91�ȱ�

[Caller] Hi, um… My name's Selena. Um, I didn’t know who else to call so

I’m just, I’m really stressed and anxious about school in September

It may seem a bit silly but I’m stressing so much over the fact I’m going into year nine

And my teachers have said it’s the ‘most important year’

I’m so anxious about how I’m going to do on my tests and what options I’m going to take

I try not to worry, but it’s all I can think about right now.

Am I stressing over nothing?

[Katie] It can often feel like you are the only person experiencing that stress and anxiety

and that everyone else around you appears to have it all under control,

but trust me you aren’t alone in experiencing what you are feeling.

I’ve been through what you’re going through and it made me feel anxious and stressed too.

I used to get really stressed about school and actually particularly at this stage in life

I found year 8 really tough for some reason, I felt really worried about my exams

Choosing my options, all the extra homework I thought we were going to get

I would get so stressed about my exams I’d wake up in the middle of the night to revise.

I’d go downstairs and start working, and my mum would wake up and come down and say

‘What are you doing awake at 3am?’

And I would have so much adrenaline running through my body

My heart would be beating so fast that I’d be like, I’m just going to have to revise now

And sleep later because I can’t sleep

It made me feel really anxious and like I was the only person going through that

I think it seemed like everyone else at school was either really smart

And they just didn’t have to worry about revising or about their homework they could just do it

Or they were just really carefree and they didn’t really care, and I felt like

I was the only person that had these thoughts going round my head

This continued for me when I got a job and I got into the competitive field of presenting

it all came to a bit of a head when the stress and anxiety built

and led to me suffering with depression.

This was the turning point when I realised it was really impacting my mental health

And I had to look at managing my workload

I got some support and I talked about it, which was one of the biggest things

that helped me to realise that I needed to put some steps in place to help me to deal with the stress.

The most important thing I did was go and see my doctor whenever

My mental health was really bad because they were always able to tell what the next step was

Whether that was counselling or something else

If you feel like your workload is becoming a bit too much,

Then try and break down everything that you feel like you need to do into a ‘to do list’.

I love a ‘to do list’. Sometimes having all these things whizzing around in your head

Can be so daunting. So seeing them written down in a list

and being able to tick them off, and see what you’ve achieved so far can really help.

It’s also important to remind yourself about all the other things you care about

and enjoy in your life because there are loads of things that are important to you

Not just your school work or your job, so focus on those

Why not write down all of the things that make you happy?

And try and distract yourself by doing some of those things when you’re feeling stressed

There are lots of other steps and exercises you can try to help you deal

with your work or school related stress and our expert, Alex is going to share some with you.

[Alex] Not talking about any stress you may be feeling and trying to deal with it on your own

can make things feel worse. It can really help to talk about it.

Exams can feel like a lot of pressure. You might need certain grades for a course or a job.

It might not feel easy to talk to a teacher if you are struggling with your assignments

but they are there to help you.

Write down how you are feeling and how you would like to be supported.

No matter where the pressure is coming from, there are always ways to cope.

Try to think positively.

When we feel anxious we can start thinking things like ‘I can’t do this’ and ‘I’m going to fail’

It can be difficult but try to replace these with positive thoughts

such as ‘this is just anxiety, it can’t harm me’ and relax and concentrate - it’s going to be okay.

It can really help to plan your time

Try to keep a list of the revision you’ve done

That way you can see just how much you’re achieving

It is important to release any stress that's built up

And a good way to do this is to write a mood journal

to describe how the pressure makes you feel

and identify positive things you might be able to do to counter these feelings.

for example taking time out to do the things that you enjoy

It’s important to take lots of breaks when you’re revising

drink lots of water and make time for a treat or an activity that you enjoy.

[Katie] I know that school and work can cause you stress and it’s really important to you

But remember, the most important thing is you and your wellbeing

That always comes first

So take some time and relieve some of that stress and do something for you.

And remember you are not alone.

There are also links to helpful organisations on the 91�ȱ� Action Line website.