Check out Take Charge Tuesdays! This is an initiative of BSSC’s Wellbeing Team and can give you some seriously good ideas for making the rest of 2019 easier and happier.

Or consider these ‘brain hacks’

  1. Get some exercise—walk for at least 30 mins. Go for a run. Or join the BSSC yoga group that meets at 10am on Tuesdays in L5 in the Language Centre.
  2. Get plenty of sleep—take this seriously. You really do need 8 – 9 hours a night to both rest and rejuvenate your very busy brain and, importantly, to file away what you have learnt during the day.
  3. Feed your brain—our food provides the building blocks for our body. And our brain. In VCE we are asking ourselves to perform like an ‘intellectual athlete’ so diet matters.
  4. Use visual memory—might not be your thing, but some student find that making big colourful charts really embeds what they are trying to learn.
  5. Handwrite and ‘single’ tasks—research shows you are far more likely to remember notes you wrote than the ones you tapped out on your device. AND if you focus on a single task or topic for a short, intense period, you are more likely to get that info into your brain than flipping between tasks. (Or even having your phone nearby—phones are not your study friend—they are like an annoying child constantly interrupting and breaking your concentration!)
  6. Join a study group and/or tutor others—make study fun and more effective! Make it social and share your knowledge.
  7. Manage your emotions and stay focused—feelings can feel overwhelming. Think through the strategies that best allow you to ease the panic and stay focused.
  8. Relax often and reward yourself everyday—Years 11 and 12 are full-on. Make sure you have a few great ways to unwind and give yourself a pat on the back EVERY day.
  9. Set goals and believe in yourself—your goals guide your pathway and your self really needs you to be on your side.
  10. Manage stress and use your support networks—stress can be a pain in the brain! Too much is toxic, but a little bit teaches us to become more resilient. How’s your balance?

 

These ‘Brain Hacks’ are from a website with heaps of great tips and information:

www.teenbrain.info