On Wednesday 4th April, our School Counselor, Ms Fiammetta Gioia, led a session about school related stress for DP 1 students, as planned with the Head of Programme Mr. Cori.
As adults we know that a certain amount of stress is a normal condition that can affect students of all ages, but feeling overwhelmed by school-related stress actually can reduce their motivation to do the work, impacts their overall academic achievement, and increases their odds of dropping out. A high level of stress can also cause health problems such as depression, poor sleep, substance abuse, and anxiety.
The first step to overcome this condition is to understand where it comes from, which are the specific triggers and causes for each student, so we can think of different strategies to help them to manage them, because it ‘s how they react to it that can make a difference in their lives.
Finding and using functional coping mechanisms instead of negative ones (procrastination, avoidance, perfectionism, self sabotage) are the keys to defeat distress and have a better school experience.
The School Counselor is always available to have 1 to 1 sessions in her office for those who are struggling to face exams, deadlines, having difficulty in organising work or poor time management. She is also available to support parents with different strategies with which they can help students at home. You may contact her via email: fiammetta.gioia@h-is.com