IMPORTANT DATES Q

TODAY

■ Drop-in Clinic (Enterprise and Humanities) — Dun Laoghaire IADT

■ Open Day — North Kerry College TOMORROW

■ Closing date for amending choices (€10 fee) — CAO Closing Date for HEAR/DARE forms — CAO Spring Open Day — Pallaskenry Agriculture College MARCH 3

■ Education USA Seminar — IBAT College

■ Open Event — Pulse College Dublin MARCH 5

■ Late applications open — CAO

■ Portfolio submission — Dublin Institute of Technology

■ Closing date for apprenticeship applications — ESB I am doing my Leaving Cert and I am finding the year overwhelming. I feel stressed all the time, I am falling behind and I feel like I will never catch up. I really want to do well, but I can’t seem to get enough work done.

A Leaving Cert year is a big year and feeling a little stressed is natural. A little stress is what helps us perform on exam day as well as what gets us up off the sofa to study. However, too much stress can be counterproductive and prevent us from getting anything done.

At this time of year, my students regularly worry about how to reduce the impact of stress. It feels like the school year is nearly over and every few weeks there are important deadlines to meet. This can create stress in the most relaxed students and those students who find stress difficult to manage can become completely overwhelmed.

Learning to manage stress is a life skill with which many adults struggle, so it is impossible to resolve such issues in the limited time available before these exams. There are, however, a number of things a student can do to help them get through this immediate challenge...

Try not to think about everything you must do before June. Focus on what you need to do today and remind yourself that every little bit of study you get done could earn you extra points in the Leaving Cert. You can only complete this challenge one step at a time.

Whatever you do, do not stop attending school. There are massive benefits to continuing to go to school. Yes, your teachers may be focusing more and more on revision, but this focus will allow you to pick up tips, which will help you to hone your skills, fill gaps in your knowledge and work towards gaining every extra percent available. Additionally, school will offer opportunities to focus on life away from exams, seeing your friends, participating in end-of-year events and sports. These will all add to your school memories as well as offer a welcome relief to stress, which will make your study more productive and efficient.

Ensure you take care of yourself and if you continue to struggle, consider making an appointment with your guidance counsellor who will have a lot of experience in dealing with students who have experienced similar issues.