Severe HSC stress

[clovvy]

Hey guys, if you have been following my journal you probably have a rough idea on what is happening... Last night I am experiencing difficulty sleeping and butterflies in the stomach... as well as constant negative mindset (which high achievers do not have), and I am losing more and more strength overtime... I am still this way right now and with next assessments coming it really doesn't help... I am planning to see the school councellot ASAP and see my GP again because this has been going for way too long.....

I really want to withdraw HSC as the year is getting more and more hellish than before and I am not mentally prepared to keep getting disappointed..... However my parents (though they claimed it is up to me), tried to convince me that it's ok to perform poorly in school (and I feel insulted)... So far I am lacking friends and activities outside of school.... The question is what will I do if I withdraw? Because there is no guarantee I can get a job while I am in my 'blank period'...

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey friend

- It is definitely okay to perform 'poorly' in the HSC, if you define poorly as not meeting your own expectations. There is no 'good' and 'bad,' because those are things you define for yourself. Plenty of people don't quite get what they want in their HSC, and although it might seem like a huge bummer, it's not a big deal in the long run and it is definitely okay. Fixating on self-defined expectations can be really destructive, it's important to remember that we define our own measures of success and failure.

- The choice to drop the HSC should be made by you after having gotten as much advice from as many different sources as you can. If after getting all that advice you still want to withdraw, then that is what you should do. If you want to stay, do that.

- Dropping and taking a gap year shouldn't be about what you do in the gap year. You are dropping because of HSC-related things and for your own mental health. You aren't dropping it to get a job, so that should be a secondary concern I think! And if you do withdraw, get chatting to local businesses about if they need work (you are cheaper to pay than many so you would be an attractive employee since you can work school hours). Do some online courses. Get involved in whatever strikes you. You don't need a plan, withdrawing isn't about going to something it is about getting yourself out of a situation you don't want to be in.

Good luck, whatever your choice ends up being

[EEEEEEP]

Hey guys, if you have been following my journal you probably have a rough idea on what is happening... Last night I am experiencing difficulty sleeping and butterflies in the stomach... as well as constant negative mindset (which high achievers do not have), and I am losing more and more strength overtime... I am still this way right now and with next assessments coming it really doesn't help... I am planning to see the school councellot ASAP and see my GP again because this has been going for way too long.....

I really want to withdraw HSC as the year is getting more and more hellish than before and I am not mentally prepared to keep getting disappointed..... However my parents (though they claimed it is up to me), tried to convince me that it's ok to perform poorly in school (and I feel insulted)... So far I am lacking friends and activities outside of school.... The question is what will I do if I withdraw? Because there is no guarantee I can get a job while I am in my 'blank period'...

Hi there 

Sometimes, we don't perform as well as we want, and that is okay =). We may have our own expectations and wants, but it is important not to beat ourselves up about it! I understand the stress, the feeling of being overwhelmed and all those feelings. It's quite self destructive and unhelpful for you in the long term!

Sidenote:
While it is up to you, it would help your mental state. I would like to add that, dealing with expectations is something that you need to learn to deal with  , not just in the HSC, but in life and uni too! Dropping out of school, will give you relief, but it's sort of like a temporary bandaid. You will encounter these feelings of stress and meeting expectations again.  A counsellor can definitely can help you with this, by giving you tools in life! A lot of my peers during the HSC at the time said "Don't drop out of school first but drop into help first".

As for withdrawing, if you withdraw, you can find a job, pursue interests , reconnect with friends and do some volunteering in the community. All of these things can and will help you improve your mental state!  Finding a job, reconnecting with peers and volunteering, puts things into perspective, as well as giving some variety of life (it also good to get out of the house).

My final comment, is that there will be lots of uncertainty, in regards to dropping out. You can't predict the future, but that's okay