Hello everyone! I’m back again with another end-of-year Q&A session. I hope you have been keeping well! Honestly, I’m quite proud that I’ve managed to keep my yearly promise (so far) and deliver this content. I have loved answering these wonderful questions in the past and I look forward to this one! Like my previous Q&A posts, I have only selected a few to answer because I try my best to give you as much detail as I can. Quality over quantity!
What are your plans for the festive season?
My plans for this festive season are quite simple! I plan to spend Christmas and New Year at home with family. I am most looking forward to getting together around the table and celebrating with them. Also, I can’t wait to watch as many of our favourite Christmas/ action/ comedy films as possible! Perhaps drag out some old boardgames to play for our amusement? Of course, listen to all the classic Christmas songs and watch The King’s first official Christmas broadcasting to the Nation. Taking a break from studies will be very nice too as it’s important to recharge and remember that working is only one aspect of living. So, if you are lucky enough to have time off over the holiday like I am…use it wisely!
What are your favourite hobbies at the moment?
Of course, poetry is a big part of my life and I still greatly appreciate all of you who spend some of your time reading my posts on my blog, commenting your thoughts and following my journey. I love blogging my poetry content and I have grown to love this little community that I have found that also love to blog various content. It is very refreshing to read other people’s work. You can see the time, effort and commitment that goes into posting. I feel constantly inspired by this platform that allows so many different people to express themselves. In my day-to-day life, it’s been trickier to write as I find myself having less free time for creativity. However, I’m hoping new content will be available in the new year.
Recently, I have expressed an interest in calligraphy writing. I find this to be quite therapeutic and it definitely makes my poetry look more intriguing to read! I went along to a calligraphy Workshop where we learnt the basics of how to write the upper case and lower case alphabet and managed to make a successful Christmas card at the end of it! It was a brilliant experience, very chilled out. I intend to carry on with calligraphy when I can.
I’ve also been getting into a lot of podcast listening at night as I find that if you discover the right ones for you, they are relaxing and can help you sleep better. I think it’s important to use your sense of hearing without using your eyes to look at a screen from time to time. Listening is a very important skill to have. It’s really nice to have something to listen to that acts like a break from reality. Most of the podcasts I listen to are comedy based content with popular figures hosting them. These podcasts where the audience write in can be very funny as there are various problems people would like answers to which can be quite embarrassing and if you’ve had a bad day it just makes you feel that little bit happier! So I recommend that you explore any podcasts you like and find one that makes you happy/ keeps you entertained. They are brilliant for short and long journeys!
Do you feel as though you are on the right path for you right now?
In short, yes I believe so!
Looking back, I didn’t have a clear mindset of where I was going or who I wanted to be. No plans were set in stone for me. From a young age all I knew was that I wanted to be with people. Studying to achieve a passion in which I care so deeply for is something I feel very lucky to do. It means the world to me knowing that through my work I have the potential to change people’s lives for the better. I am so grateful for the many amazing students and mentors that I have met along the way. Despite being a final year student, I still walk around campus asking myself how did I get here? I think the answer to that question will baffle me for a while longer. I look forward to what the future holds and where my career will take me.
What is one thing you look forward to as you become older?
My answer to this is making memories. Memories are so special and priceless. I think there is only so much you can capture on a camera or video recording but looking back on it will never feel as quite the same as how you remember being there in that moment. There are lots of moments in my life that I remember, good and bad. I’m thankful for all of them because they shape who I am and what I know today. I’m looking forward to making many more memories with my family, friends and colleagues and those I will meet in the near future. I think of life as one big learning curve and memories help you learn the teachings of life.
I’m looking forward to living in the moment. This is of course harder to do than to say. With the everyday stressors of life, commitments and responsibilities it is much harder to feel relaxed and focus on the here and now. Mindfulness is a great way of practising being in the moment. A useful skill that calms the mind and body, creating this sense of healing. Mindfulness is a tool I plan to practice regularly in 2023 to ease my worries and anxieties. Mindfulness is intriguing to me, I have read a couple of books on the benefits of it and specific practices to try out but it’s finding the time to do it. However, I am sure that if I could fit it into a routine then it might work quite well. I think mindfulness will definitely help me to live in the moment.
What motivates you to work hard?
Whenever I have a difficult day I try to remind myself of the end goal. What is the ultimate thing you are trying to achieve?
For example, on placement I often remind myself of the reason why I started studying. It’s important that I remember the bigger picture in order to calm myself down and keep myself grounded during stressful periods. Self-reflection helps me to work out what I need to do next, finding a possible solution to the problem at hand. Something as simple as reminding yourself of the end goal seems small but it’s a great way of surviving some tricky days.
When working on assignments and revising for exams, I like to set little goals for myself. I break down the criteria and highlight important parts of what is required of me. Sometimes I will rewrite the criteria in my own words and follow that as a brief. Setting small goals allows me to stay on top of things in my own way and still makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day once I can tick off little things that contribute to something bigger. I have also found that teaming up with others in my class motivates me to work as I have joined study groups in the past. Although, I know this does not work for everyone and can have the opposite affect, demotivating people. It can be unhelpful as some may feel like they are behind on their studies in comparison to friends. However, I have found it helpful as studying can feel lonely sometimes. It’s nice to check in with friends to see how they are getting on with the work and what tips they might have to keep themselves motivated?
What has been your highlight this past week?
Recently, I finished my last assignment for university before I write my final piece of work, my dissertation. It was a difficult last assignment to write but I submitted it on time just before the Christmas period. It is complete and I’m looking forward to receiving feedback for it! I feel like I have worked very hard on it over several weeks and part of me is just glad that it’s over now so that I can enjoy the holiday season. At times, it was hard to stay motivated on it but since I have been studying for a while, I know that I work better when I study little and often. Routine is important to me when it comes to study so I try to stick to that as much as possible, especially when I know there is a deadline around the corner. I am mostly an organised person and really do not like to leave things to the last minute!
Do you think self-care is important to maintain?
I do think self-care is important, yes. I think the idea of self-care looks different for many people. It doesn’t necessarily have to be something relaxing for the body because for some people it is about activity and movement. When I think of self-care, I think of looking after mind and body, holistically. Self-care is an ongoing process and there are moments in life when it cannot always be possible to maintain. So there is no shame in taking a break and revisiting self-caring tips some time later.
Last month at university, I was involved in presenting Workshops to younger year groups around self-care and how you practice this. Their ideas of self-care varied. We had some very interesting conversations and it was wonderful to listen to their personal views. The idea of the Workshops was really to spark a conversation between them and how they already support themselves through difficult times. Also, we passed around a jar of self-caring tips for them to take away and practice. It turns out, there are a lot of barriers to self-care such as time, money, energy and space to name but a few. We all recognised self-care as something that is vital for living and the benefits of self-care carries great value.
I hope you enjoyed this year’s Q&A session! I still appreciate you reading my posts. It has been 7 years now since I started blogging and creating content still brings me a lot of joy. It’s not something I get bored of. I hope this time of year is a happy and peaceful time for you. I am wishing you all a Merry Christmas/ happy holidays however you celebrate this time of year! Happy New Year! Stay safe. Be kind.
NM
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