Board hype: Healthy pressure or undue stress?

As the students find themselves in the midst of Board exams, the pressure levels seem to be reaching a feverish pitch. The endless study hours, the bulk of syllabus; the overwhelming pressure of parents and peers is wreaking havoc on the students’ psyche.

What was once meant to be a stepping-stone to higher education has now almost degenerated to being representative of the most stressful period of a student’s life.
Suicides and other extreme measures are becoming more of a norm than an exception. Six students have already committed suicide while 300 have attempted it.
According to a survey conducted by the School Mental Health Programme (SMHP) in the Capital, over 70 per cent students are suffering from exams stress and anxiety.
While nearly a third reported sleep disturbances, a sixth were on medication for recurrent headaches and dullness experienced during this period. There is also a spurt in the use of memory-enhancing drugs, while many kids have also taken to smoking to combat the aggravated anxiety levels.
Peer pressure too is a major stress factor. Children are bogged down by the fear of being ostracized by friends if they don’t fare well in the exams.
But problems arise only in two cases—firstly, when parents exert more pressure than the child is capable of handling, and secondly when kids react too strongly to pressure, giving rise to anxiety, nervousness, nausea, depression and headaches.
Therefore, the need of the hour is for parents to encourage the child as per his/her abilities. They must also avoid communicating their anxieties to the child, and refrain from any comparison at all. But most crucial aspect is to draw the line between healthy stimulation and unhealthy pressure