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school and wellbeing

Hey everyone, 

I'm finding it really difficult to stay motivated and actually stay afloat I'm in year 12 

any ideas?

PotatoNerd
PotatoNerdPosted 09-03-2021 07:09 PM

Comments

 
November13
November13Posted 10-03-2021 08:08 PM

@PotatoNerd year 12 is hard! I have found that sometimes if we have high goals for ourselves it may demotivate us because there just seems like there's too much to do. Do you think you could somewhat relate to this?

 
 
scared01
scared01Posted 20-03-2021 08:41 PM
hey @PotatoNerd and welcome

Year 12 can be really hard. I would encourage you to speak to your teachers if your feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work or struggling to understand anything your learning

i wonder if you would join in or even make your own study group? perhaps having each other to motivate and learn together and get through the year would be helpful as well
 
 
StormySeas17
StormySeas17Posted 12-03-2021 12:30 AM

Hi @PotatoNerd! I know the feeling of struggling to stay afloat- I get that in uni too! For me it's so important to get enough sleep and have some time scheduled out for me to recharge, whether that's with friends or just by yourself in different scenery. It's really been draining on me recently to be doing all of this stuff for uni and nothing for myself so I've been working to try and find things I can do that make me happy and are 'selfish'. The other day I bought doughnuts and I'm planning to splurge on some fun stuff I don't need at the end of the week Smiley LOL

 

I think it also helps to consider your studying style- do you like studying with friends or alone, at home or out, with a hot drink or just some water, music or no? What subjects are more 'downtime' subjects for you that you can do when you only want to study a little? A lot of people say maths is their downtime because it's repetitive, for example. Another thing I would say is, utilise your free periods at school! I know it's tempting to not use them for study but you'll feel so much better when you can actually go home having achieved all of your study already.

 

Motivation-wise I think it's a combo of externally and internally motivating yourself. For example, you want to find a way to see that your study aligns with your goals for the future, and sometimes for me I find it helps to do research on my future plans to understand how what I'm doing is contributing to that and what my next step is. External motivation is things like giving yourself something nice for doing something or even taking away something (like your phone) until you get the work done. Either way make sure to reward yourself afterwards! 

 
PinkBlossoms
PinkBlossomsPosted 10-03-2021 04:08 PM

Hi @PotatoNerd

I have actually been in a similar position as you when I was in Year 12. The amount of stress and piled up assessments truly made me become mentally tired. But do not give up hope!

There are some tips that I have practiced that made a difference for me and I hope that they can help you as well!

Tip #1: Practice Self Care. I cannot emphasise enough about how important it is for you to practice self care. Since you're coming into school 5 days a week (online or at school grounds) and that things slowly start to pile up, you can easily become mentally exhausted. This is where self-care comes in. Do something afterschool or on the weekends that truly makes you happy and feel relaxed. Examples include going out for walks, hanging out with friends, or even have a movie night session with a whole bag of popcorn! Not only will this make you mentally feel good, it might motivate you to finish off your studying so that you can have time to have fun!

Tip #2: Keeping a diary/journal. My diary is my holy grail. Buy a nice diary for yourself and decorate it however you want it! This is where I take note of any assessments due, what goals/objectives I want to achieve by the end of the week and any other notes you do not want to forget. Trust me, when you finally cross off or tick off those goals, it feels super fantastic. An example of a goal I would write down could be: "Finish off science notes for week 3 by Friday". Here's the fun part, crossing it off like so: (Finish off science notes for week 3 by Friday).  Satisfaction!

Tip #3: Being Organised. Ugh, organisation right? We would absolutely have chills at that thought but I promise that it'll definitely help. Having a clean organised study space allows you to study in a much better environment. Sitting in a cluttered space makes you distracted and make you feel less motivated or bothered to start your work. Use coloured folders to separate your subjects and split them up into subheadings (such as "Notes", "Exam Practice", "Drafts" etc.). You would hate to be swimming in a room full of papers!

Tip #4: Asking Questions and Seeking Advice. One mistake that I did was not asking my teachers enough questions. I am 100% sure your teachers would love to be pestered with millions of questions. Your teachers are the main key of becoming better in your work and being more motivated. If you are unsure or feel not motivated enough, ask your teachers for some advice. Not only just teachers, people around you can also give you advice! One example is that my mum would give me my favourite ice-cream (chocolate chip cookie) when I told her I was not feeling motivated enough to study. It definitely helped me. Don't be afraid of asking questions and seeking advice, everyone around you will support you (I support you too!).

The last thing I want you to remember is that this is your journey and you are allowed to take your time. Never fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others or belittle yourself because of your mistakes. You feeling little motivation is just an obstacle where, if you have enough willpower, you're able to conquer it. So go out there and do your best!  We believe in you!

Just a cute potato. shared by @kohachan on We Heart It
 

 
hunginc
hungincPosted 09-03-2021 09:04 PM

To help me understand the underlying factors affecting your motivation, what do you want out of year 12?

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