HAPPY SUNDAY!

Exam season is finally over. ugh. a break. finally.

To say the least, I feel like there were a lot of curveballs thrown during exam season. But who doesn’t love a good challenge right?

From being sick, to having no motivation, and writing most of these tests in person (again feeling so odd about it), there were a lot of things going on and it was pretty hard to navigate if I am being honest.

But I try my best. Don’t we all?

The most we can do is our best. I don’t know how to stress that enough.

I am trying to move away from the need for academic validation for myself. That I will only succeed if I push myself to the point of burnout, but getting the best possible mark ever. There’s a trade off there. And learning the hard way from my previous year at university, to get a good mark, burnout is not the way to get there. Because then I have to spend all the time catching up to myself, and there is no balance. I also feel like first year gave me a really big reality check for how I need to change some of my study routines. I feel like I need more efficiency, so I do not push myself to that point of burnout.

It’s hard to grasp the fact that getting a bad mark is still okay. That we will still get where we want to be. Of course we still need the work ethic, the effort and the mindset of achieving our goals, but we need balance in our lives too. I want your takeaway from this to be that through all your efforts and all our hard work, if the outcome is not what you necessarily wanted, then do not fret, it just might be a crossroad and not direct milestone of your path. and that’s okay. 

I want to look back on university, knowing I tried my best, and being content with that. And also, knowing I tried to balance my social life, school, friends, family, and myself. It may seem really hard at times, but I know in the end, for me mentally, it will be worth it.

So now, as I am sitting here, I am reflecting. And also taking a big break from school. and trying my best not to be stressed. Because I need to restart, rejuvenate and be able to tackle the next semester with energy and passion.

Next semester is going to be stressful. I decided to overload my time. Add an extra class to stay on a four year plan. I had a little bit of a hiccup during exams. Of course during my most stressful time, I get more stressed by adding this unnecessary contemplation to my life. But yes, I had a hiccup. Basically unsure of where I wanted to go with my life. BIG STUFF. And then I realized I did not have one of the credits I was hoping to have to keep my on track. So there I was two days before my exam, sitting in with my lovely academic advisor figuring all of this out. And it helped a lot. But it took time away from my studying. And although I wasn’t hoping to have to deal with all of this just yet, it was something I couldn’t get out of my head.

I figured it out-ish. All I know is that some researching will be done during the break. And hopefully I will grasp some sort of plan for what I want to do. But I also realized that now is a time where it’s okay to not have everything figured out. I am okay with not having a complete plan. But there’s a difference with not having a plan but also not falling behind in my class credits.

Anyway, besides that, I literally need to cherish my time again before I get stressed with next semester.

I hope you all get a little bit of a break soon too.

Because it is definitely a tough and hardworking time for everyone. And we all deserve a breath for air.

STAY KIND:)

with love

grace<3