You are enjoying your vacation with your cousins, laughing around, making lame jokes, taking pictures and having a generally good time. But then suddenly, one of your relatives asks you about your exams and how they went. And then the thought of what kind of result you’ll get hits you and you go blank!

Believe me, it’s normal. We all get asked these kinds of questions and this makes us worry like anything — not because we didn’t do well in our exams, but because of the examiners. What if they don’t give us the marks we deserve? One can’t ensure they’ll get a good result even if they’re toppers and are good at studying. Sometimes the weakest students get the highest marks and the toppers don’t get enough. They don’t know how their papers are going to be checked or by whom.

Academic results are something one works so hard for and for a very long time. While all students wish for their result to be a good one, some don’t worry much and forget whatever happened in the examination hall and get back to their normal routine. Some are more than just worried, because they have to maintain their record of being one of the top students in their class or for meeting their parents’ expectations.

In this way, students become sleep deprived and don’t talk much. They don’t have an appetite as the day of their result day draws closer. They become socially inactive.

Majority aren’t much worried for themselves but for the reaction of their parents and family members. Every parent wishes for his/her child to get excellent marks in exams and it’s okay. They have the right to dream big for their children. However, some parents get really rough on their children and force them to study hard, which their children are already doing. It leads to stress and pressure in children’s minds and they develop anxiety due to this.

Parents often scold their children for using smartphones too often and for not studying at that time. But as it is said, there are pros and cons for the usage of anything. Same goes for smartphones. It is very common for students to use smartphones. A limited amount of usage is good but too much isn’t good. Most parents have the mindset that smartphones aren’t good for students as it is a huge distraction from studies. They think about their own days and how their parents were strict and told them to study all the time.

Times have changed and A+ graders too use smartphones frequently. It would be quite unfair to say that smartphone affects a student’s result. Use things wisely and you’ll be all good.

Parents should be more understanding towards their children. They should trust them. They shouldn’t put pressure on their children to get good marks. Children work really hard in their own way and give their best in the exam hall. And many do get good marks. Who said that getting marks in between the 70-90 benchmark isn’t good?

But some think that these marks aren’t good and are disappointed with their child’s result. Instead, parents should appreciate their children and tell them: “It’s okay, you did your best, we’re proud of you.”

These are the only words that can bring joy to a child’s heart and give them more confidence and hopes for becoming a successful person later in life. No anxiety affects a student when their parents are supportive and have a strong belief in them to do their best in life.

Everyone is born different. All have different mindsets. They are all beautiful and unique in their own way. Some catch up with things quickly, whilst others take time to get it all in their heads. The students who are good at studies generally get good results but weak students seem helpless and may start to believe that they can never achieve anything in life.

Well, they are absolutely wrong about this concept, just as one’s academic results, don’t predict their future as their intelligence is the only thing that matters. Did Bill Gates have an impressive degree? No, he dropped out of college to pursue his dream of working on computers and became one of the most successful and influential people in the world. He believed in himself and worked hard and made his dreams come true.

Same goes for many other successful people such as Steve Jobs, Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Henry Ford and Mark Twain, who initially struggled in their student days but finally made a name for themselves.

So, the conclusion is: ‘It’s useless to worry about your result!’ Your future does not depend on the exam you give today. Nor does it depend on the result you get after the exams. Your future only depends upon you -- your determination, your hard work and your belief in oneself is what makes your future. So, don’t lose hope if the result doesn’t meet your expectations. It’s okay. As long as you stay determined and strive hard to reach your destination, it’ll all be okay.

If result anxiety still threatens to follow you like a ghost, then simply smile and tell yourself: “Whatever the result may be, good or bad, it’ll pass. I’m going to make my parents proud by being a good person. That’s what counts.”

Hard work does pay off folks, just believe in that.

Published in Dawn, Young World September 9th, 2017