Let’s Talk Exam Stress

Let’s Talk Exam Stress by Sandeep Dutt

2 Girls 1 Mic Episode 15

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Join Simar and Oshi as they dive into the highs and lows of dealing with exam stress in this lively episode of 2 Girls 1 Mic. Drawing from personal experiences—like Simar’s impromptu dance sessions to clear her mind and Oshi’s love for colour-coded notes—they offer practical tips and strategies to help you stay calm and focused during exam season.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed by endless study sessions? Or perhaps you need a fresh perspective on tackling that dreaded pre-exam panic? Simar and Oshi have got you covered, sharing breathing techniques, study hacks, and ways to take care of your mental health. So, this midterm season, remember to take it easy and work towards being more productive with these tips and tricks!

Tune in for a fun and relatable conversation to confidently crush those exams. And don’t forget to leave your tips in the comments—we’d love to hear how you conquer exam stress!

A cause that is dear to me - Aria Gupta

Parents often make their children study in school and get into a prestigious college so that they become successful. Initially, it might not seem much of an issue, but they pressure children to study in school and ace all exam papers. If the child fails one exam, it’s game over for them. They are probably also judged like this regarding their other skills, such as sports. This can affect youngsters’ mental health and make them feel worthless because they think their parents will never be proud of them even once. They’re also compared to other children like ‘The three - year old living nearby who has supposedly already completed college in IIT and runs a business with his left leg and another business with his right leg’.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating.

But you can’t deny that children are compared to other children by their parents. “Why can’t you be like him?” and “Learn something from her” are some statements that can shoot a bullet straight into a child’s mental health. Then they start trying harder than ever to avoid failure at all costs.

We all can agree that failure is inevitable. I don’t need to write an entire paragraph on that, right?

Returning to the topic, it’s okay if a child fails one exam; it doesn’t define their entire life.

Boy: Dad…

Dad: You got your exam results today, right?

Boy: Yes, Dad.

Dad: C’mon, spill it out

Boy: I failed my maths exam 😭!

Dad: WHY DID YOU FAIL? YOUR LIFE IS RUINED NOW!

That is not how life works; your future isn’t something you can determine based on a couple of tests.

To sum it up, the cause that is dear to me is that parents shouldn’t force their children to become Albert Einstein at age 13, which can significantly affect their mental health.

Albert Einstein only said, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid.”

Aria Gupta
Grade VIG
Gyanshree School

The Heart and The Mind - Rishona Chopra

While making a decision, I often find myself being the judge in the court where the two opponents are 'the heart' and 'the mind'. The mind usually gives logical explanations, but the heart gives verdicts showing your inner laziness and desire. It becomes difficult to choose as both opponents have their reasons.

This time, I had to decide whether to go to school as it was sports, but my exams were around the corner, and I had to take a leave to revise my concepts. It was 6:15 in the morning, the rush hour, and I had only 45 minutes left before the bus arrived. I was making this tough decision - Shall I miss out on my favourite sports or do it while simultaneously revising. 

My heart told me to go to school because critical worksheets were supposed to happen, but my brain told me to take a leave and revise with a clear mind. Both points had equal importance and were entirely valid. I first decided to listen to the heart and wore my uniform, but just then, I got a brainwave and decided to listen to the brain. So I lay down on my bed thinking who would win this time. 

It was 6:30, and I had to make my final decision. Guess what I did? I listened to the heart and went to school, but the next day, I also took a leave to revise, so I gave a balance to both, and it was a win-win situation. 

The heart and the mind sit on a see-saw as we sit at the fulcrum, deciding who's decided to go with. Making decisions like this becomes confusing (for me, at least). The heart and the mind are simply two different opinions, and you must choose. It is vital to maintain a balance between the two and maintain peace. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Self-realization - Rishona Chopra

Do you know yourself?
When we are asked about our weaknesses and strengths, don't we take quite a long time to understand ourselves? We try so hard to understand others but do we honestly appreciate ourselves? 
The human brain is full of complexities and thoughts that we, too, fail to understand. We need to understand our passion, our capability and to what extent can we reach.

I was asked who I was,
And there was a pause,
A long stretch of silence,
I was thinking as if it was science.
I realised I fail to understand who I am,
Did I have the ability to pass a challenging exam?
I needed to understand by ability,
Years pass by,
I still don't appreciate my being.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Education - Reveda Bhatt

Education! First, they ask what it is? Then they don't let you have your own definition!

