Matric
Photo Credit: Supplied

Matric 2021 is a tough one, but it can be hacked, and students can learn how by joining a Free Study Hack Webinar this weekend.

 

South Africa (12 August 2021) – Facing the challenges of writing matric this year? One of the best investments of your time will be taking out just an hour and a half on the morning of Saturday, 14 August, to join the experts at the upcoming SACAP (South African College of Applied Psychology) webinar. Taking a whole-person approach, the panel will include leaders in their fields who will teach you the all-important hacks you need to not just survive matric but thrive.

The SACAP Student Study Hack webinar will offer tips and practical tools so that you can identify the study approach that will work best for you, learn simple ways to use diet and physical activity to boost your well-being and perform at your peak, and easily put in place strategies that will keep you motivated, on-track and positive about getting through your matric experience.

Registered Counsellor, Kirsten Harrison who has a special interest in higher education as well as trauma, points out that writing matric today is a lot more pressured than it used to be. This year’s cohort is under additional stresses brought about by the global pandemic.

She says, “It’s a life-changing time, writing these final school exams marks the end of the school era, and the anticipation of a different life ahead which is filled with uncertainties. There’s a demand to perform at your peak in the midst of a storm of expectations, hopes and fears. The good news is that you don’t have to be at the mercy of all this. There are practical ways that you can manage your matric experience and putting these strategies into practice brings about growth and competence in facing challenges in life. In essence, getting through your matric exams is not just about the marks you achieve at the end; it also provides day-by-day opportunities to develop your personal self-mastery.”

During the webinar, Kirsten will highlight how repetitive learning is not enough to pass matric, and she will unpack the importance of finding the study approach that best works for you. Learning about the different study approaches empowers you to learn more about how you learn best.

Kirsten says, “Some of the short-term benefits to planning one’s study approach include increased focus, less anxiety-provoking thoughts, more effective use of your study time and increased confidence in how you approach exams. There are longer-term benefits too, in that you will have a more positive experience of studying and writing exams which will help you achieve your goal grades going forward into higher education.”

Setting yourself up for success in the matric exams is not only about the actual studying you need to do. Nutrition expert Robyn-Leigh Mentor knows that you can’t think well if you don’t eat well. She will share top diet hacks and advice on how to buy healthy and delicious food on a budget. Qualified Biokineticist Joshua De Hahn will explain how movement is a powerful tool that helps both your body and brain and gives you practical tips on how you can use movement to boost your mind.

You’re going to need more than higher levels of physical self-care to get you through matric challenges; you’re going to also need emotional stamina and resilience. Jogini Packery is a Counselling Psychologist who is passionate about youth development, and she will be talking about setting expectations and coping strategies – essential tools to help you manage your matric experience and prepare you for life after matric.

Jogini says, “It’s important to understand that having a positive attitude towards your matric studies and exams is not about pretending it’s all going to be peachy and rosy. It’s about having the coping strategies to deal with the inevitable stresses that enable you to settle your emotions and focus on what needs to be done next. Jogini explains that we all have innate coping strategies that help us feel better in tough moments, but not all coping strategies return us quickly to a balanced state – they can lead us to being distracted or avoidant at a time when what we really need is to get back on track as quickly as possible. Learning how you cope in the face of adversity, and finding better ways is part of the matric journey.

Jogini says, “You need to constantly reevaluate what is working for you and what is not. Mental agility and flexibility are at the core of resilience. If something that we are doing is not serving a healthy purpose, then we need to set healthy boundaries.”

Becoming more aware of your emotional and physical states is also vital as it helps you to more quickly identify when you are not coping so that you can avoid a downward spiral into anxiety or hopelessness. Reaching out to your support system when you are feeling overwhelmed is taking a brave, strong step towards recovering, problem-solving and doing better.

The one and half-hour webinar will include a Q&A session so that you can get into the conversation with the experts and your peers. Join SACAP’s Student Hack webinar on Saturday, 14 August 2021, from 10h00 to 11h30. Registration is free, and you can sign up here.


Sources: SACAP – Supplied
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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