A-Levels Anxiety? How to Destress Before Results Day

Are you feeling stressed or anxious about a-level results day 2022?

It’s completely normal to feel this way and you won’t be the only one experiencing these feelings. Not to worry though, we’re here to help you destress in the build-up to the big day on 18th August.

Explore our suggestions below to look after your mental health over the next coming weeks.  

1. Spend Time With Family & Friends

Being social and spending quality time with those that mean a lot to you whether it’s your friends, family or significant other will help you feel less stressed and anxious. Many studies have found that having supportive relationships helps to increase our mental well-being and relieve stress.  

There’s nothing worse than feeling alone when your mental health is strained and it’s good to open up to those around you about your emotions. We know that sometimes it can be hard to want to see people when you’re feeling not like yourself, but it will be a great distraction from your worries.  

Chances are that your friends who are also waiting for their a-level results will be feeling similar to you. So, you can provide support to each other.  

Make plans to see your family or your pals whether its grabbing food together and having a catch up or having a movie night, you’ll forget all about results day because you’ll be too busy having a good time! 

2. Stay Active 

Physical exercise is a great way to combat anxiety and stress, it’s been said that even five minutes of exercise can regulate the stress levels in your body and reduce feelings of anxiety.  

We’re not suggesting that you start running daily marathons but try and stay active whilst in the lead up to receiving your results. You’ll get the feel-good endorphins flowing and be distracted from your worries.  

Sometimes sitting in and doing nothing can make you feel worse.as you’re alone with your thoughts (not a vibe).  

So, choose an exercise you enjoy doing whether it’s going for a walk, going for a bike ride, going for a jog or going swimming. You’ll feel better and more relaxed after, trust us!

3. Make Sure You’re Sleeping Well

Stress and anxiety often lead to problems with sleeping, so if you’re struggling to get a good night’s rest and often find yourself tossing and turning then don’t worry, there’s ways to combat this.  

A good night’s sleep means you’ll be ready for the day ahead, your mood will be regulated, and you will feel more refreshed. Which is the opposite to how you’d feel if you didn’t get enough sleep (we hate when that happens) you have less patience and become easily agitated.  

Take some time to establish a regular sleeping pattern, go to bed at a similar time every night. If you can’t seem to wind down, then watch a comfort film in bed or listen to some calming music – we find these work for us!  

Do some deep breathing exercises too if you’re feeling anxious and can’t get your mind to switch off. We know it’s difficult to sleep when there’s so much on your mind, but you need to get some rest. After all, you worked so hard during exam season it’s time to catch up on all those snoozes.  

4. Eat & Drink Well 

Suffering from symptoms of anxiety and stress can make you lose your appetite and not want to eat or drink much, but it’s important to look after yourself and have a well-balanced diet.  

Tons of studies have found that eating a healthy diet can reduce the negative effects of stress on your body. Eating and drinking enough will also give you extra energy to combat stressful or difficult situations. 

So, make sure you’re not skipping meals and eat on a regular schedule of every three to five hours (or whenever suits you). Cooking with others is therapeutic and a fun activity to do with friends or family whilst in the lead up to results day. And will also prepare you for cooking up a storm as a student! 

5. Cut Down On Caffeine & Alcohol  

Drinking too much caffeine-based drinks or alcoholic drinks can worsen the feelings of stress and anxiety so it’s best to cut down if you’ve noticed you’ve been consuming a lot.  

It’s common for young people to consume alcohol to help relax or cope with stress or anxiety, however, alcohol is a depressant which in the long run will just leave you feeling worse if you over do it. There’s nothing wrong with drinking in moderation though, just don’t let it become a coping mechanism to deal with mental health issues.  

The same goes for coffee, it’s great to drink to give yourself a boost but too much of it can also increase existing feelings of stress and anxiety. It may also impact your sleeping pattern too if you’re drinking too much of it.  

6. Reduce Screen Time & Social-Media Usage  

Sometimes our phones and social platforms can make us feel worse than we were already do. If you’ve noticed, you keep seeing posts online or messages reminding you of results day and it’s getting you worked up then try to cut these triggers out.  

Social media can be toxic for our mental health as we can compare ourselves to others when we shouldn’t, but it’s hard not to. In this case, if you’re measuring your success compared to other peoples, then reduce your screen time and time you spend on social media before results day.  

7. Make Time For Yourself  

If you have a super busy schedule perhaps you work a part-time job or take part in extracurricular activities or are just a social butterfly, whatever it is, make sure that whilst doing these activities you’re also taking time to focus on yourself.  

You’ve spent a lot of time revising and working hard to complete you’re a-level studies, so now’s the time to do some relaxing and establishing that perfect work/life balance again.  

When was the last time you devoted some time to yourself? If you can’t remember, then you must treat yourself have a self-care day. Even if it’s just taking 20 minutes a day to do something you enjoy doing it will help ease anxiety and stress, and keep you focused on what matters most, YOU! 

8. Remind Yourself You’ve Tried Your Best 

Last but not least, don’t beat yourself up with comments like “I could have done this better” or “I’m going to get such bad grades” whilst waiting for your results to be published.  

Studies have shown there is positive links between self-compassion and wellbeing. So, be kind to yourself to help decrease anxiety and stress symptoms. 

You’ve already sat the exams, completed your a-level courses and finished that chapter of your life. There’s nothing you can do now but sit and wait. We’re sure that your hard work will have paid off, so remind yourself you did the best that you could, especially under such circumstances with the pandemic!  

There you have it, our guide to how to destress before results day, we hope you’re feeling more calm and able to keep your nerves under control after reading this!  

We must let you know; we are not professionals so if you are struggling to combat your emotions to the point where you feel overwhelmed then please seek out professional support, don’t suffer in silence. 

There are lots of support and resources available to help manage stress and anxiety symptoms as a young person. Here are some you can make use of: 

• Student Minds: Student mental health charity which provides a range of support for dealing with stress and anxiety.  
• Young Minds – Explore tips and advice for dealing with stress and anxiety as a student or young person.  

rReady to find your ideal student home? Here at Essential Student Living we offer student accommodation in first-class locations.  

If you enjoyed the topics, we discussed in this blog, why not check out the rest of our posts to learn more about the student experience? Get prepped for your university years here.