My daughter is doing her Leaving Cert and is totally stressed about the fact that she is missing so much school. What can I do to help her calm down?
There is a lot of uncertainty about how things will pan out in the next weeks and months regarding the response needed for Covid-19. So, even in the time since you wrote this query and when I’m answering it, and when it will be published, the advice and the planning for schools and exams may have changed.
As I write, the oral and practical exams have been cancelled and your daughter will have been awarded full marks for those sections of her exams.
All your daughter has control over is what is directly in front of her. The future, for the rest of the exams, is still too uncertain. Focusing on what your daughter can actually do, herself, irrespective of schools being closed or not, i.e. the work she can do, the revision she can cover and so on, will help her to stay grounded. Ultimately, the DoES will have to make decisions about the exams that are fair for all students.
Learning and then using some relaxation techniques, taking regular exercise, carrying on with hobbies (such as she might still be able to do them!) continuing to eat healthily and sleep well, will also help to minimise the physical impact of anxiety and maximise her chance of being able to take a break from the anxious thoughts and feelings.