Managing stress for HSC students

As the HSC gets underway for another year, stress is a reality for many students and their parents and carers too.

The Class of 2023 and their families are reminded that well-managed stress can be helpful when harnessed to motivate, focus and energise us to overcome and persevere through tough challenges. So how can parents and carers be sure that wellbeing is in focus for students preparing for their final exams?

To perform at their best, students will need regular and adequate sleep, a healthy diet, daily exercise and regular reassurance from parents that their success in life does not depend on their final mark. Many students will experience high levels of anxiety during this time, so it is important that their mental health is looked after as well as their physical health.

Stress is the physical, mental, behavioural and emotional response to difficult and demanding situations such as HSC exams. Its causes are unique to each individual and vary based on a student’s personality, temperament and resilience.

Symptoms can include: headaches, upset stomach, tense muscles (physical), worrying, racing thoughts (mental), low appetite, impacted sleep (behavioural), moodiness, and feeling overwhelmed (emotional).

As the adults in their lives, parents and carers have the opportunity to help students learn more about themselves, such as the warning signs of developing stress, and develop healthy coping strategies to manage stressful periods in their lives.

The first important skill to develop is identifying when stress affects a student. When parents and carers start to notice signs of stress, you can name it for them, build their awareness of their stress symptoms and the potential triggers that may have them focus on developing a plan to manage the stressful circumstance and reflect on questions such as: what is in my control in this stressful situation that I can do something about? What is outside of my control that I need to learn to accept or adapt to?

Parents and carers can help by making sure their child is eating well during exams, getting enough sleep each night, maintaining their self-care and hygiene, and encouraging them to take reasonable breaks to do the things that they enjoy as a stress reliever (physical activity, spending time with loved ones, relaxation, hobbies etc.). Students should be encouraged to speak with their parents and carers if they’re feeling overwhelmed so that they can problem-solve the situation. Maintaining a calm household will ensure your child has the best chance of success.

A great conversation starter is: “I noticed that you seem a little bit out of character recently: you’ve been chewing your nails/seem more tired than usual/seem to have a lot of nervous energy. Plus you reacted a little crankier than you usually would yesterday. Do you think you could be feeling stressed? Do you want to talk about what is making you feel this way?”

Adolescents respond best to guidance from parents and carers when it is delivered empathetically, non-judgmentally, and is respectful of their developmental stage of wanting to exercise their independence more. Parents should be conscious of the timing of these conversations, doing so when they’re calm so they are more likely to be receptive and less likely to feel defensive if they misinterpret the adult’s intentions of raising the issue with them.

If parents and carers notice that their child continues to have stress symptoms a few weeks after exams conclude, it is recommended to consult with a doctor as it could be indicative of a developing mental health concern.

Where to go for more help?

If your child is a student at a CSPD school, please speak with his or her Year Coordinator to access additional support including school counselling.

Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese (CSPD) is committed to providing a welcoming, safe and respectful learning space for every student.

We support each student in their learning development and maintain a respectful and safe space for them to learn and grow in a Catholic faith environment. We do this to support and promote student wellbeing and help young people develop and achieve their full potential.

Additional online resources:

Reachout (Stress & Teenagers)

Reachout (Friendships)

Reachout (Things to try)

Kidshelpline (Family stress)

Parentline (Older kids)

Headspace (School Stress)