Dec. 1, 2020

Managing expectations in December

As this semester — and this year — come to a close, you may be feeling a mix of stress over exams, relief that a holiday break approaches, anxiety over spending time with family or sadness that this year there may be restrictions limiting how we can celebrate with our loved ones.

As this semester — and this year — come to a close, you may be feeling a mix of stress over exams

It’s important to remember to not only be kind to yourself but also to be realistic about your expectations for yourself.

Being stressed about exams is normal and not finding the motivation to study is as well. The important thing to remember is to do what you can. You typically wouldn’t be indoors for the majority of the day connecting with your classmates and instructors over Zoom.

The Student Success Centre has resources to support you with your online learning, including motivation and doing exams online. They also host workshops on both topics where you can connect with any of their staff. If you are taking any of the classes that have corresponding PASS sessions, you can also attend a review with a PASS leader.

Remember to take a break when you need to. The weather in Calgary is frequently mild enough to spend time outside. You can take a walk, or go on a hike or skate at one of the many outdoor rinks. If you would rather stay close to home, you can do a virtual fitness class or take advantage of Calgary Public Library’s digital resources including newspapers, books, movies and online courses. If you haven’t already, you can get a library card online

You may be spending time a lot of time with your family this month which can be stressful. Have a plan for self-care which can be as simple as stepping outside or calling a friend. Otherwise you can get together with your loved ones virtually. You can set up a group on Discord and stream a movie or show for you to all watch together or play a board game online.

We’re all grieving what this year could have been and we’ve been pushed to change how we live our lives. We’re all more resilient than we think we are, but it’s okay to acknowledge that things are tough. If you need to access mental health support request an appointment.