As the school year reaches its crescendo, Romanian adolescents find themselves standing at the precipice of their academic futures. The National Evaluation and Baccalaureate exams loom large — gatekeepers to educational trajectories, yes, but also something more insidious: architects of a particular kind of dread. Beneath the surface of academic pressure runs a deeper current, one that systemic psychotherapist Denisa Zdrobiș has observed across years of working with families: the fear of failure, which she calls the most formidable adversary these young minds face.

Zdrobiș warns of multidirectional pressures converging during exam periods, forces that can weigh heavily on students' mental health in ways parents and educators often fail to recognize until the damage has taken root. In an interview with Weekend Adevărul, she describes this period as one of the most intense emotional stages in an adolescent's life — not simply because of the exams themselves, but because of what they represent: the weight of expectations from oneself, from family, from a society that has constructed narrow pathways to success. "Fear of failure is the biggest enemy," she states, and the assertion carries the weight of clinical observation.

The psychological toll of this fear can be as debilitating as it is pervasive, creating an emotional quagmire that derails even the most prepared students. What matters here is not merely the presence of stress — some stress, after all, serves a purpose — but the quality and intensity of the anxiety that accumulates when young people perceive no room for error. The stakes, as constructed by the educational system and amplified by cultural narratives around achievement, are high.

Zdrobiș emphasizes the importance of recognizing signs of severe anxiety in adolescents, a task that falls largely to parents who must learn to read the subtle shifts in behavior that signal distress. Changes in sleeping patterns, irritability, withdrawal from social interactions — these are not mere adolescent moodiness but red flags indicating a student overwhelmed by pressure they may lack the vocabulary to articulate. What Zdrobiș advocates for, then, is the creation of an emotional safety net, a framework that provides adolescents with tools and support systems to navigate this treacherous passage.

Among the strategies she recommends are simple methods for emotional regulation, techniques grounded not in abstract psychology but in the body's own capacity to restore equilibrium. Deep abdominal breathing, for instance, can calm both mind and body, allowing students to regain control over emotions that threaten to spiral. Another method she describes is the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, which anchors individuals in the present moment by engaging their senses: five things they can see, four things they can touch, three sounds they can hear, two smells, and one taste.

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The exercise may seem elementary, yet it serves a important function — pulling anxious minds out of catastrophic future projections and back into the manageable reality of now. Light physical movement also helps, releasing tension and improving mood through mechanisms both neurological and experiential. Zdrobiș underscores the importance of sleep, which remains necessary for memory consolidation even as students routinely sacrifice it in favor of additional study time.

This trade-off, she notes, is counterproductive: without adequate rest, the brain struggles to retain information, making it more difficult for students to perform at their best. The irony is sharp — in their effort to maximize preparation, students undermine the very cognitive processes they seek to optimize. The concept of eustress enters the conversation here, a reminder that not all stress is destructive.

A certain level of stress, Zdrobiș explains, helps mobilize resources and concentration, sharpening focus in ways that benefit performance. The challenge lies in distinguishing between stress that motivates and stress that paralyzes, between pressure that propels and pressure that crushes. When stress becomes overwhelming, it shifts from ally to adversary, transforming from a tool for mobilization into a barrier to success.

This perspective proves particularly relevant as students prepare for the National Evaluation and Baccalaureate exams, assessments that function not merely as tests of academic knowledge but as gateways to future opportunities. The pressure to excel can heighten the fear of failure, which in turn impedes the very success students desperately seek — a feedback loop that traps young people in cycles of anxiety and underperformance. Zdrobiș's insights form part of a broader conversation about mental health challenges during exam periods, one that calls for a more thorough approach to education.

Her work emphasizes the need to prioritize emotional well-being alongside academic achievement, to recognize that students are not merely vessels to be filled with information but whole persons navigating complex developmental terrain. By equipping adolescents with coping strategies and fostering supportive environments, parents and educators can help mitigate the negative impact of exam-related stress. As Romania continues to grapple with the demands of its educational system, the discussion around mental health becomes increasingly urgent.

Zdrobiș's expertise offers guidance for those seeking to navigate this complex field, her emphasis on recognizing and addressing anxiety, providing emotional support, and promoting healthy habits serving as a call to action for a more compassionate approach to education. The goal, in the end, is not simply to achieve the perfect grade but to ensure that students emerge from the experience with their mental health intact — a metric of success that the current system rarely measures but desperately needs to consider.