Every spring, thousands of students and their families go through one of the most stressful times of the year. The Panhellenic exams are often presented as the great battle that will decide a young person's whole life.
But when an exam starts to feel like a verdict on who we are, the pressure stops helping and becomes a burden.
A little stress helps, too much gets in the way
A moderate amount of stress before exams is normal. It keeps us alert and helps us focus.
When the pressure goes past a certain point, though, the opposite happens: concentration gets harder, sleep is disrupted and memory "freezes" just when we need it. Many students feel it in their bodies too, with a racing heart, headaches or even panic attacks.
When worth is measured in grades
Teenagers grow up in an environment where success is closely tied to acceptance and self-esteem. So a grade can easily seem to say something about their worth as people, rather than simply about how they did in one subject.
Parents, almost always with the best intentions, invest emotionally in the result as well. Children pick up on this, and the pressure often grows without anyone meaning it to.
Exams are one stop on a young person's journey, not the measure of their worth.
How parents can help
- Recognise the effort, not only the result. Your child needs to know that you see how hard they are working, whatever the grade.
- Offer stability and a sense of safety. Encouragement and a calm presence help more than constant reminders of how important the exams are.
- Protect the daily routine. Enough sleep, short breaks, some movement and good food make a big difference.
- Rest is part of the preparation. It is not wasted time. A rested mind learns and remembers better.
- Talk about the exams in a more human way. Less fear and more understanding make the conversation easier for everyone.
The role of the adults
The way adults react to a difficulty, or to a result that wasn't what was hoped for, has a decisive influence on how a young person interprets it. A setback can become "the end" or simply one part of the journey, and that often depends on us.
When the stress becomes too much
If stress is strongly affecting your child's sleep, mood or daily life, or your own, talking with a psychologist can help restore the balance.
Vasilis Saloustros, Psychologist BSc, MSc
An article of mine on this subject was first published in the Rhodes newspaper «Dimokratiki» (22 May 2026).