- High expectations from students: It is malpractice to create unnecessary pressure on the students as high expectations often lead to failure, disappointment and sometimes collapse. It often happens that teachers and parents have high aspirations about their child, which puts up an unnecessary competition with peers but often the latter fail to meet that expectation. It is actually wrong. Every individual has a different set of unique expertise and merit level which might not match with others and hence the achieved score in examinations also differs.
- Lack of motivation: Everyone appreciates and motivates the high achievers but who will be there by the side of the average students? They also have to perform in the future. So it is highly essential to extend psychological support to all and guide them properly to give a new start to their career. If parents are not aware of all the future prospects for their child’s career, it is highly recommended to consult a career counselor or teacher who can suggest the perfect future opportunities for the students.
- Identifying strengths and weakness: Always learn from past experience. The bygone exam experience always reveals a new ray of hope for the future. Never consider the bad score as a downfall. It is your duty to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the exam score. If you are unable to perform this evaluation properly, it is wise to take help from your parents and teachers. Once the exam results are out, it is a high time to push your career harder to a new horizon that is lighted up with new rays of opportunities and prospects. Never allow the post-exam result stress to engulf you and pull you down.
- Social obligations: Achieving low score is not an end to everything but it is a new beginning that will sculpt your career in the right way. Never keep yourself aloof from society due to the fear of embarrassment. Socialize with everyone with a positive spirit to do your best in the future while forgetting the rest. Meet with friends, talk to relatives and accept everyone’s suggestions and advice in a positive way to build the next step for yourself.
According to Dr. Minakshi Manchanda, Sr. Consultant, Psychiatry at Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, these board exam results often create depression among the students. So the parents are advised to encourage their children without comparing with others. Parents must extend extra care and love to overcome this phase of depression and hopelessness. Engage and inspire them to explore other opportunities in different fields apart from the traditional education system to identify their expertise and capability. Focus on their food habits and lifestyle as depression often leads students towards wrong directions.