Stress is due to parental pressure

BANGALORE: What does the word examination signify? To many students it is stress, anxiety, depression and fear. We asked some of them how they coped with exam-related stress. But, strangely some refused to relate examination with stress.
Like Narendra Singh, a first year BBM student of BNM college, Banashankari, who felt examinations don''t mean stress."This is because I start preparing for examinations from January and by mid-March I complete the syllabi. Later, I only glance through the texts," he says.
Singh also changes his sleeping habits during the preparation. "While preparing, I sleep for only about five or six hours but during examinations, I purposely sleep for eight hours to keep my mind active. This has really worked for my II PUC examinations as I was able to score a distinction," he explains.
But, most students feel parental pressure is largely responsible for enhancing stress levels. According to Moin M. of Shantiniketan College in BTM Layout, parents should not compare their children with others. "Students should not waste their time attending functions or marriages but ensure that their mind is fresh with a focus on studies," he says.
Dolly, a second year B.Sc (fashion design) student, however, brushes off the stress factor. "We are anyway used to examinations and pressure right from childhood. So, it''s not a big issue at all," she says.
But Laila, a first law student at KLE Society''s Law College, relies on coffee to fight stress. "I smoke, drink coffee and try to stay awake for long. If I''m with my friends, I tend to relax," she says.
According to Priya Venkateshan, a II PUC student, yoga, meditation, music and sports can be stress busters but students and parents must understand that exams are not the be-all-and-end-all of life.
"There is so much of focus on exams that the very process of learning is neglected. Stress is caused mainly due to fear. Examinations should be fun. Instead of it being an end-of-the-year monster, it should be a process of continuous evaluation. Then, exam stress will be history," Priya suggests.