Herald Sun, 5 Otcober 2022, Catherine Lambert.
Exam stress is at its peak at this time of year, but experts say students’ capacity to manage begins to form many years prior. It may appear to be a student’s ability which gets them through exams, but executive coach Victoria Mills says it’s more about the parents. “Young adults model themselves on the parent so if they see mum and dad on their laptops at 11pm and eating unhealthy food, the child will pick up those patterns early on and it won’t help them get through the study time,” Mills says. “The environment you create in the home will have an impact on children.
They’re always watching you and you really have a role in making sure they’re healthy, eating well, sleeping well, and aren’t on their phones at night.”
Mills, who is chief executive of online coaching platform Hello Coach, says helping stressed executives working on billion-dollar deals is no different to helping stressed teens, because the foundation is to have good habits.
Paying attention to work-life balance should start at a young age and she says it’s key to managing
stress. “Routine and rituals are very important, so the sooner they get into a routine, the sooner it will become a habit and that becomes life forming,” Mills says. “School is one part of life. It’s one space where you get to learn, study, and observe to become an extraordinary human being but it’s important for parents to have a guiding hand with what kids are being exposed to.”
RIGHT BALANCE
Charlie Gibson, 17, of Mitchelton, Brisbane, says a well-defined strategy has been the key to her study approach while also maintaining a good work-life balance. “I must know my body so, if I’m feeling tired, I won’t do a lot of study and will rearrange things,” Gibson says. “I’ve learnt to be adaptable and flexible depending on how I’m feeling. It hasn’t come naturally though. I’ve had to learn what works best for me based on the amount of time I have.” Gibson is a keen soccer player, representing Australia earlier this year, so finding the time for her studies and her sporting passion requires expert planning. It’s been one of the most stressful aspects of her life this year. “There’s a lot of pressure around football to perform and I dedicate a lot of my time and energy to that which can be stressful but there’s also a point with exams where I don’t get stressed anymore, accepting that I know what I know and I have faith in that,” she says. “I’ve learned the syllabus; I’ve done my best and the outcome will be what it is.”
Her future, outside of football, will hopefully be podiatry or nursing, based on her aptitude for science subjects. When studying, she prefers to spend more time on areas she finds more challenging, working back to areas she finds easier. Listening to music and cleaning her space helps her destress, along with plenty of alone time and watching an episode of a show she likes.
POSITIVE MINDSET
Tracy Herft, the deputy principal of Strathcona Girls Grammar in Canterbury, Melbourne, agrees that family and social life is important but she says so is personal mindset. “If you’ve never thought about your mindset, as a student you can set that up by focusing on what you’re doing well, and being positive,” Herft says. “Each individual student has their own experience, and it depends on their maturity, their study strategy and what they’ve learnt through their schooling.”
She has found family involvement has increased since Covid lockdowns. “Family plays such an important role in Year 12, from ensuring there’s a private study space, making sure they have breaks and supporting them with healthy eating and exercise,” she says
