I am currently preparing for JAMB and WAEC simultaneously and I feel like I am being squeezed on all sides. The pressure from my parents is enormous — they\'ve made sacrifices for my education that I cannot quantify and they don\'t have to spell out. My teachers talk about these exams like they are the only door that exists. My classmates are either visibly panicking or pretending so hard to be fine that it\'s its own kind of stress.
My mental health during this period is something no one has asked about except me, quietly, to myself at night. I\'m anxious most of the time. I\'ve developed a habit of studying until I can\'t hold my eyes open and then lying awake anyway because my brain won\'t switch off. I compare my preparation with friends constantly — which only makes me feel behind, even when I\'m not.
I\'m not asking for study strategies — I have those. What I really want to know is: how do you manage your mental health during high-stakes exam preparation? How do you study hard without destroying yourself in the process? From people who have been through this — please be specific. The generic advice ("just breathe", "take breaks") hasn\'t been enough.