An Open Letter to Year 12 Students Who Are Running on Empty

By Dr Michael Carr-Gregg AO

Dear Year 12,

I know.

I know you are tired.

Not the sort of tired that disappears after a good night’s sleep or a lazy weekend. I mean the kind of tired that sits deep in your bones. The kind that makes getting out of bed feel harder than it should. The kind that turns every assessment notification into a source of dread and every conversation about the future into something you would rather avoid.

We’re heading into the final three weeks of Term 2, and for many of you, the excitement and optimism you felt at the beginning of the year has faded. The novelty of being in Year 12 is long gone. The adrenaline that got you through Term 1 has worn off. The finish line is still frustratingly far away.

And right now, many of you feel flat.

You are not alone.

Every year, around this time, I meet Year 12 students who tell me the same things.

“I can’t be bothered anymore.”

“What’s the point?”

“I’m studying but nothing is sticking.”

“Everyone else seems to be coping better than I am.”

“I’m exhausted.”

“I just want it to be over.”

What you’re experiencing has a name.

It’s called emotional fatigue.

And it makes perfect sense.

For months now, you’ve been carrying an extraordinary load. Assessments. SACs. Assignments. Exams. Expectations. Decisions about university, apprenticeships, gap years and careers. Family expectations. Your own expectations. Friendship dramas. Relationship issues. Part-time jobs. Sporting commitments. Sleep deprivation. Social media. Constant comparison.

You’ve been asked to make adult decisions while still figuring out who you are.

Of course you’re tired.

But here’s what I need you to understand.

Being tired is not the same as being incapable.

Feeling unmotivated does not mean you are lazy. Hi hi Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you are failing.

Feeling uncertain does not mean you are doomed. Your brain is responding exactly as human brains respond when they have been under sustained pressure for a long period of time.

In psychology, we know that motivation is often misunderstood.

Most people think motivation comes first and action follows. In reality, it is often the other way around. Action creates motivation.

Waiting until you feel motivated to study is like waiting until you feel fit before you go to the gym.

It rarely happens. The students who get through this period successfully are not necessarily the most intelligent. They are not always the most organised. They are not always the most confident.

They are the students who keep moving when they don’t feel like it.

Not because they are superhuman. Because they understand a simple truth:

Progress beats perfection.

Right now, you do not need to conquer Year 12. You simply need to survive today. Read one chapter.Complete one practice question. Write one paragraph.Attend one class.Take one step.Then another.And another.

The future has a habit of shrinking when you focus on the next small task rather than the next six months.

I also want to challenge something many of you believe.You think your ATAR will define you.

It won’t. I have spent nearly forty years working with young people.

I have met doctors who missed their first-choice course. Lawyers who failed Year 12 subjects. Entrepreneurs who never went to university.

Teachers, psychologists, engineers, business owners and leaders who took unexpected paths to get where they are today.

Your ATAR may open some doors.

It does not determine your worth.

It does not measure your character.

It does not predict your capacity to love, lead, create, inspire or contribute.It is a number. Nothing more.

The qualities that will matter most in your life are being built right now, often without you even noticing.

Resilience.Persistence.Adaptability.Courage.The ability to keep going when things are hard.

These are the things employers look for. Universities value. Relationships require. Life demands. And every difficult day you get through is strengthening those qualities.

So if you are feeling exhausted, be kind to yourself.

Get some sleep.

Eat properly.

Move your body.

Talk to your friends.

Ask for help if you need it.

You do not get extra marks for suffering in silence.

And finally, remember this.

There are only three weeks left until the holidays.

You do not need to feel inspired.

You do not need to feel confident.

You do not need to feel certain.

You simply need to keep showing up.

One day at a time.

One lesson at a time.

One assessment at a time.

One small step at a time.

The version of you that crosses the finish line at the end of this year will not be the student who felt motivated every day.

It will be the student who kept going despite not feeling motivated.

That student is stronger than they realise.

And if nobody has told you recently, let me tell you now:

I am proud of you.

Keep going.

The holidays are coming.

And so is the future.