Wellbeing, self induced pressure and stress

I am changing the format of how I write my blogs to focus on just one thought, or one idea for the day. The thought will be undetermined and will arise from what I am feeling that particular day, what we covered in class from a technical perspective, or perhaps from something that just came up in the day. I thought this would keep things neater and be more conducive for a more dynamic blog, rather than just regurgitating a linear narrative of that I did that particular day. I might write two small blogs in a day, one larger one in day, or nothing — depending on whether something new and original comes up (in comparison to my previous blog posts). I can also use this as a way of reflecting on the day (which seemed to work for one of our tutors Mary, so I thought I would try it).

Yesterday we attended a ‘wellbeing’ class, from the Makers Academy ‘Chief Joy Officer’ (cool job title). I was extremely sceptical at first, as I don’t normally go for the whole idea of sitting in a circle, telling everyone how you feel about things — but on this occasion, I am very glad I went.

What was evident, was the sheer number of people who felt the same way as you do. It was a way of ensuring that you didn’t alone with your worries, and you knew that others were in the same boat, feeling the same way that you did. It was also great to get some good tips from people on how they were dealing with certain issues.

My tutor Sam told me quite unequivocally that the only pressure you feel is the pressure you put on yourself. The only stress is the stress that is self induced. He is absolutely right — the journey is an individual one (and one that is costing nearly £8000 to undertake) so it should be an enjoyable experience. I must say that I am enjoying the study itself immensely, it is a privilege to be able to immerse yourself in a world of learning for 3 months solidly, doing something that is actually quite good fun, interesting and rewarding. 3 months will fly by and as in life, there will always be people who are more capable or talented than you. I just need to stop thinking too much on the future, take one day and one problem at a time, and start to enjoy this once in a life time experience, that many of us have given up so much to participate in.