Leaving Cert 2025: Looking after your wellbeing during exam time

Resilience is built from overcoming challenges in our lives.

Setbacks in any area of our lives can be difficult, but it is often these that prepare us to overcome bigger challenges in our lives.

Over the coming months there will inevitably be setbacks for students, however, it is how these are overcome that will dictate how successful they can be in achieving what they need in the exams.

In order to be resilient and have the capacity to overcome challenges, students need to take care of their wellbeing in the run-up to the exams. Whether it’s looking after their physical or mental wellbeing, this area of our lives often becomes neglected when we are busy, but it must be prioritised so that we have the capacity to overcome challenges and setbacks.

When revision and schoolwork begin to take their toll, students need to be aware of strategies to help them maintain their wellbeing and continue to work consistently.

Focus on what you can control

When we become stressed or fail to do the things we know that are good for our wellbeing, it can seem like we have little control over the things that are going on in our lives. This feeling can be difficult to understand and can cause a lot of distress. It can be difficult to see a way through this feeling but during such times it’s important that students focus on the things in their lives that they can control.

Sometimes, when we feel under pressure it can be difficult to find ways that we can take back control over our lives.

When this is happening, it can be the little things that help us feel more assured. Making sure we have routines is very important to give us regular anchors from day to day.

These include things like going to bed and getting up at regular times, taking breaks, or when we do something we enjoy or taking time to relax.

Regular routines give us a sense of control that helps us deal with the unforeseen things that will inevitably happen in our day-to-day lives.

Comparison

One of the most detrimental things to our sense of wellbeing is comparing ourselves to others. We often compare ourselves negatively to others, which makes us feel that our lives are lacking in some way or that our efforts are not as great as others’. We live in a society of comparisons amplified by social media, and this is having an extremely negative effect on everyone’s sense of wellbeing.

This is particularly difficult for young people who have a tendency to compare themselves constantly to their peers both in person and online. For Leaving Certificate students, this can lead to a belief that they are never doing enough compared to their friends who seem to be able to do more work than them.

Students need to remember that even if it’s true that others are doing more than them (more often than not, this belief is not true), it’s important to focus on the work that you are doing, the progress you are making and measure progress on the achievements you have accomplished, not on what you perceive are the accomplishments of others.

Meeting our needs

Meeting our needs can be very challenging during stressful times in our lives. It can be difficult to take a break from preparing for the exams to focus on what can seem like selfish things such as taking breaks, meeting friends or being active; however, these things are very important to our overall sense of wellbeing and when we take the time to meet our needs, it will help us persevere through challenging times.

One of the most important requirements that students need to meet regularly, in order to maintain their wellbeing, is connecting with friends. This can be an opportunity to vent about school and the exams or take the opportunity to talk and think about something different and take a break.

It’s also important to take the time to have fun and do the things you enjoy, whatever that might be. Although students have less time to do these things, it’s important to make them part of their routines to ensure they have the mental strength to persevere over the coming months.

Gratitude

Students might feel like they have little to be thankful for at the moment, however, having a sense of gratitude can provide students with a sense of perspective on their lives and allow insight into the opportunity ahead of them rather than seeing the exams as only a negative experience.

Consciously being thankful for the positive things in our lives can help us gain perspective and motivate us to see challenges as opportunities to grow.

Many of the things that are good in our lives are there now because of challenges we overcame.

Seeing the Leaving Cert as an opportunity to overcome a personal challenge can increase motivation and help maintain wellbeing.