At the University of Chester, our supportive ethos is to empower students by giving them the means to overcome setbacks and rise to challenges. In the lead up to results day, we know that you may be feeling anxious as you wait to receive results, so we’ve put together some pretty simple choices for you to think about, that might help put things into perspective.
Preparing vs Worrying
It’s natural that results day will be on your mind, but sometimes worrying about something really can take over. Our advice? Turn your worries into proactive action. Instead of sitting in your room worrying, face your fears head on – are they genuine? are they likely? Is the worst case scenario really all that bad?.
Make a list of all the things you’re worried about and think about each of them individually. You might look at one and ask yourself: If this happens, what’s my next move? Then have a think about the options and next steps. Once you’ve done that, you may find that it’s much easier to get rid of those fears when they pop into your mind, because you’ve already sat down and thought about the soliution. And when you’re prepared like that, it becomes a bit less scary.
Focusing on you vs Comparing yourself to others
It’s really easy to compare yourself to your peers. You’re all in the same situation, you’ve all done the same assessments at your college or sixth form, and you’re all getting your results on the same day. But, this is the time to remind yourself that you are not the same. We all have our strengths, our areas to improve on, our natural talents - and wouldn’t it be boring if they were the same for everyone? You’re an individual, you think differently to everyone else around you because you are unique (a wonderful thing to be).
So, when you look at it like that, is there a point in comparing yourself to anyone else when you are all completely different? Make sure you keep that in mind when results day comes around. Celebrate your successes and focus on your future.
Being open vs Keeping things to yourself
Locking yourself away from the world when you’re worried about something is pretty much the worst thing you can do. Whether it’s your family or your friends, make sure you talk to someone about how you’re feeling.
It’s okay to share, in fact, it’s a really good thing to do. If your friend or family member was worried about something, you’d want to help. So, remember that they feel the same way about you. Secondly, sharing a worry doesn’t make you a burden, but what it does make you is brave - it takes a lot to say what you’re scared of out loud.
You may find that talking to someone about things helps even more than you thought. You’ll get a different perspective on the situation and it could really open up your thinking.
Enjoying your summer vs Dreading results day
It’s summer, which means warmer weather (sometimes), light nights and a break from the routine of college or sixth form – what’s not to love? It’s hitting differently this year too, since this is the most freedom we’ve had to live life how we want in quite a while. So, make the most of it. Get out, see your friends, go and do something fun.
The alternative is spending it worrying about results day, and when you really think about it, will worrying between now and the day have any impact on your results? It won’t, but what it will have an impact on is your mental health. It’s so important to use this time you have over summer to enjoy yourself. And remember, if you take the time to really think about your biggest worries around results day and what your options will be, then you’re already a step ahead – a good place to be.
The gist of what we’re saying, is make sure you take care of yourself in the lead up to results day, and do your best to make positive choices. If you’re finding that difficult, just make one positive choice – reach out to your family and friends so they can be there for you.
We’re wishing everyone the best of luck with their results this year!
