Being in school can be a real pain sometimes (actually, most of the time). It doesn’t matter if you are at university, college or TAFE, there is one thing that gets to all of us: teachers’ expectations. I mean, they just want so much when we have so little time. If we are not careful the expectation gets a bit much and starts to become overwhelming.

Now when things get like this, we only have a few options: run away and start a new life in Fiji; figure out why we might be feeling so stressed; or talk to our teachers about it.

If you haven’t chosen to flee to Fiji, then start by asking yourself: why am I feeling so stressed about my teachers’ expectations? Often the way we react to expectations is shaped by our upbringing. Do your parents have high expectations of you? Do they get really disappointed if you don’t meet their expectations? If the answer is yes and hell yes, then you might have unresolved issues from your past that are affecting your present. (Welcome to the club). Talking to loved ones, or even therapy, can help with this.

If you feel like it’s not you, and your teacher is just a dictator, then that’s another story. The two things you need in this situation are transparency and clarity (oh and also communication). In other words, you need to speak to your teacher to find out exactly what they expect from you; if you feel like you can’t meet those expectations you need to make that clear to them, so they can help you. Remember lecturers, teachers and instructors are paid to help you. If you make it clear that you need help, they are likely to give it to you. It might be awkward at first but take the leap – it is better than pulling your hair out with stress, trust me.