Student Blog Squad

How to improve your Wellbeing around Results Day

Hi there! My name is Dorothy and I’m in my final year of study at Leeds Beckett University. If you’re feeling worried or stress about results day, I’ve put together some helpful tips to see you through this tough time and help improve your wellbeing.

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When is A-Level results day 2020?

A-level results will officially be released on the 13th August 2020 and it’s a date that brings about feelings of excitement, dread and sometimes nausea for prospective university students. Universities compare these results with your UCAS application and use them to decide whether you’ll be accepted on the course you have applied for.

For this reason, results day can induce complex emotions, all of which can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with without the right help and advice.

How can this impact your wellbeing?

Stress and anxiety can arise from any life event or situation, no matter how big or small. That’s why it’s important to understand the signs, so you can take action when needed and work towards improving your overall wellbeing.

Stress can manifest itself in a variety of ways including bodily, behavioural and emotional changes. For example, you may want to withdraw yourself from the people around you, or you may even feel nauseous and experience various aches and pains - each person will have a different response.

In many cases, your body can and will recover to its normal state, however, if the stress in the run up to exams and results day is becoming a significant problem and persists for long periods of time, it could have on impact on areas such as:

  • Cardiovascular health
  • Mental health e.g. depression and anxiety
  • Acne
  • Menstrual problems

Source: WebMD - Consequences of long-term stress.

Traditional stress-busting remedies

There are a number of tried and tested remedies for stress that have worked towards improving the health and wellbeing of people across the world. Below are some of the most common methods you could try to help you relax around results day:

Massage therapy

Not only does a massage from a trained professional feel great, but it can also help you to improve your overall wellness. According to Live Strong, massages can help to improve circulation, reduce aches and pains and relaxes your body - all of which can be beneficial around exam/results time!

Top tip: There are a range of massage therapists and techniques to choose from so make sure you go through your symptoms with a trained, medical professional to find the right solution for you and avoid further injury.

Exercise

Exercising helps to boost endorphins in your body, which subsequently gives you that ‘feel-good’ high. Not only this, but it can help you to distract yourself from the stresses of daily life whilst you’re engaging in a stimulating activity such as swimming, running or tennis.

Meditation

Meditation is a helpful stress-management tool that can be used anytime and anywhere - best of all, it’s completely free!

In essence, it helps you to train your mind to become less ‘reactive’ when exposed to stressors, thus helping you to cope better when life throws obstacles your way.

Top tip: There are hundreds of free meditation and mindfulness videos to choose from on YouTube. Utilise these in the run-up to results day to help you manage any potential stress in a more effective way.

Unconventional stress-busting techniques

As well as the more well-known techniques, there are countless lesser-known methods of combating feelings of stress and anxiety that you could try. As always, it’s always best to consult a healthcare professional before trying anything new or drastic.

I’ve found some of the most unusual methods below:

Laughter therapy

As mad as ‘laughter therapy’ may sound, many find this an effective means of combating stress. Essentially, it involves laughing, stretching, breathing and playing to help your body release endorphins and give you that ‘feel-good’ high!

Chewing gum

Yes, you read that correctly! Chewing gum has been proven to help improve levels of anxiety, mood and fatigue. So, next time you’re feeling the tension of results day approaching - try chewing gum to see if it helps you to relax.

Animal-assisted therapy

Many people find stroking a dog or furry pet to be soothing and relaxing when times are tough, and there could be some scientific research backing this phenomenon up, too!

A range of studies have found animal-assisted therapy to be effective in improving overall well-being in those with medical conditions such as depression.

So, if you're feeling worried ahead of your results, give some of these a try. I hope it helps :-)

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