Warning: *CHOKING HAZARD* Contains I.C.S.E. - keep out of reach of kids studying elsewhere.

We should have gotten that, but sorry, here in India, you don't have a choice but to mug the syllabus up!

How do we do it? Does it remind you of something?

It reminds me of Doraemon's gadget - the one just eating the bread; you could learn the whole thing from your book. Doesn't exist, but if it did, the top purchasers would be the children of Indian schools.

Okay, so I personally don't like the system here. It's like you have to scan all that's printed in your books and make a photocopy of it on your exam sheet! Doesn't matter if even it's the last thing you would need in your life. You need to learn all about it.

If you want to become a doctor, you should know the depth of the core beneath the surface.

To become a geologist, you should know the names of the human body's bones.

Does it make any sense? No, right?

But according to our education system, it does. In fact, that's the motive to feed you every baseless knowledge that would help you anywhere in your life!

THEY DON'T KNOW THE FACT THAT FOR EVERY LITTLE THING WE FIT IN OUR BRAIN, ANY AND EVERY USEFUL THING GOES OUT, out in the sense-sinks in into this heap!

Literally, there is no experiential learning. I doubt they even know of that word! L.O.L.! All they do is supply each child with a box to fill in with dead warriors, articles and other things, and by the time you pick out useful stuff, your bag is complete!

Keeping us in a box like that serves no purpose but forces us to enter the class and just wait around the clock for the bell to ring!

Trin Trin!

Reveda Bhatt
Grade 9
The Aryan School

A Miracle In The Sky - Rishona Chopra

Miracles are those little blessings God showers on us. It is that magic in our life that protects us. 

While sitting on my balcony, I saw the sky and thought maybe it was a miracle in heaven. Perhaps something good is on our way. If we fall off a swing and get a fracture but heal soon, that is a miracle. Not everybody heals soon and lives their life, but some do, and those who do have a miracle in their life. Perhaps your life was sad, but a strange, cute puppy made you happy. That puppy is a miracle. 

If you didn't study for an exam but passed, that is a miracle. (Do study for your exams, though)! Miracles may come as challenges, but miracles make us stronger. There is always a miracle in one's life. Maybe it is really small; you just need to have the courage to see it.

Rishona Chopra

Grade VI

Gyanshree School

Fun is learning, learning is fun - Rishona Chopra

Fun is the beginning of anything fundamental. Even the word fundamental has the word fun! 

The book states that when we are pushed and taught, we don't really learn anything, but learning becomes more effective and enjoyable when we have fun. As children, we are taught that we should go to school and learn to become something one day. But in my opinion, it is much more than that. We become better humans, we get to know how each thing has its own way of forming,  and the world becomes so much more fascinating!

Not just reading our textbooks and memorizing is learning; it is boring. Suppose you are reading one of the concepts States of Matter, and you are reading about the matter. Then you can think of five-ten things and write them down in which form they are and more factors such as size, shape, mass and colour. This will show the concept in the real world and make learning so much more fun. 

My science teacher always tells us to visualize things and draw them. It makes it so much fun, in your science class you can draw several diagrams and learning is fun!

When I revise for my exam, I put all my notes of different subjects in envelopes and send them back to me through the bottom of my room's door. It's like receiving a letter with notes. While revising for my English exam, one of the topics is a formal letter. I wrote a formal letter to the principal, put it in an envelope and acted as if I was the principal! 

So there are so many ways in which learning can be super fun!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Positivity - Rishona Chopra

If you reflect on your day and think how many times you think the answer would surely be ' many times but then when you think how many times you had positive thoughts the answer would be ' a few times. But the question is why have positivity? How can it affect us?

Firstly, what we think is what we do and as we do the consequences are equal and if that then it is most likely to happen than what we think comes true. But that might not sound like something you would actually believe in so let us take a look at it in another way:

Imagine you wishing that you would pass your exam but thinking you never can. Now, when you think that you never can pass your exam then you don't try harder, you have lost hope and when that is then you are sure to fail even when you could pass. Even if you worked very hard but thought that you will never pass then you could fail too. On the other hand, if you worked hard and also thought that you can pass the exam then you could pass!

So working hard and thinking positively both are important. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School