The HSC is the toughest year of High School, without a doubt. On top of that, mental health issues are known to be prevalent among young adults.
The Reason
The amount of pressure put on students to achieve highly is immense, a weight that can appear so crushing as to block out any view of the outside world. Your life can become Year 12, can become geared towards a single, often very difficult to achieve goal.
And yet, the entire time, we are told to Do better! Work harder! Put more hours in!
We hear time and time again that we are not just a number, but stress and anxiety ignore all logic and can propel you downwards.
I don’t want you to come out of this article feeling as though your final year is an endless cycle of horror, because in reality, it isn’t. If you implement study techniques, manage your time well, and maintain a balanced life, getting through the year is absolutely possible for most students.
However, Year 12 is a time where the constant pressure, the anxiety, the competitive attitude, can lead to feelings of panic and depression. In this article I want to discuss mental illness and mental health, and ways in which you can help yourself, your friends, and the people around you throughout this tough year.
Here’s what I want. I want you to share this link with your friends, through Facebook or any other means. I don’t care about likes, comments, sign-ups, anything like that. But you honestly never know who this article will help. The resources outlined below are fantastic tools for every individual, and the more people with access to them, the less risk individuals will face.
The Stigma
Imagine that you’re training for a sport. You train more and more, push yourself further and further, because that’s what everyone is telling you to do. You want to be the best, so you run faster and faster, jump higher and higher. You attempt difficult manoeuvres, put extra hours in.
Maybe it’s right as you start training: Maybe it’s once you start to feel comfortable: Maybe it’s just after a big event. But, to your utter dismay, you hurt your ankle on the track.
What do you do?
You go to a doctor. You get them to help figure out what the problem is, you get them to offer you advice as to the best way to heal up quickly so you can get right back into the game. If you were presented with this scenario, you wouldn’t have thought twice about your response. When you have an issue, you see a professional whose job it is to fix that issue.
I wasn’t trying to be subtle: you’ve probably figured out my analogy. Your final year is the sport. The injury could be anything: a broken arm, the flu. Anxiety. Stress that you just can’t escape. Depression.
There’s this ridiculous stigma that mental health issues aren’t ‘real’, that you just need to figure it out yourself. But the mind is a muscle, and young people are particularly prone to issues regarding mental health. Over time, we’ve come to realise that more and more. However, so many individuals still don’t know how to get help, for themselves or their friends. In modern society, we go to the doctor if we get a bit of a cough and don’t know what it is: why should anyone feel negatively about going to see a councillor or a psychologist, to help learn stress management techniques?
Debunking the stigma surrounding mental health is the first step towards appropriately helping those suffering. If you notice someone is down, stressed or just out of it, laughing at them and telling them to get over it is like asking the sportsperson to just keep on running. Having trouble with stress and anxiety isn’t always some life-ending problem; with the right help, and learning the right techniques from professionals trained in the field, things start to look up quickly.
The Solutions
Having recognised that stress and anxiety in young people is quite common, and that there are so many ways to help support individuals who are suffering through times of hardship, there are heaps of organisations that you can contact to get help for yourself or your mates. I’m going to go through three in particular.
I’ve had a lot of friends go through issues of mental health. For some, it was something that they thought they could cope with (mainly to do with stress and anxiety before exams). For others, it was much more severe. Either way, the most difficult step was always making that first contact, finding good professional support, because people generally thing that they can “figure it out themselves”. In the same way as I would see a doctor about a broken arm, I would see a doctor about an issue regarding mental health.
Beyond Blue provides information about where you can seek assistance and support, who to contact, and what to expect. For the Beyond Blue (Youth) website, click here (https://www.youthbeyondblue.com/).
Even if you’re worried about a friend, giving them links to website where they can contact professionals is a good way to help support them. This first step is both crucial and, probably, the most difficult to make. Be sure to be there for the people close to you.
The best place to find support is right here (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/treatment-options). If you’re having trouble with anxiety or depression, or you think you know someone who is, it’s really easy to see what methods of treatment and support are out there.
