Five Study Support tips for World Emoji Day 2025

Many of us use emojis every day when chatting with friends and family. These fun images can help express how we are feeling, something that can often be difficult to put into words. The emoji has become so popular that it even has it's own celebration day, World Emoji Day, which happens on the 17 July 2025.

With more than 3700 emojis available at our fingertips, we thought we'd look at five popular ones and some Bitesize Study Support tips that you could associate with them.

1. Fearful emoji – don't fret about results day

This year's Nationals results day in Scotland is on Tuesday 5 August, and GCSE results day across the rest of the UK is on Thursday 21 August. You might be feeling all kinds of emotions on the run-up to the big day, and fearful might be one of them!

Dr Radha Modgil told us that "the day before results day is especially nerve-wracking, so the best thing you can do is to try and keep busy". Radha recommends planning something fun to do with friends or family. She says you should "avoid talking to or meeting with people who might make you stressed or talk about things that worry you."

Remember, whatever results you get there are always options and people who are there to support you – your teachers, parents, carers and friends. You can find more results day tips from Dr Radha here.

2. Sunglasses emoji – feeling confident

The sunglasses emoji looks pretty confident right? Confidence is an in depth belief in yourself and your abilities that you have what it takes to take action on your dreams and goals. Confidence coach and author Tiwalola Ogunlesi spoke to us about how you can rebuild your confidence if you have suffered a setback, here's what she said:

1. Know your strengths, passions and values. When you know what they are, it will wake you up to your capabilities and make you feel more confident to take action.

2. Challenge the mean voice in your head. Try speaking to yourself the way you would speak to a friend.

3. Take action. Start with baby steps to build momentum as you go along and make sure to celebrate your wins at each stage.

3. Poo emoji - take time to self care

We can all feel a bit 'poo' sometimes, so if you are feeling a bit down in the dumps, then a bit of self care might be just what you need.

When we look after ourselves aka self care, we are more resilient to challenges in life when things get tough, we feel better and have improved physical and mental health, we can look after our friends and family when they need us, and most importantly, we give ourselves the message that we are important too, that we matter and that we deserve looking after.

Self care can be whatever makes you feel good and what is good for our minds and bodies. It might be listening to music, going for a walk, turning your phone off so you have some time for yourself, or choosing to stay in and have an early night when you’re tired.

You can find more self care tips in our World of Wellbeing Podcast.

4. Sleep emoji – sleep is a super power!

The sleep emoji can mean you are bored, or tired, and after a long day at school we don't blame you if you are feeling just a little bit sleepy! But did you know that getting a good night's sleep can actually help with your studies?!

We spoke to Dr Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel, who is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology & Neuroscience at the University of Glasgow, she told us that as well as helping you regain strength and energy, sleep can actually help you learn better. This is because during sleep, the things you've recently studied get incorporated into your long-term memory, which makes it easier for you to recall the information later on. But how do you get a good night's sleep? Here are some tips from Dr Carolina for good 'sleep hygiene':

• Stick to the plan. If you've made a study plan, try and stick with it – don't add revision sessions too late in the evening as this can be counter productive.
• Switch off the tech. Plan with your friends to not be online, especially around exam season - that way you won't get FOMO.
• Do something relaxing. If showering wakes you up, maybe save it for the morning, but if you find it relaxes you and helps you wind down, then it can be a great way to switch off and forget about the rest of the world.

5. Crying emoji – talk about your feelings

This tearful emoji can be used to express sadness and feelings of disappointment, or empathy towards someone else's sadness. If you are having a hard time managing your own feelings, it’s really important that you talk to someone about it. It can be difficult to know what to say to others if you are worried about your mental health. This might especially be the case if you are feeling ashamed or overwhelmed by the symptoms of their mental health difficulties. But some good ways to start a conversation might be:

• "I want to tell you something, but I don't know how."
• "This is hard for me to say, but I have something important to tell you.”
• “I need some advice on something I’m stressed about.”
• "I'm having a really hard time."

You can find out more about how to talk to people about your mental health here.

If you need support

You should always tell someone about the things you’re worried about. You can tell a friend, parent, guardian, teacher, or another trusted adult. If you're struggling with your mental health, going to your GP can be a good place to start to find help. Your GP can let you know what support is available to you, suggest different types of treatment and offer regular check-ups to see how you’re doing.

If you’re in need of in-the-moment support you can contact Childline, where you can speak to a counsellor. Their lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are more links to helpful organisations on the BBC Bitesize Action Line page for young people.