I know this is completely irrelevant, but I'm in year 8 and I feel so old.

[Joseph41]

Haven't read this thread, so may be repeating general sentiment, but:

Do you year 12's feel the same? I wish I could just be in year 1. I'm stressing so much about VCE as I need a 99 atar to get into medicine. I think of it this way. I'm 14, so basically have 60 years left of my life, therefore I have lived 20% of my life. Life is so short!

I feel the same way sometimes. In many respects, for me, at least, being younger was an easier existence. In many respects, though, it was also harder. In general, I feel a lot more stressed now, but I also find things to be more rewarding. More independence means more opportunity.

I re-read some of my high school journals the other day, and they showed that I was really worried about Year 12, too. It's super easy to look back now and say "wow, what was I stressing for?!", but that would be downplaying the perceived importance of what was happening at the time. But in saying that, I always thought I wasn't really ready for the next stage, and ended up doing fine.

"I'm not ready for high school!"
"I'm not ready for VCE!"
"I'm not ready for Year 12!"

Stuff like that - I'm sure a lot of people can empathise.

I'm not really sure how helpful any of this is, but my advice would be:

Try not to get too distracted about the future to the point that you're not focusing on the present. And if you need help, seek it.