Family support can make a difference in both mental health and academic performance
At the end of the year, accumulated tiredness, anticipation for the future and pressure for a good result in entrance exams become part of teenagers’ routine. The final stretch, which should only be a moment of review, ends up becoming a period of intense anxiety, both for students and their families.
According to Mariana Ramos, Psychology professor at Afya Centro Universitário de Itaperuna, this period requires increased attention to the well-being of young people. “It’s common for them to feel that the whole year comes down to what will happen in these final weeks, but we need to help them see the process with more balance,” he says.
According to the psychologist, the thought that “if I don’t pass now, all my efforts will have been in vain” is common among young pre-university students, a form of interpretation known in Psychology as the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing, which leads the student to reduce their own value and view the moment in an extreme way.
The expert explains that the combination of fatigue, internal demands and external expectations significantly increases the risk of emotional exhaustion, and reinforces that family support, combined with simple organization and care strategies, can make a difference in both mental health and health. academic performance. Therefore, it highlights the importance of helping them perceive the process with more balance, understanding that the result does not define who they are.
Next, check out strategies to help pre-university students deal better with the exam phase!
1. Help your teen maintain a realistic routine
Maintaining balanced expectations at this stage is essential. Pressuring young people to “recover the entire year” in a few days only increases stress, and an organized routine, with possible goals, brings much more security. When the family collaborates to structure study time in a healthy way, the teenager feels greater control over the process and reduces anxiety.
2. Make sure your teenager gets a good night’s sleep
Many students believe that sleeping less to study more is needed, and adults can reinforce this idea without realizing it. The tired brain does not retain information efficiently; Adequate sleep improves memory, concentration and performance. Protecting your rest time, avoiding demands, stimuli and interruptions, is one of the most important ways of taking care of your well-being at this stage.
Imagem: Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock3. Encourage breaks and pleasurable activities
Inserting moments of breathing into your routine makes a difference. Walking, listening to music, cooking or doing light activities are escape valves that reduce tension and renew the teenager’s emotional energy. These breaks make studying more productive and avoid overload.
4. Avoid charges and comparisons
Comparisons with colleagues and excessive demands increase pressure on young people and harm their emotional balance. Each student has their own pace of learning, and family support needs to come in the sense of welcoming, guiding and offering security, never to intensify competition.
5. Talk openly about fears and expectations
Attentive listening is essential in the final stretch of the entrance exam. When teenagers find a safe space to talk about insecurities, part of the emotional burden dissipates, and their thoughts become clearer to face what lies ahead. Opening open and welcoming conversations strengthens the bond and significantly reduces anxiety.
6. Offer support and emotional support
Demonstrate that a teenager’s love and value do not depend on approval: when the young person has the emotional security that you will not be defined by a test, your anxiety decreases, your self-confidence grows and your performance tends to improve. Emotional support makes a difference not only in exams, but in life. The message needs to be: “we are together, regardless of the outcome”.
For psychologist Mariana Ramos, the most important thing is to remember that the entrance exam is just a stage, not a verdict on who the young person is or will be. “The entrance exam is an important milestone, but it does not have to be a period of suffering. With adequate support, evidence-based psychological interventions and a welcoming family network, it is possible to transform anxiety into focus, fear into courage and pressure into learning. Mental health is also a prerequisite for approval, and taking care of it is as important as studying”, he concludes.
By Beatriz Felicio