If you are worried about a friend and want to start a conversation with them, or are worried about yourself but don’t know how to talk to anyone about it, take a look here (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/have-the-conversation). Having people who care is such a helpful resource, and without a conversation it is hard to understand where the other person is coming from.
Often, though, it’s difficult to tell if anything is wrong at all. In the same way as you might see your GP to just check up on your health, you can visit this link here (http://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-started-now) to get more information about various common mental health problems facing young people. This is a great starting point if you feel like something isn’t quite right, or maybe you’re worried about a friend but not sure what to do about it.
If you’re looking for help from a professional in a specific area, you can follow the link here (http://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/find-a-professional). It’s like finding yourself a new GP.
Finally, if you need immediate help there are always opportunities to talk to someone. There are online chat forums, email addresses, and a 24 hour phone number at the link right here (https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support).
Headspace is a fantastic organisation, as it offers free (both online and in person) assistance to young people facing various health issues or questions, from mental health, to sexual help, and even to dental health. There are a number of online resources available, however if you want to visit one of the many centres around the state visit the link here (http://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres) to find the centre nearest to you or your high school.
Often, it is hard to make the first step in contacting a professional because you can be worried about being judged. “What if there isn’t anything wrong with me, what if it is all in my head?” Like any health problem, it is always worth being sure, and the only way you can be sure is by discussing your concern with a professional. If you want to start to do some research, click here (http://www.headspace.org.au/is-it-just-me).
eHeadspace is an incredible initiative that allows young people, aged 12-25, to chat, email or speak with a qualified youth mental health professional. This is a great place to look if you are worried about yourself or the people around you, as they can offer anonymous advice to help you through the year. Click here (https://www.eheadspace.org.au/) for the relevant information.
A thought that is hard to escape when suffering from stress or anxiety is that you are alone. I am here to tell you that you’re not alone. Not only do you have people around you who care about you, but there are so many others who are suffering from similar concerns, and so many others receiving treatment that is really helping their year and their lifestyle. If you want to read other people’s stories, or share your own, take a look at the link here (http://www.headspace.org.au/is-it-just-me/real-stories).
Reach Out has so many online resources, tailored specifically for young people. Similar to some of the links above, it is important to remember that it is worth thinking about asking for help even if you can’t quite pinpoint what you think is wrong. Sometimes, you’ll just feel off, and you’re not sure how to deal with it. Check out the link here (http://au.reachout.com/tough-times/somethings-not-right) if you think something’s not quite right.
There are many ways anxiety or stress can manifest themselves, and some of them can be quite harmful to an individual. Physical issues include sleeping problems, eating disorders and self-harm. If you are concerned about any of your friends, and you just want some more information, have a look at the link here (http://au.reachout.com/tough-times/physical-health).
Issues like this don’t always stem from the stress and anxiety of the HSC. Year 12 is still a time sometimes filled with bulling, abuse and violence. These behaviours are unjustified and unacceptable. However, there are tools out there to help you or your friends deal with the issue of bullying or abuse. Check out the link here (http://au.reachout.com/tough-times/bullying-abuse-and-violence) for tips as to how you can prevent or avoid instances of abuse.
Stress and anxiety will fluctuate throughout the year, generally increasing as exams come around. Take a look at the suggestions outlined here (http://au.reachout.com/wellbeing/school-uni-and-study) for the best ways to deal with exam stress, sleeping issues, life choices and other common problems.
Stress, anxiety and depression are real problems for many individuals in their HSC year. Having a support network, and access to the links above, is a great first step to dealing with the issue. As such, like I said towards the start, I would really appreciate if you share this link (via Facebook or otherwise). Don’t expect to get a lot of likes: that really isn’t the point. But maybe one person sees it, and starts using some of these links. Maybe, by sharing this article, you make the life of an individual a lot easier, and a lot brighter.
The number of resources available for individuals struggling with mental health issues is huge. We have got to the point where an individual seeking help will always be able to find it. Things will look brighter, and things will get easier. The HSC is tough, and looking for support when necessary gives you the best chance of getting through it. I really do hope that this article has helped some of you.
