The Exam Season Knot

Priya, seventeen, lives in Jaipur and is two months away from her board exams. Every evening, when she opens her chemistry book, her heart starts to thump and her palms turn damp. Her stomach feels tight, so she skips di…

Priya, seventeen, lives in Jaipur and is two months away from her board exams. Every evening, when she opens her chemistry book, her heart starts to thump and her palms turn damp. Her stomach feels tight, so she skips dinner, and by midnight she is wide awake, replaying everything she has not yet revised.

Her mother notices that Priya snaps at her little brother, gets headaches by afternoon and has caught three colds in two months. Priya says, "I am fine, I just need to study more." She drinks strong tea late at night to stay alert and scrolls on her phone to 'relax', which leaves her more tired.

On Sunday her aunt, a nurse, sits with her and explains that the body treats a big exam like a threat. It releases stress chemicals to make her alert, which is useful for a short time. But when the pressure goes on for weeks without rest, the same chemicals leave her wired, tired and unwell. Together they plan a small routine: a twenty-minute walk after school, a fixed bedtime, slow breathing before study, and one full free evening a week. Priya is still nervous, but her headaches ease and she starts to sleep. She tells her mother, "I thought being stressed meant I was weak. Now I see my body was just on alert for too long."

How to recognise it

• Racing heart, tight muscles, headaches, stomach upset and poor sleep that appear around a clear demand such as exams.

• Irritability, constant worry and trouble concentrating, even when sitting with the book.

• Frequent minor illnesses, a sign that long stress is wearing the body down.

• Leaning on tea, caffeine or endless scrolling to cope, which tends to make things worse.

• The pattern has lasted weeks with little recovery time.

What this story explains

This story shows the body's fight, flight or freeze response and how short stress helps while long stress without rest harms the body and mood.

Probable root causes

• High expectations from school, family and the young person herself.

• Long periods of study with little rest, movement or sleep.

• Stress hormones staying raised for weeks when the pressure never switches off.

• Perfectionist self-talk such as 'I must not fail'.

• Heavy tea or caffeine use and late-night screen time.

What to do

1. Name it kindly: tell the young person that these body signs are a normal alarm, not a weakness.

2. Build a daily routine with fixed sleep and meal times.

3. Add short breaks, a walk or stretching between study blocks.

4. Teach slow breathing: in for four, out for six, for a few minutes.

5. Cut late caffeine and phone use before bed.

6. Break the syllabus into small daily goals so the load feels manageable.

Whom to consult

• Family doctor if headaches, stomach trouble or poor sleep continue for more than two to three weeks.

• School counsellor or a counsellor at any time the worry is stopping study or sleep.

• Clinical psychologist if the worry grows into constant fear or panic.

Do and don’t

How to behave and communicate

• Use a warm, unhurried tone and sit beside, not across from, them.

• Try: "You have been carrying a lot. What is the heaviest part right now?"

• Reflect back what you heard before offering any solution.

• Say: "Whatever the result, we are with you."

• Avoid checking marks and progress at every meal.