Greetings, it has been a while. The last spring semester was a tough one. Recently, I did a brief recap of the semester on Instagram – see it here. I also went over some bits and pieces in my last newsletter (Subscribe below).
This may be a long one, so get comfy.
After reflecting on the previous Spring semester, a theme I seemed to have generated for myself was resilience. I incorporated it into all my major assignments. This was nice because it lessened the work as I already had a topic in mind.
That’s not to say I did not have to research. I observed this theme in various aspects including examining the resilience of nurses, analyzing the lessons and opportunities produced by COVID-19, and evaluating the resilience of specific people in society.
One of my courses was a history class where we observed the history of education of women in America. We looked at articles and journals of various women, and studied the education of women of the Jewish, Cherokee, Black and White communities.
We observed their struggles as daughters, wives, and mothers and examined the expectations of these women during the 19th and 20th centuries against the social and economic context of the time. I believed that the idea of resilience in my life was cultivated in this class.
Your Direction Is More Important Than Your Speed.
UNKOWN.
This semester was one of the most challenging semesters of my academic career. It was a hybrid semester, which meant that I had some classes virtually and at least one on campus. I am a commuter and I live over an hour away, so the back and forth would eventually take its toll mentally and physically.
I soon found myself struggling to meet due dates, having to give up certain activities, and suffering from back-to-back burnouts.
However, by the grace of God, not only did I survive, but I thrived. I passed all my classes and I learnt more about my strengths and weaknesses.
My perfectionism was also challenged as I had to redefine what it meant to “give my best.”
"I had to redefine what it meant to 'give my best.'”
For the sake of both my health and sanity, I could not push myself to perform at my usual pace and effort because I was breaking down. I had to learn what my limitations where and respect them. I had to ask for multiple extensions as I could not complete all the readings and I had to ask my support system for help.
I am a person of routine, yet for some reason, I found it hard to stick to them, especially under pressure. Thus, I had to take breaks when my body and mind needed it which meant that things did not always go to plan. I also had to become less stringent with my planning.
Towards the end, the blog and other extra activities went on the back burner.
I was sad at the time especially since I felt like I was starting to build a community online, however, I had to do what was best.
When the semester was over, I took a long break. I spent time in our garden- though I had started that before the semester ended, but I continued with it. I also started to do little personal things that I had postponed, journaled, and most importantly, I took it all to God- all the frustration, tiredness, hurt, failed expectations, relief, joy, and more.
Eventually, I started to feel lighter and stronger. I also became more creative- various ideas of things to do for the blog and in my personal life were coming to me.
I am still a bit tired from it all, and though I am not where I would like to be, I have made progress.
I have even found more questions for myself including- Am I really a morning person? I have noticed that I love waking up early, but I become wide awake at night.
There is a fine line between resilience and mental suicide. We are taught to push ourselves, be productive, and move forward, however, we have to do it in a way where we are not destroying ourselves in the process.
"Learn your limitations and respect them!"
Learn your limitations and respect them. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and then maintain those strengths while working on those weaknesses.
Give yourself the time needed to figure it out. It is not an easy process, and you will mess up. However, in the end, though you will be battered and bruised, you will be stronger and wiser.
That is it for now. I thank you for stopping by, until next time, Peace be.
~Simply Anna Reece.
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So glad to read these and hear you survived your semester. School is hard but your doing it. Congrats and keep pushing 💪