{"id":7152,"date":"2020-02-03T11:27:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T10:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7152"},"modified":"2020-02-03T11:40:33","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T10:40:33","slug":"happy-new-year-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7152","title":{"rendered":"Happy New Year everyone!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year everyone!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Since getting back into the flow of uni work, I\u2019ve come to realise recently that just maybe <\/em>some of my work-life balances aren\u2019t as healthy as they probably should be.<\/p>\n

These days, I wouldn\u2019t dare submit an essay the day it\u2019s due \u2013 I\u2019m too worried something will go wrong and it won\u2019t make it in. For some reason, I need <\/em>for my essays to be submitted the night before it\u2019s due (at the latest). For me, it\u2019s a comfort to see it\u2019s actually gone through and I still have a little time to change anything if need be.<\/p>\n

You\u2019d think submitting an essay two days before it\u2019s due would be a relief \u2013 it is<\/em>, but I still worry the link\u2019s been lost or I\u2019ve forgotten to add something and time after time I\u2019ve resubmitted an essay three or four times because there\u2019s just one more thing <\/em>I think it needs.<\/p>\n

I bet my parents are rejoicing (to an extent) when I tell them sometimes \u2013 my first year of GCSE saw me doing the bare minimum. I think part of it is me realising that the bare minimum for me is disappointing; it makes me guilty, because I know I\u2019m better than that.<\/p>\n

If I haven\u2019t learnt my flashcards to the dot <\/em>the day of the exam, I\u2019m scared I\u2019ll fail. My best isn\u2019t always phenomenal, but I feel worse if I do badly and I hadn\u2019t tried my hardest. Maybe it\u2019s because I know that if my results are less than stellar, there\u2019s no way anyone can tell me it\u2019s because I didn\u2019t try hard enough. It\u2019s still gutting <\/em>but at least I have the peace of mind that maybe I just can\u2019t necessarily do that particular subject.<\/p>\n

I think I have quite low standards for myself, too. It\u2019s laughable how excited I get when I get good feedback on some work. I wrote the beginning of a script for this year\u2019s module at the start of the year, and I still can\u2019t stop fixating on the positive feedback. I\u2019ve always been the kind of person who feels boosted by positive feedback. I\u2019m petty enough that part of me wants to do better than the teacher thinks I can do sometimes (ahem, <\/em>see History A Level Vietnam War coursework) but generally speaking, I can feel deflated if my feedback has no positives.<\/p>\n

I guess part of me thinks I have something to prove. I\u2019m studying for a degree in subjects I should <\/em>excel at; I get worried when I don\u2019t do as well as I\u2019d like to.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard I suppose to fall out of old habits sometimes, even if they\u2019re not as healthy as they should be. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever be the kind of person who doesn\u2019t need to check everything twice before submitting, which to some extent is a good thing \u2013 just maybe not when it\u2019s quite so <\/em>neurotic.<\/p>\n

But maybe this next decade needs to be different. I\u2019d like to learn to be (a little) more carefree with my attitudes to work. I don\u2019t think submitting my essays a few days in advance is a problem, but I should definitely learn to be more conscious that as long as I\u2019ve checked it to the best of my ability before submitting it, that it doesn\u2019t need any more work.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to learn to be calmer when it comes to exams. There\u2019s nothing I can do to change the outcome the second I leave the exam hall \u2013 whatever happens, happens. Funnily enough, the exams last year actually went pretty well (doesn\u2019t mean I didn\u2019t think about them throughout the summer). I\u2019d like to learn to leave my worries on the exam hall floor.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to learn to see the positives of my work. To be able to say \u2018Okay, this bit wasn\u2019t perfect, but that\u2019s fine\u2019. I\u2019d like to learn that perfect shouldn\u2019t have to be the operative word every time. I\u2019d like to incorporate more positive attitudes to my work. Perfect isn\u2019t always necessary; I think for me, it\u2019s probably too much to have to think of everything as perfect every time. I\u2019d like to learn to look at my work and not be consumed by the negatives.<\/p>\n

I feel like a hypocrite sometimes when I\u2019ve said to others that they should be careful to balance their work-life time effectively, when I know I\u2019m not necessarily doing the same. The title of this column could be considered an example of said hypocrisy.<\/p>\n

Should probably start taking my own advice, soon.<\/p>\n

Despite what I\u2019d like to learn, one thing I have learned the past few months is that it\u2019s okay for me to leave university with a 2:1 if it means I\u2019m okay. A First Class, and that craved perfection isn\u2019t worth risking my mental health.<\/p>\n

As we head into 2020 and this next decade, I need to remember that my mental health is more important than being perfect.<\/p>\n

By Tirion Davies<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year everyone! Since getting back into the flow of uni work, I\u2019ve come to realise recently that just maybe some of my work-life balances aren\u2019t as healthy as they probably should be. These days, I wouldn\u2019t dare submit an essay the day it\u2019s due \u2013 I\u2019m too worried something will go wrong and it won\u2019t make it in. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334,274],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-1Rm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3785,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=3785","url_meta":{"origin":7152,"position":0},"title":"There always needs to be a balance","author":"Alan Williams","date":"27th September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Last year, I wrote my first article for the What\u2019s On reviewing the balance of work and play. 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But despite my aspirations to become a journalist, it doesn\u2019t mean I can\u2019t hold the media accountable.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Play Hard Work Hard"","block_context":{"text":"Play Hard Work Hard","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=274"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5436,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5436","url_meta":{"origin":7152,"position":3},"title":"Reflections on the Past Year","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th January 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Reflecting on the past year has been incredibly hard, but also somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I can easily confirm 2018 to be the hardest year so far for me emotionally and mentally. Exams all but broke me and the wait for my results was heart-wrenching. 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