FROM this week, there are seven weeks until the start of this year’s HSC exams.

If it weren’t for recent delays, exams would have started in the next few weeks.

With the HSC fast approaching, Nambucca Valley Year 12 students are highlighting the added pressures on their mental health during the notoriously stressful exam period.

“For someone who is struggling with a mental health condition or even just every now and then has anxiety or depression it can be extremely hard to complete assignments or study for exams as their sleep habits can be disturbed, lack of motivation occurs and a diminished self confidence when completing assessments are all consequences of poor mental health,” said Nambucca Valley HSC student Tamsyn Spear.

While exams have been stressing students out since time immemorial, this year’s cohort have had to deal with exam date changes, a pandemic and remote learning amongst other challenges.

Tamsyn is reminding students to be aware of and prioritise their mental health.

“Not to mention the constant battle with emotions which can make it so hard to concentrate on school work,” said Tamsyn.

“There is so much pressure put on year 12 students and many will develop minor or even severe mental health conditions as a result of this if school students don’t have the required support from teachers and staff but also friends and family members,” concludes Tamsyn.

According to statistics from Macquarie University, research has shown that at least three quarters of HSC students have exceeded normal to moderate stress levels.

“As we strive to achieve our desired ATAR, most of us are struggling to deal with the pressure and stress that comes with all that hard work,” said Nambucca Valley HSC student Tracy Nguyen.

“HSC students see the ATAR as the most crucial result in getting into the course we want to do, at the university we want to attend, and it all depends on whether we achieved that minimum standard for that course or not.

“This causes us to put more pressure on ourselves as we push forward to achieve our goal.

“The issue with mental health among HSC students is the fact that some of us do not reach out for help when we are drowning in our own problems, but instead, we throw it to the side as if it’s just a normal experience that every Year 12 student has to go through themselves.

“Especially during this time of lockdown, our chance to reach out for assistance from someone other than our parents is limited as we feel less impelled to seek help online than face-to-face.”

For information on accessing mental health support services, visit https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/who-can-assist/getting-support-how-much-does-it-cost.

 

By Rhys GLEESON, Junior Reporter.