School starting in a week

[lil quirky]

Hi all, lil quirky here,

A week from school and I am dreading it but also want to go, I'm starting year 12 this year and am so anxious, everything fees like as tho it has changed. Last year toward the end of the year I lost my best friend, my dog of 18 years who I had spent my entire life with, and got a new dog after and it was too quick for me.

Year 12 for me I can feel it already being super stressfull but fun at the same time, year 12 may be the worst but best year at the same time, don't get me started on the study I have to fit into my busy life and homework, and exams, and I am not a person who is good at all of that, I'd much rather do production and theatre studies production and stuff instead of the other exam stuff that I won't need in the future, rather than do it all plus afterschool activities.

I can't deal with all of this stress of me being the eldest girl and having 3 younger brothers, a new puppy, a single mother, a dad with a new girlfriend and my dad has all his expectations of me going to uni when I dont want to, then on top of that, huge family drama, school stress that hasn't even started yet, and friend drama.

I have made a really great group of friends from when we moved from a rural place to more in the city, but having friends comes with the bad things, when someone in the friendship group doesn't really know you and doesn't make the effort to get to know you and seems like they don't like you, you get excluded and aren't welcome in some meet ups, and they spread things around about you that aren't true and tell others that you said something that you would never say, and are trying to turn people against you. It really does suck.

This year has some good things about it though, like 18ths, production, theatre studies, finishing school, last days, swimming carnivals, athletics where we get to dress up etc. they all still come with lots of stress, but what doesn't these days.

This year may be a rollercoaster, I don't know what do do about that, maybe I can't do anything.

Thank you for reading my vent and reading why I am terrified for this year. I hope you have a wonderful year 🙂

-lil quirky

[livi_mivi]

Hey Lil Quirky, 

The Pre-Year 12 nerves are so real! Thank you for sharing how they are making you feel as I am sure there are many others who can relate to this! I'm also sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. 18 years is a long time, they truly feel like family 😕

You're right in saying that this is a big year that brings many emotions along with it. It's the end of an era but also brings the prospect of a new start. I think as intimidating as the year seems, i'm glad that you are also choosing to highlight the exciting things that you get to look forward to this year too. 

The number one tip I have for Year 12 is balance. Being in your final year shouldn't and doesn't mean that you need to give up on your extra curricular activities or sacrifice your social life. In fact, it's important to have a break from studying and making time for the things that make you happy and will allow you to destress. You might even want to make a little study schedule every week or month, taking into account when you might have SACs or need extra time to complete assignments/study. 

As for family and friend drama, it might be worthwhile reaching out to teachers and wellbeing staff for support if necessary. They understand how stressful this year can be already without the added stress, so being aware of how these situations might be affecting you could help them find ways to better support you through your studies. Do you have dedicated study spaces or a library nearby that you might be able to go to when you need to complete homework away from home? I'm also sorry to hear that you are having some issues within your friend group, I know how hard it can be when it starts to effect the dynamics that you have with the rest of your friends. Do you think you could talk one-on-one with this person so they can get to know you a bit better? 

Like you said, there are so many fun things to look forward to this year - try your best to focus on this and enjoy these moments while you have them. Before you know it, the year will already be finished. I really wish you all the best, you're gonna do great! 😊

[quirkywords]

Livi-mivi

Thanks for your honest post.

it is a long time since I was in year 12 but it was a challenging yeas as I was battling my mood swings.

I agree balance is important and try to have pleasurable exercise and distractions from the study.