Surviving 2020

Seth Evans-Greenwood

The year 2020 was a hard one for all of us, but we all created and strengthened our resilience because of it.

It was a difficult year to look on the bright side of things, especially for the VCE students with the added pressure on them to perform.

We had been in and out of school many times, and had many different restrictions come and go. It wasn’t our ideal final year of school.

Personally, I have had many challenging times throughout the years, and I wouldn’t have come out so well if it weren’t for the support network that BGS offers.

There is no shame in talking to a school psychologist, the school marshal, your favourite teacher, or just a close friend about your struggles. The best thing you can do is to talk to people because they will understand how you feel.

Ms Naomi Tham (the School Psychologist) and Mr Jason Bain (the School Marshal) were my support networks in 2020. I talked to Ms Tham about my mental wellbeing and any personal problems that arose, whilst I talked to Mr Bain about any academic issues or motivation problems. Having these two support networks for different things helped a lot as I knew who to talk to for a specific problem.

Motivation was a big issue for me in 2020, but Mr Bain helped me with that. He would always say ‘It’s just another bump in the road’, and I believe we should all take that to heart.

If you have that mindset of seeing it as another bump in the road, you will cope with change, thus building your resilience. Don’t be numb to these tough circumstances, just see it as another bump in the road.

Generations in Jazz Festival 2019

I believe resilience is when you acknowledge your emotions and continue to push on. Having strong emotions is a part of being human, and sometimes those emotions can overwhelm you, happy or sad.

With these emotions in mind, pushing on can be really hard and that’s fine. Reaching out and asking for help can be beneficial. You can’t hold onto these emotions for very long or you’ll burst!

In 2020, I kept my friends close and continued to talk to them even if we weren’t on school grounds. Even though you were stuck at home, you could always have your recess and lunch chats.

Keep those conversations going!

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