Young mob, downtime from studying can be good for you

This comic was produced in partnership with Studio Gilay. Words by Phoebe McIlwraith, a Bundjalung Githabal and Worimi Saltwater dubay/galbaan (woman). Phoebe is a journalist and content producer based in ‘Sydney’.

School can be a lot aye, especially when assignments and exams roll around. The idea of doing well in these things can be really exciting, but studying can come with heaps of stress, too. 

During these times, it’s important to keep up your study–life balance. See how Mundarra carved out some proper downtime from studying with the help of his Aunty Maggie.

Download a transcript of this comic.

Stress might be holding you back 

Stress isn’t a totally bad thing! It can actually motivate you to take action when you care about something, like upcoming exams and assignments. But sometimes you might feel the signs of stress overload, which can be unhelpful and even overwhelming. 

If you’re experiencing this, try to think of ways that you can break those stress cycles and stop the pressure from getting out of hand. This can help to shift your mindset and boost your overall wellbeing. Here are some tips on how to do this.

• Be honest with yourself about your stress levels. How are upcoming tasks and exams making you feel?

• Think about how you’re managing your time. You could even make a study schedule with your folks and keep them in the loop about important dates.

• See if your family can change your home responsibilities, or if you can organise different shifts at work or just take some time off. Even small rearrangements can give you the breathing space you need right now in order to focus.

• If you’ve been at your desk for hours and haven’t achieved any of your study goals, try stepping away and saying out loud, ‘I’m feeling stressed.’ Sometimes just acknowledging your stress can help to relieve it and make you feel better straight away. 

Let others into your world, no shame here

Feelings of stress can be connected to another big feeling for mob: Shame or feeling shamejob. We’re proud people and can be navigating a lot of expectations. You might be wanting to look strong, to make your family proud, or to avoid disappointing your loved ones.

While it’s good to want to be independent and to achieve something ourselves, Shame isn’t the way to go about it; you can end up isolating yourself from the people who care about you the most. Letting important people into your world is a huge part of being a family and a community. It gives other people the opportunity to show their care for you in the best way.

Taking time to have a proper yarn (and accepting a yarn) with people helps you to show up as your best self. Letting people in can go both ways, too, and you’ll most likely find that mates have gone, or are going through, similar challenges. 

Remember, these convos won’t always be perfect, but they’re definitely worth having. They can help to put things into perspective (there’s a world and a life outside of school!), to challenge anxieties you might be having about expectations, and to ease other people’s worries about what’s been stressing you out. 

It’s proper self-care to make room for the things you love

Your friends and hobbies aren’t just some extra thing in your life; they’re massively important for your wellbeing. When you’re under a heavy study load, having proper downtime can have a positive impact. It can help you to feel more emotionally centred about the things that matter, and mentally refreshed so that you’re ready to have another go at tackling challenging tasks.

Self-care doesn’t look one way either; it’s completely dependent on whatever gives you the most joy, happiness and relaxation! It could look like having a solid day at home rewatching your favourite show, kicking the footy about, going out on Country, or just plain seeing your mates.

Celebrate progress (it’s all in the small wins!)

When you balance studying with things that bring you joy, chances are you’ll be in a better headspace to take on hard tasks. However, you might still worry that you haven’t made enough progress. 

That’s why celebrating the small wins is important. Let other people around you in on them, too. This will help to keep you motivated, to overcome any remaining shame, and to get you moving forward in a healthier and more positive way.

Remember, school and study isn’t always easy. But there are ways to make it easier. By balancing school stress with fun and self-care, you’ll stay strong and ready for any challenges that come your way.