• Returning to school after someone has died can be really, really hard.
• Don’t push yourself. Taking some time out to look after you is important.
• Grieving can be exhausting both emotionally and physically, leaving you with little energy or motivation for anything else.

Before you go back

If you’re in school it forms a big chunk of your life. But now you may have difficulty concentrating on things because you are grieving and there are heaps of changes in your life.

You may:

• Be tired because you are doing extra things around the house or you are having trouble sleeping.
• Have less time to get your homework done because you have to do extra things at home.
• Find that you just can’t get motivated anymore.
• Find that your work is not up to its usual standard.
• Have to deal with friends and teachers acting weirdly.

If possible, get someone to let all your teachers know that your family member has died before you go back to school.

To tell or not to tell

Having to tell people can be really hard – especially if you have to repeat the story a few times. You may not want to tell everyone that your parent or sibling has died. Plus you might not want to be treated any differently.

But if you are finding things too hard, letting your teachers know might mean they cut you some slack. It will also help you to not have to pretend all day that everything is okay.

But be prepared for some teachers to think you should be ‘back to normal’ after a certain time. Many people just don’t get the fact that the grief journey lasts a long time.

Years 11 & 12

If you are doing your final school exams you may be able to apply for special consideration if you have missed work or you are just having a hard time coping with it all.

You will need to speak to your teachers or the school counsellor who can organise this for you.

Remember: It’s not bludging – it’s just recognising that things are really hard right now.