Honouring Term 1: Developing Resilience for Term 2

Term 1 was a very big change in my life: I made new friends, became a music journalist and interviewer, discovered the value of hard work, and faced the possibility of getting a post-graduate job. This didn’t prevent certain problems from arising: overwhelm, fear of rejection, burn-out, procrastination, and fatigue. I struggled with well-being, career anxiety, keeping up with seminars, readings and essays. What I needed was resilience.

Degree

Studying philosophy has always given me background anxiety (is there money in Kant?) and I escaped this by throwing myself into journalism, achievement, and other people. During Term 2, I will aim to meet this anxiety in a more mature way. Grade-wise, I’ve always ranged from 22s to 1sts, landing luckily in the middle, but It’s never been simple. I’ve promised myself this year I’d work consistently; have personal tutor meetings weekly, attend seminars and lectures daily. The problem is I find a lot of the work quite hard, but lack of confidence destroys competence, so I have to believe I can do a good job, in order to do a good job.

Extra-Curricular

Next year I will streamline my writing process; there is a career for me in journalism if I can become more efficient. I write for Boar and Tab; I enjoy that they are both run by women. I will pitch to national publications; my goal one day is to write for Vogue or Cosmopolitan. I will continue interviewing musicians, and perhaps even comedians. I also joined Warwick Autistic Society and Public Speaking Society, and volunteer for two charities.

Mental Health

This has always been tricky for me. There are certain routines I have set up in order to manage: therapy, reading, films, journaling, walking but, above all, friendship. A lot of my issues are SAD and ASD related. The radical change I will make Term 2 is to invest more energy in genuine and integral people.

Job Applications

The world of careers and is another opportunity for growth and anxiety (but they’re also pretty fun.) I’m quite attracted to admin, applications, and considering my own skills and strengths. My main concern is my lack of impressive work experience. Next year, my plan is to live with my friend Lucia and either do a Masters, get a job in the city, or work as a freelance content writer. Sometimes I get fantasies of working in Children’s Television, but then I remember to be more realistic.

Due to my lack of professional experience, I really need to get published with bigger papers, or earn experience in social media marketing and PR. Sometimes I get so consumed in the particulars, I forget the bigger picture. For example, I found myself applying to a position at Loreal Paris the other day, without the relevant qualifications. It’s hard, but I have to remember to deal with my dreams and expectations, and develop a sense of reality, in some cases, I simply don’t fit their job criteria!

Feminism

This reminds me to develop my passions alongside my accomplishments. I’m becoming more interested in feminism, fashion, beauty and food. I would like to read some more mainstream feminists; Gloria Steinem, Camilla Paglia. If anything, it will give me a sense of voice and personality. I have a lot of male friends, but see how women struggle with confidence and self-assertation.

Conclusions

Honoring the first term, and moving into the second, I bring with me several lessons: prioritize the degree, value the importance of honest friendship over the fleeting and superficial, focus on your passions, health and accomplishments, but above all, have a authenticity, integrity and a sense of reality with regards to who you know, how you spend your time, your plans and priorities, and learn to remain resilient in the face of overwhelm and set-backs.