Waiting for Leaving Cert results? Avoid negative thinking says Cork teacher and wellbeing author
AS Leaving Cert Results day approaches, thousands of students will be anxiously waiting to see if they have secured enough points to progress on to their chosen course. For many the day will be a time of celebration and relief as they can begin to plan for the next step in their academic journey. For others there might be disappointment, however it is how students are supported through this disappointment that can make all the difference.
Thankfully there are many ways that young people can achieve their goals these days. Third level options and routes of entry into courses have become more flexible allowing student’s opportunities to progress outside of the CAO system. In order to cope with the results process there are a number of things that students and their parents can do.
When waiting for a big event in our lives it can be easy to get caught up in worry and ruminate on all the possible negative scenarios that could happen. It’s normal to be anxious but it’s important to take steps to try and avoid getting caught up in a negative thinking which can be detrimental to our sense of wellbeing.
Staying active and ensuring regular exercise and movement helps manage the stress and anxiety that will inevitably come over the next few days. When we feel stressed, we often retreat into ourselves and often stop doing the things that we know to be good for us. That’s why, as well as exercise it is important to stay connected with friends and family and plan to do things that we normally would do.
Often when we are worried and anxious we can believe that we are the only ones to have experienced these difficulties. This can make us feel isolated and alone in our struggles. Talking to someone we trust about what is going on for us can give us perspective and help us to realise that our challenges are also experienced by many other people. It can be good to hear how others overcame the challenges they faced as well as realising that by talking about what is bothering us we often realise that we have the capacity within ourselves to overcome these challenges.
Coming up to the results this can bring with it the realisation that whatever the outcome and even if there is disappointment, that there are many options open to students. Often students who don’t get the results they wanted go on to achieve even better things than those who do.
It’s important to have a plan for the day of the results. The excitement and anxiety around the results can be overwhelming and confusing so it’s important to decide on where you will open your results. A calm and quiet environment is usually the ideal space to allow students the time to take in the results, calculate their points and see what they have achieved.
Results day can also be stressful for parents. There can be a sense of helplessness as they not only watch their child worry about results but also worry about the results themselves. It can be difficult to communicate with worried teenagers who often lash out at home when they are feeling stressed and this can cause conflict. Sometimes the most well intentioned words of encouragement from a parent can end up causing an argument. This can be very frustrating when parents are doing their best to help.
It’s important that parents maintain the normal boundaries of acceptable behaviour with their child during this time and try to make home life as normal as possible. This communicates the message that its ok to feel stressed but it’s equally important to process it in more healthy and productive ways. Helping students to stay positive and reassuring them that regardless of the results they get you are proud of them for the effort they made and that you will support them to get to where they want to go in life.
For many students, results day will be a time of celebration and relief as they can begin planning for third level or whatever option they have chosen. Unfortunately for some there will be disappointment. In both scenarios it’s important to remain as calm as possible and take the time to assess all of your options.
Whatever way the results go, best of luck to everyone over the coming days, during times of change there is a quote I always remember that helps me maintain perspective, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost, The Road not Taken.
Alan White is a second level teacher, 6th Year Head and wellbeing author at Bishop stown Community School. He also facilitates wellbeing workshops for companies and organisations. For more information visit www.changeswellbeing.ie linkedin Alan White or facebook Changes Wellbeing
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