Don't Stress on GCSE Results Day

I’ll never really forget how nervous I was getting my GCSE results. No honestly, I was shaking. I felt sick to my stomach and I was SURE I had failed. I just knew it.

But fast forward an hour, I got my results - I was a tad upset that I didn’t come out with all B’s and A’s, but you know what? I passed. That’s the main thing. I stressed out for weeks, not being able to concentrate on revision because I was so scared of the outcome.

Exams have never been my thing, I’ve always been pretty terrible and I knew that it wasn’t the best way to measure my success. At 16 I was (and still am) passionate about makeup, music and Facebook… I didn’t care about half of the stuff I was taught in school. I found it hard to concentrate on the work when there was a whole other world out there that I wanted to delve into and explore.

So, my top 5 tips for not stressing on results day are:

• Do not compare yourself to others - comparing yourself only makes you feel worse, you are not them. They are not you.
• Learn from your mistakes. Something you wish you had done differently? Learn from it. Apply it to your next venture. We all make mistakes and as long as you can change in the future, you’ll be okay.
• This is not the end of the world. As much as teachers, your parents and your friends will say, failing is not the end of your life. If you don’t get the GCSE’s you anticipated, it doesn’t mean you’ll never land your dream job or have to compromise on anything. You can always resit and I think job success is as much about personality and experience as qualifications.
• If you’re absolutely petrified of your results, (and on the verge of crying, not judging, I cried) don’t open them at your school. Wait until you’re home or in the car. That way its personal to you and you have the ability to react how you want. A lot of people want to know your results, and if you’re not happy with them, telling your friends can just make you feel worse.
• Be proud of yourself. Even if you didn’t get the results you wanted… You stuck through school, you worked hard and you finished the exams. You’ve done well to get this far and seized an opportunity that millions around the world don’t have access to. Go you!

Katie.