This week is Mental Health Awareness Week.  I am aware that this week also coincides with many of you undertaking exams or assessments.  This is often one of the most stressful times for pupils.  I would like to take the opportunity to give you a very short piece of advice, but don’t tell Mr Sandecki🤣 

Whether you pass, or fail, or don’t attain the grades that you hoped – don’t despair.  Life is not decided by exam grades…..

Many of you may remember the campaign of #nowrongpath.  It is important that you keep this in mind as you stress, pull hair out, stomp about, cry, shout at parents and generally drive yourself and everyone else crazy…… 

Your path will take a few twists and turns, you may feel a bit lost, or hit a road block here and there.  You may find the path you had hoped for has suddenly seemed to have disappeared – that is what happened to me later in life – (in my 30s I hasten to add – before you all tell me I am too old to understand!)  The path I thought I was following all of a sudden disappeared in a matter of seconds.  Whilst this is not easy to cope with, I survived and found a different, more rewarding path – which has led me to be your school counsellor.

I have supported pupils who did not attain what they hoped for, and guess what?  Yes, they all survived also and found a different route to achieve what they wanted, or came to the conclusion that maybe that path was not meant to be, so went off exploring a new one.

This year follows the theme of Nature for mental health, so I leave you with one of my photos – who knows where the path leads, you just have to brave enough to follow it to find out.

Elaine, School Counsellor

Elaine.cameron@wickhigh.org.uk