1 December 2023

t is the end of a year: a time to look back, and a time to look forward to.  It is also the exam season. On campus, students seem to have a broad grin on their faces. However, no one knows what the students could have been hiding behind the smiley mask. On top of the heavily loaded agenda, students might be constantly dragged into depressed situations by various sources of stress, including academic development, family pressure, peer influence and much more. It is hard to imagine how students are suffocated by the excessive stress.

 

As the DSE exam approaches, the intense stress is magnified among Form 6 students. In order to reach for the stars, students in Hong Kong continuously push themselves to the limit without taking a single breath. In this intensely competitive environment, a sense of anxiety is inevitably built up. Even though the problem seems to be negligible, a butterfly effect could be triggered when students are pressurized by extra sources of stress. In the long run, students could be unable to hold on which may even lead to desperate cases.

 

Practically speaking, how could we strike a balance between academic development and mental health sustainability? As we always say, “work hard, play hard.” While we are fighting for academic results day and night, it is vital for all of us to learn how to squeeze some time for relaxation and take a deep breath in our jam-packed schedule. The first step is to modify the schedule with a time period for entertainment as a short break after hours of hard work. Under traditional thoughts, adults commonly recognize all kinds of entertainment as detrimental distractions. However, with proper control and time management, these “distractions” could also become encouragement for students to refresh their brains which ultimately boost the efficiency of studying.

 

We wish the Form 6 students to have a whale of a time on campus while aiming for their bullseye. In the journey of life, there are still a plenty of shadowed regions waiting to be explored on the chart.  Therefore, let us be optimistic about the reality by cherishing the pleasant moments at present, and looking forward to the future fortunes by just doing our best with no regrets.

 

Thomas Yiu (5D)

Head Prefect

(for the Principal)