With worrying statistics hitting the headlines, it’s important to understand how anxiety can affect young people – and what you can do to help.
First off, anxiety stops us from focusing properly – making it harder to learn. Research shows that when information enters the brain of an anxious person, it isn’t processed properly or stored in long-term memory.
With a scrambled brain, attempts to revise can be futile – potentially leading to even more stress as the student gets frustrated.
It’s essential, then, to confront this problem early on… What can you do?
Seven ways to de-stress:
- Learn to self-talk. Tell yourself ‘don’t panic’ when you feel stressed.
- Breathe and chill. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold the breath for two, then breathe out for six seconds.
- Break down any revision into chunks, and plan a timetable to stave off anxiety.
- Revise in half hourly sessions with a break between.
- If you’re struggling to get going, set your phone alarm to go off in five minutes and get started on something. Focus on it without letting distraction get in your way. When the timer goes off, congratulate yourself! Then set the timer for ten minutes next time… Small steps all help you go forward in the right direction… This is a great way to build your confidence too!
- Be kind to you. We all have off days… And we all struggle sometimes. Instead of worrying, focus on all the good things in your life to help balance everything out in your mind.
- You’re not alone. Anxiety affects all of us at some point… Talk to people, see your GP, don’t be scared to share how you feel.
Here at 121 Home Tutors covering Manchester and Cheshire, our private tutors understand how to revise… And can give your child all the kindness they need to help them through a revision block. Call us..
Tags: anxiety, how to revise, revision, revision timetable