How do students de-stress during exam season?

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. How do students de-stress during exam season? 29 May 2026 Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleAlice Cullinaneat University of WarwickBBCLucia Sanchez, Zoey Jaffri, Fahad Khan and Abdul Usman (left to right) are in their fourth year of university and are continuing to study after other year groups have finishedAs more than a million students in the UK are sitting exams, hot weather can often make a stressful experience even more of a challenge. Young people face "more pressures than ever before", according to NHS England, which helped more than 250,000 students aged 16 to 18 last year, with issues like anxiety and sleep difficulties.

For University of Warwick students Lucia Sanchez, Zoey Jaffri, Fahad Khan and Abdul Usman, job applications and intensive module periods are also a stress factor as their course continues until August. "We're in classes every day while we're seeing everyone else finish with their uni experience, it's a bit different and stressful," Jaffri said. To keep calm during exams, the fourth year students recommended getting outside, surrounding yourself with friends, escaping campus to disconnect for a while and staying active.

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"We live in a generation where it's very easy to be alone and you could get by being alone, but humans crave nurturing," Usman said. Khan explained that it was "in our nature" to be active and suggested playing sports in the summer to improve your mood. Laila Qaiyoom recommends getting out in nature and allowing yourself to "live at the same time" as examsLaila Qaiyoom has three exams this term and said the "constant pressure to be doing something" was stressful and made it harder to switch off from studying.

"Compared to working a job, any free time I have during the day, especially during exam season, it feels like I should be studying," she said. The second-year university student said it was important to "allow yourself to live at the same time" as exams, by being sociable and doing things you enjoy. "Don't treat it as every second of the day should be spent working towards your academic career," Qaiyoom added.

Charlotte Carr and Mathura Balanathan love taking walks between exams to relaxCharlotte Carr and Mathura Balanathan said their two main stresses were the vast range of content to revise and managing time wisely. "With uni, you make the choice in everything you do, while with school you have a structured day, so creating a routine is really helpful," Mathura said. The pair take regular walks in between studying and "compartmentalise" their time to chat with friends and go outside.

"Connect with nature, ground yourself and make sure you're not isolated in one space during exams," Carr says. Am I experiencing high exam anxiety? Exam watchdog Ofqual said people react to stress in different ways - while it can be a "great motivator" for some students, it can be bad for others when exam pressures are "overwhelming".

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.