THE HOLY PAIN OF COMPETITIVE EXAMS

Ask any competitive exam aspirant what pain looks like and they won’t point to a wound. They’ll point to those unfinished targets, unattempt questions, and the guilt of scrolling reels when one should’ve been solving MCQs. Sometimes, this pain is in the scattered notes you can’t find because you made ‘short notes’ of your short notes. And sometimes, it’s in the sacred silence of your phone. Nobody calls, because the world assumes you’re lost in pursuit of chasing a dream bigger than yourself. But an aspirant’s pain isn’t just poetic so lets talk about the raw, unfiltered reality.

Bonds and Burdens: When Relationships Take a Backseat

When you’re preparing for a competitive exam, your social life quietly slips away. Family doesn’t always understand why you’re locked in your room all day. Friends move ahead with jobs, salaries and fun weekend plans. They text “what’s up?” and you honestly don’t know what to say. Romance feels impossible. Either you don’t have time, or the other person can’t handle the uncertainty. Slowly your world shrinks. Not because you don’t care about people. But because you no longer know how to balance relationships with the weight of an uncertain future. And as if this was not enough, then comes the bigger monster, the detouring physical and mental health.

The Battles No One Sees

Constant self-doubt, mood swings and guilt for not studying “enough.” Even after long study hours, you feel like a failure. The anxiety before mock tests. Some days you don’t want to open the books at all. Other days, you push yourself so hard that your brain stops absorbing. Guess what happens next?

The body also gives up, back pain from endless sitting, weak eyesight, irregular sleep, acidity from stress and skipped meals. On top of that, if you come from weaker socio-economic background, that will surely double your burden. coaching fees, rent, books, test series. Every rupee feels like an investment you cannot afford to waste. And the worst part? You can’t talk openly about it, because people say “it’s just exams.” But inside, it feels like your whole future is tied to every page you read or don’t read. But can we say that this suffering makes you stronger instead of only leaving scars? Let’s dive into this perspective.

FROM BREAKDOWNS TO BREAKTHROUGHS

Pain doesn’t just break you, it shapes you. you learn discipline when you least feel like it, patience when results don’t come and courage when everyone else doubts you. You’re sitting at your desk with low mock test scores. You feel worthless like everything you studied slipped away. But the very next day with swollen eyes, you pick up the same book and realize you can still understand it. That tiny act becomes your breakthrough. This is where the holiness of pain begins. When suffering stops being just suffering and starts becoming a teacher.

Ending on My Favourite Poem

“Defeat, my Defeat, my solitude and my aloofness;

you are dearer to me than a thousand triumphs,

and sweeter to my heart than all world-glory.”

~ Kahlil Gibran

During toughest days of preparation, I often turn to this poem. It makes you feel less broken and more alive, reminds you that even defeat has its holiness. Maybe the exams will end, but the lessons of resilience, humility, and self-belief, stay with you forever.