Concerned Grandma

I’ve just been reading this article on the toll of stress in teenagers sitting HSC exams. Apparently, anxiety and depression around this activity are on the rise in recent years, and it’s leading to an increased need for special exam provisions, counselling and even medical diagnoses.

It’s a bit of a worry, frankly. My grandson will be doing his HSC in a couple of years, and he’s always had a bit of a nervous nature – you know, a tendency to sweat the small stuff. I hope this issue is addressed by the department soon and that the school has adequate support structures in place, although I’m not going to hold my breath for those things to be in place.

I’m thinking that my grandson could benefit from learning some practical strategies for managing stress before it hits him, which it’s bound to if this article is to be believed. Maybe I can look into enrolling him in some kind of stress management course. Melbourne friends, do you know of any such thing or have a professional to recommend?

My daughter has told me that corporate stress management seminars are now quite popular in workplaces, so there must be a bit of a trend for this type of training. It would make a lot of sense to have workshops on it in schools, but I just don’t know if they have the resources, at least not in the public system. I’m guessing the onus is on individual students and their families to find the resources they need to deal with the HSC.

Not to say that my grandson isn’t able to cope. I’m sure he’s perfectly resilient, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t stand to have a bit of targeted guidance in this area if I’m able to find a way to provide him with it. Perhaps he can pass the benefits onto his friends as well.