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07 June 2018 Photo Supplied
Emotional safety during examinations

Mid-year exams have begun and with crunch time comes emotional upheaval. However, it is manageable and should not deter you from the end-goal of succeeding in your studies while maintaining high mental health standards.

“The exam period is a time when stress and anxiety levels are higher than usual. Stress can be positive and help you stay motivated and focused. However, too much stress can be unhelpful and can make you feel overwhelmed, confused, exhausted and edgy,” says Dr Melissa Barnaschone, Director of Student Counselling and Development at the University of the Free State (UFS).

According to Helpguide.Org: Trusted guide to mental & emotional health, “Mental and emotional health is about being happy, self-confident, self-aware, and resilient. People who are mentally healthy are able to cope with life’s challenges and recover from setbacks. But mental and emotional health requires knowledge, understanding, and effort to maintain. If your mental health isn’t as solid as you’d like it to be, here’s the good news: there are many things you can do to boost your mood, build resilience, and get more enjoyment out of life.”

For further details on topics including: Building Better Mental Health, Emotional Intelligence Toolkit, Benefits of Mindfulness, Improving Emotional Intelligence (EQ), Cultivating Happiness, visit the Help Guide. 

Dr Barnaschone has a few tips on how Kovsies can better approach academic anxiety during the examination period. Here is what she has to say:

News Archive

Students excel at National Championships for the Physically Disabled
2013-04-07

 

South African record-holder Danie Breitenbach (left) running with his guide at the 2013 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled.
Photo: Hetsie Veitch
10 April 2013

Six gold, one silver and two bronze medals. That is the number of medals students of the University of the Free State won at the 2013 Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled, held in Pretoria. 

Louzanne Coetzee, Danie Breitenbach, Juanré Jenkinson and Diederich Kleynhans held the Kovsie flag high, winning medals in track and field events. Louzanne and Danie, both visually-impaired students, each won three gold medals, with Danie setting two new South African track records. Danie, who took part in the T11/F11 sports class for visually-impaired, totally blind athletes, set records in the 800 and 1 500 metre track events. This first-year BA student, who runs with a guide and has to wear a blindfold when running, also won a gold medal in the 400-metre track event. 
 
Louzanne also took part in the T11/F11 sports class and won gold medals in the 800-, 1 500- and 5 000-metre events. With her winning time of 2 minutes and 53,8 seconds in the 800 metres, Louzanne, a second-year BA Corporate and Marketing Communication student, reached the qualifying standard for international participation. She may be considered for a national team that will compete internationally. 
 
Diederich and Juanré took part in the F37 and F38 sports class for physically-impaired athletes and won medals in the field events. Juanré, a fourth-year Education student, and Diederich, a master’s degree Theology student, won bronze and silver medals in shotput. Diederich also won a bronze medal in discus. 
 
Also taking part in the national championships, were Sidwell Monyane, a final-year B Public Management (Human Resource Management) student. Sidwell was part of the Free State Boccia team. Boccia is a target-ball sport for athletes with disabilities, which has a major impact on motor skills.

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