Dealing with Exam Results
About a month ago, I received my grade ten results. There was immense pressure from all sides: the fear of not being able to stand up to what was expected from me, the anxiety of messing up all the efforts that I had put in all through the year. Most importantly, I dreaded the possibility of failing my own self, unable to reach the bar I strove for.
When all my inhibitions came true, I did not know how to deal with it. I checked and rechecked, miraculously hoping for the digit to change. I wasn’t used to having to go through academic failures and with those coming in the exams which everyone regarded as the first turning point of our futures, I was not able to compose myself. All of it resulted in a rough week, comprising of binge-eating and sulking, as I allowed a numerical figure to lose everything that lied ahead.
A month into it and none of it actually matters. Things are coming out smoothly and apart from that one week, my mark sheet did not determine anything at all.
While the competitive world we currently live in tries to make everything a rat race, maybe that’s not the purpose of grades at all. What if, they are simply an opportunity for us to reflect and move ahead rather than pondering over the consequences of something unchangeable?
For everyone who met or surpassed their expectations, this is a little congratulatory statement reminding you to celebrate what your efforts reaped. And for everyone who didn’t, this is a reminder of how incredibly proud we are of each one of you. Go out for a walk, talk to your friends, snuggle in your blankets while you hum along with the tunes of your favourite songs: do what makes you happy. Please don’t let your result be too harsh on you, disallowing you from the simple joys of life.
The world has so much for you and its brightness cannot be fused into a one-page document. Seize it!
Carpe diem!
