Keeping Your Balance During Matric Studies
Don’t miss SACAP’s free Student Study Hack Webinar
August 2022
If you’re feeling the stress of the upcoming Matric exams, the best thing that you can do is connect with those who can help and learn something new about how you can best re-frame the experience. Writing Matric brings a sense of finality on the one hand, and the anticipation of the new and unknown on the other. This is bound to evoke some anxious thoughts and strong feelings.
While 2022 has been relatively free of pandemic anxieties, it still certainly hasn’t been the easiest year, and many young South Africans are feeling the strain of our turbulent times. However, education and learning move on regardless, and the 2022 cohort need to be mentally and emotionally fit to meet the Matric moment. Stress around Matric exam time is normal, and just the right amount of it can actually contribute positively to peak performance. But all too often, it can tip over into too much, which then makes it less likely that we will be able to do our best. That’s why it’s so important to keep a balance as you prepare for these very last school exams.
SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology) will be hosting its annual SACAP Student Study Hack 2022 webinar on Saturday, 20 August 2022 from 10:00 to 11:30. This year, the panel is made of three young experts whose own lived experience of writing exams is still fresh in their minds. All matriculants and students preparing for their exams are invited to join them by registering for the free webinar here.
Buhle Moholi, a SACAP Work Integrated Learning Co-ordinator with a passion for career psychology, will present ‘alternative’ study tips that will help students approach their studies in a calm and well-organised way. She says, “It’s important to have strategies that help shape your study habits and daily activities to improve your abilities to process and retain information. Studying is not just reading your notes. Scheduling and time management are essential for keeping on track. Being organised and productive goes a long way to easing nerves and boosting your confidence so that you are fit and healthy when it comes to conquering your exams.”
HPCSA Student Registered Counsellor, Kacey Petersen will focus on the importance of mental health during exam time while also providing practical tips for strengthening your emotional well-being. She will share some of the ways she has learnt to deal with strong emotions, stress and anxieties that she put into practice during her own studies. Kacey says, “One of the greatest things I have learnt is how important mindfulness is, and how to use techniques to switch into a mindful mode. Practising mindfulness helped me become aware of my emotions when preparing for and writing exams. It helped me feel calmer, and to view the exams as less threatening.”
Giloume van der Walt, the vice-chairperson of SACAP’s Student Representative Counsel, will deliver a presentation titled ‘Fun vs Focus’. Planning for time-out so that you can refresh mind, body and spirit is an important part of the study regime. Giloume will unpack how dopamine affects our mental state and delve into how much fun is appropriate, what works well and what can potentially lead you down rabbit holes. He says, “It’s important to understand how and why we get distracted, so that we can avoid it and improve focus, concentration, and productivity to get the work done. It’s also important for maintaining balance during study time to have real-life tactics so that you can easily switch from fun to focus.”
The SACAP Student Study Hack webinar will also include a Q&A session so that you can engage with the presenters and get insights into other students’ experiences. Improve your well-being during the upcoming exam time by joining the conversation at SACAP’s Student Hack 2022 webinar on Saturday, 20 August 2022 from 10h00 to 11h30. Registration is free and you can sign up here.