As exam season is upon us, there’ll be countless young people feeling the pressure to find the inner resolve to work through the next weeks.
Some will display their strength by spending hours revising, willing their brains to hold on to every fact, figure and quotation they’ve read. They know what they want and what they need to transport them to their next destination.
Others will show their strength in their knowledge that their future won’t be wholly shaped by the results of these exams. They may not be caught up in the frenzy of exam season as they don’t see their value.
And then there’s the young people who are highly anxious, who maybe feel unable to sit the exams at all. The school system may not have been a good fit for them or perhaps they’ve had other challenges to face during their young lives. They are stellar strong.
As trusted adults in their lives we could do with reminding them daily that we see their strength even when they don’t. Reassuring them that our arms will always be there to catch them whenever they’re tired and they feel the need to rest.
Although they’re all strong in their own ways, they’re still developing and learning to be themselves within the pressures and expectations of our world. They’re bound to feel weary. And that’s where and when we need to be waiting with our arms outstretched, ready to carry their load while they catch their breath.
Emma x