Manoj Chandran , CEO, White Swan Foundation speaking to youngsters
Manoj Chandran , CEO, White Swan Foundation speaking to youngsters

Stressed about exams? This free e-book can help you stay calm and carry on

Manoj Chandran from White Swan Foundation speaks about their latest e-book that was published to help students manage their exam stress better 

Akash is a tenth grader who is gearing up to face the dreaded Board exams. Though he has attempted the preparatory exams and is logically as prepared as can be, he lacks the skills to manage the stress that comes with these defining exams. According to Manoj Chandran, CEO of White Swan Foundation for Mental Health, most of the stress can be either avoided or managed by making the right decisions. To help students understand this better, they recently released an e-book titled Managing Exam Stress. He says, "There is a prevalence in the trend of exams being seen as a stressful situation. There is also pressure on students to constantly perform better in exams. But they don't have the right knowledge to deal with this situation. Many a time, the suggestions offered by parents or peer groups with regards to handling stress are not necessarily right. Hence, we reasoned that we must provide information on how to handle exam stress through this e-book. It will surely help students in reducing their stress levels and building a competitive spirit to face the exams."

This 300-page e-book is simple to read and comprehend. It includes four different sections - A, B, C, D. Section A speaks about occasional and chronic stress and the serious effect it has on the student's body and mind. Section B is all about seeking help from parents and the importance of sharing your thoughts with them. It also indicates the different changes students undergo including physical, emotional and behavioural. The e-book becomes more interesting for kids when section C rolls around because this section is all about goal setting and why it is important, various study techniques and so on. While all these sections are essential for children to read, the last one, section D, is about different types of exercises students must undertake to relax during those crucial study hours. Surprisingly, it also highlights some of the common exam ‘frauds’ people commit, like breaking a coconut, praying to books, wearing a sacred thread and so on.

Manoj Chandran

I'm sure this already sounds exciting to you. But wait till we tell you about the specialty of this book! At the end of every section are beautiful illustrations and common myths. These myths talk about aspects like why people ignore sleep knowing very well the importance of a good night's sleep so that the brain can rest. Similarly, another myth is about how exams are written not just for the sake of marks. There is also a worksheet at the end of every chapter. Chandran says, "This book was not designed based on our opinion. We conducted a lot of on-field research by talking to children about what they undergo during exams, what they feel parents are supposed to do and what they don't. Then, we consulted experts and the book was planned and designed accordingly. Therefore, the entire book is dependent on these worksheets. Children will find solutions to their problems in the sections as they proceed. For example, there is a worksheet that asks them to write down three factors that make them nervous or anxious during exams. As they read the next section, they will find solutions to the issues they have listed."

Manoj feels that while prepping for exams, among other factors, managing time is one that we don’t concentrate enough on. He says, "As adults, we lack the skills to manage time and the importance that we have to allot to each of our tasks. Hence, the e-book highlights this skill by instructing students to list out a few essential points that must be followed during exam time." Apart from this, the White Swan Foundation for Mental Health has released e-books like A Guide to Maternal Mental HealthMBBS, A Guide to Wellbeing for Medical Students and many more. As most of their audience is available on the internet and social media platforms, they don't approach schools or colleges to market the books. More than 400 readers have downloaded Managing Exam Stress since its release on January 23, 2020. Manoj says, "People who have read our books earlier know about our work very well. Hence, we don't approach anyone personally. After uploading the poster of the e-book on social media, many parents automatically downloaded it for their children. We don't believe in publishing hard copies of books. When there are platforms available on the internet that are offering free e-books, why spend money to print them or ask people to spend money on buying them?"

Visit this link to download the book for free: https://www.whiteswanfoundation.org/ebook/Managing-exam-stress/ 

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
EdexLive
www.edexlive.com