Hi there,
Well done for completing your AS exams! Facing the hard work and pressure that comes with taking exams is not easy, and causes a lot of people to feel stressed. Waiting for your results can be even more stressful than doing the exams themselves because you can feel helpless and not in control of the outcome.
Feeling anxious and stressed is a natural response to this situation, but waking up each day and feeling down and stressed out is not a pleasant experience. Feeling this way is usually caused by thinking negatively and worrying about what might happen in the future. When we have negative thoughts, they really affect our emotions and our actions, stopping us from enjoying ourselves and being able to relax.
Try to remember that most people feel stressed when it comes to exams. Knowing that you are not the only one who is feeling this way can be helpful. If you find yourself still going over some of your work at home, stop and put this to the side. Going over your notes will not help you to feel better and may actually make you feel worse. There is nothing that you can do now to change what you have written in your exam papers, so instead try to stay in the here and now. This will help you not worry about what has already happened.
Things that might help include doing some exercise or other things that you normally enjoy such as spending time with friends, drawing, playing a game, watching TV or reading. Anything that can help to distract you and take your mind off thinking about your exams could stop you feeling so stressed.
Each time you find yourself worrying about your results, try to get some perspective by remembering that you have done well in the past when you have taken exams. Chances are that you are probably also going to do well this time too. Even if you don't get the results that you want, there are still many options available to you, including being able to take the exam again in the future.
You say that the results are due in about two weeks time. Even though it might be a possibility that you may not get the results you want, it is also possible that you could be celebrating really good results as well. The important thing for now is to enjoy the freedom of not having to study, do course work or go to school as it is the holidays.
In the meantime, good luck with your results and I hope this has helped. If you need to talk more, you can talk to a ChildLine counsellor by called 0800 1111, sending an email or logging on for a 1-2-1 chat.
Take care,
Sam
