Wellbeing Moments

Hi Guys,

Welcome to our Wellbeing Moment: a chance to pause for a minute and reflect on something small but important. There’s nothing you need to do – just take from it whatever feels useful to you.

This week’s focus is Finding and Keeping Motivation

We’re into Term 4, which means we’re getting closer to the summer holidays but there’s still a fair bit of the year left to get through. You might have exams coming up, workplace learning to prepare for or just be feeling a bit over school after a long year. Sometimes it can be hard to find the energy to keep putting in effort when you’re already thinking about the holidays.

The good news is that you don’t need to feel motivated all the time to keep making progress. You just need to find a way to get started, even when you don’t really feel like it.

It can help to remember:

• You don’t have to feel motivated to take the first step
• Getting started is often the hardest part
• You don’t need to do everything at once
• Rest and time away from school are important too

Keeping motivated can look like:

• Breaking a big task into smaller jobs you can tackle one at a time
• Starting with just five minutes of work instead of putting it off completely
• Setting yourself one realistic goal for the day
• Making time for sport, gaming, friends or other things you enjoy
• Getting enough sleep and taking a break when you need one

Parent Corner

Sometimes, the most helpful thing a parent can do is check in without immediately trying to fix the problem. Asking, “How are you feeling about the term ahead?” or “What's one thing that would make this week a little easier?” can help open up a conversation. Encouraging realistic goals, recognising effort rather than just results and making space for rest can also help young people find their feet when motivation is running low.

It’s easy to spend Term 4 counting down the days until the holidays but there’s still time to learn something new, spend time with mates and finish the year on a positive note. You don’t have to be at your best every single day. Just focus on the next step, give it a go and remember that a little progress is better than none at all.

And if you ever want someone to talk to, you’re always welcome to check in with your Head of Year or our College Psychologists.

James Rogerson

Psychologist