Wellbeing News

Making the most of these school holidays to set yourself up for a strong term 4

With Term 3 holidays around the corner, students may be weighing up how to balance the need for some rest and renewal these holidays, with the demands of impending exams.

These holidays can thus be a weirdly tricky time. Many senior students at JMSS are feeling the mental health strain and burnout risk from the VCE system. As mental health is such a pivotal variable to performance, my hope is that students can use these holidays to restore and reset, and set themselves up for the term ahead.

Here are some suggestions on how to reset these holidays and set yourself up for a strong term 4.

A good strategy may be to take a few days rest in the first week and focus on  organised preparation in the second week.

For the first week:

• Sleep well: Go to sleep and wake up around the same time, but allow yourself to sleep in a little later.
• Stop schoolwork: Put your books and notes away for the first few days to let your brain turn off.
• Do fun things: See your friends, play games, or spend time on your favorite hobbies.
• Get outside: Go for a walk or play a sport to get fresh air and sunshine.

For the second week:

• Clean your space: Tidy your desk and organise your school bag so you feel ready.
• Review light notes: Spend one or two hours a day looking over tricky topics from last term. You may want to list topics from past terms where understanding felt shaky rather than trying to re-read entire textbooks.
• Filter tasks: Break large, overwhelming revision mountains into tiny, manageable daily goals (e.g.30 to 60 minutes of focused work). 
• Make a plan: Write down important dates, exams, and goals for the next term.

Healthy Daily Habits

• Eat good food: Eat fresh meals and drink plenty of water every day.
• Limit screens: Turn off your phone an hour before bed to help your brain relax.

A really useful question for students and parents to ask these holidays is “Why do I need to feel restored and well again?” The answer may not usually lie to the screens that we often default to, but in connecting again to those things we know make us feel alive and energised.

The Wellbeing counsellors, are available to have a chat with, and perhaps help put in place a plan to better look after mental health.

Feel free to reach out to myself or Angelique, by dropping into to Wellbeing, or contacting us by email.

Angelique.Vardis@jmss.vic.edu.au

George.Vlamakis@jmss.vic.edu.au

~ George Vlamakis (Head of Wellbeing)

george.vlamakis@jmss.vic.edu.au