Dealing with pressure and expectations
You could be someone who gets motivated and energised by pressure and expectation. But even if you are like that, both pressure and expectation can become too much, and end up harming your performance and outlook more than they help. There are some things you can do to deal with pressure. They include:
- Talking to someone outside the situation, like a friend or counsellor
- Talking to the person setting the expectations, and try to make it clear they're not helping
- Re-setting your own expectations – they could be unrealistic or just unhelpful
- Taking some space – go for a walk, play sports or video games and give your brain a break
- Writing down your feelings
- Avoiding drugs and alcohol – they just help compound stress.
Also remember that your exam, assignments and assessments results are just that – marks given to one thing you wrote down, once. They're not a number that reflects your worth, and they won't stop you doing what you want in the long-term.