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Tuesday 30 April 2013

Stressed? Anxious? Everything will be ok!


-By Erzsebet

There are many things in life that make us feel stressed, confused and insecure. I know, as a sufferer of mental health issues, that these can all become too much and it can certainly bring me down. The below is an account of me handling and resolving a tricky study situation in Trimester 3.

I remember, it was a Wednesday evening and I had been studying hard; so decided it was high time I finished up for the day and head to bed. I didn't retain too much information but knew that I will be able to revisit all that I had learnt in the morning. The next day, I awoke to find that my unit had vanished on CloudDeakin. Is this for real or was I imagining things? Shockingly, it wasn’t just a dream. It was real!!!

What was I to do? Should I leave my enrolment the way it is and dwell on the negative that I just wouldn't be able to take this unit in this trimester? No way. So first step: checked my StudentConnect as it could have just been an error on CloudDeakin. It was a good thing I checked because somehow I was removed from the unit! It told me that the enrolment quota had been reached?! What?! How?! I was the first person to enrol in this unit the day it was listed as being available in Trimester 3 so this was just not possible.

I was so overwhelmed, almost in tears and unsure of what I must have done to have this happen. I did not want to give up hope as I knew if I took the initiative to enquire further, it will all sort itself out. It may not happen straightaway but it will happen. So step two: I contacted my Student Adviser . She has always been so supportive of me and understood my problem and advised me to contact the Unit Chair. It made me feel a lot better to hear her kind and understanding words but unfortunately the Unit Chair could not be contacted either via phone or email because there had been a system failure. My anxiety just hit the roof!
I just had no idea what more I could do except contact my Disability Liaison Officer. She gave me additional tips on what I could do to ensure I don't fall behind.

It was the end of the week and I was so anxious. However, I cannot express in words how much difference it made to know that at Deakin I had all the support measures in place.

Thankfully because of the intervention and correspondence with my Unit Chair, DLO and Student Adviser, everything had worked out and by Monday, my enrolment was all rectified!

Moral of the story? Don't be afraid to ask for all the help you need. Deakin University staff are always willing to support you to the best of their abilities. In the end, it's all up to YOU. I could have just left it and enrolled in the unit next year if I wanted to. But my determination and strength to do well and continue my studies really paid off. I am glad to be back in full swing!