Students
How To Balance Life And Study – And Keep Your Motivation!
Find The Meaning Behind What You Are Doing
It is a lot easier to achieve things when you know why you want to. One great way to get past feeling stuck is to connect to your underlying intention.
For instance, you might not be too keen on doing a particular assignment for school. But underneath that, you probably do care about:
- learning more
- practising your skills
- getting further toward your career
- feeling a sense of achievement when you finish it.
When you remember the assignment is just a step towards these things, it’s easier to get started.
It can also help to change the way you think about your intentions from demands (e.g. I have to do the assignment because otherwise, I’ll fail) to choices (e.g. I choose to do the assignment because I want to do well.)
When you think about it, most of the tasks we do are connected to a bigger purpose. Doing those dishes might not sound very appealing, but how about creating a nicer space for yourself and feeling freer?
Finding it tricky to think of what’s important to you? You might like to try a bull’s eye values activity or a life compass exercise. You could also try the Values Ink app, for a digital version.
Balancing Life’s Demands And Feeling Good
Achieving small tasks and doing things you enjoy can boost your confidence and lift your mood – helping you keep a healthy headspace. The activities you make time for have a big impact on your headspace. When you spend time doing things you enjoy, it can give you relief from hard times, and build some fun in your life. Likewise, when you set and achieve small tasks that are important to you (such as completing homework or giving back to your community) it can help to create a sense of accomplishment and meaning.
In a nutshell, doing ‘stuff’ matters. Yet, if you’re going through a difficult time, doing anything can seem like a lot of effort. And if you’re feeling low you may lose interest in things you once enjoyed. So, what should you do? The key is to focus on doing – even if you don’t want to or feel like it. As you set and achieve even small tasks you will learn more about yourself, build confidence and improve your wellbeing.
Here’s how ‘doing stuff’ can help your headspace:
- give you a sense of achievement and purpose
- build your confidence
- lift your energy
- improve your motivation
- it can help get you out of a rut if you’re not feeling energised.
- Ask an expert: how can I do more stuff?
Here’s how headspace experts suggest you get started:
Set small goals. Setting and achieving goals builds confidence and self-worth. Think of a small task you want to do every day (maybe it’s making your bed, going for a 15-minute walk or calling a friend for a chat). It can be anything, the important thing is to set the goal and follow through.
Find activities you enjoy. If you’re going through a hard time, you may not feel excited about doing anything. But think back – what did you used to enjoy? This can be a good place to start.
Make a schedule. When you think of an activity, make time for it. Look ahead at your week and block out some time for the things that you enjoy.
Persist. Find ways to follow through with your scheduled activity, even when you don’t feel like it. You may not feel like doing anything, so it might help to learn new ways to handle this.
Reflect. Once you begin achieving your goals, take some time to reflect on how it makes you feel. Did you enjoy it? Did you feel a sense of accomplishment? If you did, that’s great. If not, that’s OK. You could try something else.
Be kind to yourself. Maybe try a new hobby that you’re not great at, but think of it as making time with yourself to learn and grow. Keep persisting and enjoy the journey of learning. When you’re feeling low or stressed it’s important to put healthy habits in place – to give yourself a better chance of coping with life’s challenges.
Doing stuff and achieving little things every day is an important healthy habit, but it’s not the only one. Things like exercise, eating well, and spending time on your relationships are also important for good mental health. Sourced from: headspace.org.au
Attendance Notification
A reminder to parents that if a student is not going to be present at school, or needs to leave early, the College must be informed. Please call, email or send your student to school with a note so that we can issue an early leaver’s pass. It is vital that we have this information so that we can accurately track students’ attendance.
Ms Jessica Alger
Deputy Principal — Students