Parina NaidooMatric Peer Guide “Holidays are about experiences and people, and tuning in to what you feel like doing at the moment. Enjoy each other and not the sound of the clock.” - Evelyn Glennie As the end of the term draws nearer and nearer, a small buzz begins to swoop through the school. That small seed of anticipation is growing, ready to break out into a full bloom of excitement. Holidays are here! For some, these precious few weeks are everything we ever needed in life, filled with friends, family and fun. For others, July might not be as fun and in actual fact, long holidays are a daunting and lonely experience for many.
What’s next on our social calendar? What should I wear today? Who should I hang out with? With holidays comes decisions: decisions on what to wear, on what to eat, on what to do - the decisions are endless. But what we tend to ignore is what those decisions cost us after all the fun of the holidays. There is nothing worse than waking up on that Sunday and feeling that unsatisfied and somber knot in your stomach. BUT there are many ways to stop that feeling from making an appearance. I like to think of the word ARCS - yes, absolutely not relatable in any way to holidays, but it is something that gets me through and always leaves me in a bubble of happiness. A - Awareness. Be aware of those around you during your holidays. Make that extra effort to invite a friend that you haven’t seen much for lunch or check up to see how she’s doing. Many people get very lonely during the holidays and a small token of appreciation is guaranteed to brighten up not only your day, but hers too. R - Responsibility. Yes, holidays are meant for fun and we are allowed to let loose but remember to treat not only yourself but others around you in the right way. Actions do have consequences and being safer rather than sorry is a must. C- Create your own adventures. Holidays are a time for adventuring and taking different journeys. Don’t wait around for someone to invite you somewhere, rather organise a get together. Try different things like visiting art galleries or star gazing - all these experiences make for amazing stories when coming back to school. S - Stay true to yourself. Peer pressure is potent during times like the holidays. It is important to remember who you are as a person and your values before doing anything. Stay true to what you believe in and never let anyone tell you otherwise.
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Jessica StephensHead Girl, Matric peer guide and much more “Mirror, mirror, on the wall... Who is the fairest of them all?” Whilst this famous line is taken from a fairytale, a story full of magic and fantasy, it got me thinking about a very real issues in society today: the way in which we often compare ourselves to others.
“She always gets full marks! No matter how hard I work, I’ll never be as smart as her.” “Everyone loves him - he has so many friends. It must be nice to be so popular.” “She’s so stunning and she has the nicest outfits ever. I wish I looked like her.” This is something we are all guilty of from time to time. After all, it's only natural to take note of the differences between ourselves and others - however, when we start to devalue ourselves because of these comparisons, it can be extremely damaging. Whether we are comparing our fashion sense, the way we look, the amount of friends we have or our abilities, it's important to remember that we are all unique. As individuals, we need to acknowledge our own self-worth before we get so caught up in admiring other people’s lives that we forget to enjoy our own. These type of comparisons can lead to jealousy, dissatisfaction with oneself or the feeling that you just aren’t good enough. In Snow White, the princess’s stepmother is extremely disappointed to discover that she is not the most beautiful maiden in the land. The queen’s own insecurities lead to a feeling of extreme jealousy - something that could have been avoided if she had learned to accept who she was instead of constantly comparing her beauty to the beauty of those around her. And in reality, sometimes the glass making up our mirrors is obscured. We are often exposed to images of supermodels or celebrities that may not accurately represent reality. Magazines, advertising companies and social media are often guilty of manipulating images to make their subjects fit into the box labelled by society as “desirable” - even if this means they have to make bodies look skinnier, hair look shinier, teeth look whiter or skin look smoother. And consequently, we end up comparing ourselves to made-up figures rather than real-life people. We end up comparing ourselves to the impossible. Of course, it's okay to have role models - there’s nothing wrong with a little inspiration! But we can’t forget to love who we are at the same time! And while it’s alright to aspire to be like somebody else, we shouldn’t try to become somebody else. If you admire somebody because they are extremely kind, healthy, intelligent or successful, nobody is stopping you from working hard to achieve those things. But we have to be careful not to sacrifice our own qualities - the things that make us special and the things people admire about us - along the way. We need to embrace who we are and celebrate our differences! Perhaps instead of having the attitude of Snow White’s stepmother, we need to wake up each day with a smile on our faces, look in the mirror and say: “You. Yes you! You’re the fairest of them all!” |
Peer GuidesGrade 11 and 12 learners trained by the counselling department in basic peer counselling Archives
February 2019
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