Everyone encounters stress at varying points in their lives. The pressures which cause stress can arise from various sources and can be experienced in many ways.  

This week our Year 12 VCE students are encountering their first period of heavy assessments with VCE Unit 3 SACs requiring their intense focus. Our girls involved in the Rowing Program are entering the pointy end of the season with the Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta only a few weeks away, and our Year 7 girls are managing a new school environment. 

Our wonderful teaching staff have their own share of stress. Whether it be the time they spend preparing what they hope is the perfect lesson, worrying about the unique needs of every student, or the amount of work they take home such as a Year 9 English essay which needs to be marked by the next day, in addition to providing written feedback for every student. Each of these demands brings a level of stress to the daily life of a teacher.  

Parents and caregivers also have their own pressures. Apart from the normal hustle and bustle of life such as running a household, and managing their own career and finances, parents are also involved in guiding and assisting in their children’s lives – being a chef, taxi driver, psychologist, and tutor just to name a few of the roles parents take on to support their children. The role of a parent can at times be a bumpy and exhausting journey. 

The journey of a parent and dealing with not just their own personal challenges, but also endeavouring to support their children, presents a unique set of circumstances to cope with. For parents, there are strategies which can be used to support their daughters.  

Headspace, is Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation, providing early intervention mental health services for 12 to 25-year-olds. They suggest the following strategies.  

• Support them to stay active: If your daughter is feeling overwhelmed, the last thing they may feel like doing is staying active, but studies have suggested that any activity, from walking around the block to yoga or cycling, could contribute to improving the symptoms of depression and anxiety and help your daughter feel less stressed.  
• Encourage positive self-talk: Positive self-talk has the potential to change perspectives, attitudes and reactions regarding ourselves, others, and our circumstances. This can then increase confidence, reduce stress, and can be a very effective way to help prepare young people for a big exam or event. 
• Learn relaxation techniques together: There are many different relaxation techniques girls can use to manage stress. When your daughter feels like everything is getting too much, encourage them to try breathing techniques such as deep breathing or focused breathing (they breathe in through the nose and as they breathe out, they say a positive statement to themselves like ‘relax’ or ‘calm down’). 
• Help them to nourish their brains: We know that what we eat affects our moods. A well-balanced diet will make sure your daughter has all the essential nutrients needed for their brains to function well and to help keep them both physically and mentally healthy. 
• Encourage them to stay connected with others: Support your daughter to maintain strong social connections   when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, as their friends and family can help them through these times. 
• Prioritise sleep: Try to encourage your daughter to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule. Encourage them to avoid using distracting and stimulating devices such as a television or other electronic devices when they are in bed. 
• Work with them to find the best times to study: To reduce exam pressure, encourage them to have a good balance between their social life and study time, plan rewards for after exams, study actively and do past exam papers, and develop and try to stick to a study routine at home. 
• Talk with them about expectations: Stress about school performance or exams can be related to young people’s high expectations of themselves or their perception of other people’s expectations of them. It’s helpful to check in with your young person about whether they are feeling under pressure to meet expectations. The conversation may enable you to understand their experience and offer an opportunity for them to express their hopes and fears.

At St Catherine’s we implement a range of support practices, structures, and strategies to support the wellbeing and learning of all our students. New for 2024 has been our Academic Advisory Program designed to develop the skills and knowledge for successful learning and study habits. 

This bespoke program has a unique curriculum designed for each Year level. For example, our senior girls in Years 10 to 12 Term 1 Focus includes the following modules. 

We believe that by having an explicit focus on students learning a range of skills and strategies will develop greater resilience and promote greater self-esteem, enabling them to be more effective in their studies and learning. Supporting our students to thrive as teenagers is probably the single most important thing we can do as teachers and parents. It can be hard going at times, but parents should know we have a very experienced and skilled team of teachers working hard to support our students every day. 

Further information about strategies which you may find useful to support your daughter, can be found at the Headspace website. Click Here