Here’s what’s going to be different in your life this year:
You will play at a higher level. You will raise your academic standards.
It’s 2023 my friend, and we are coming with that full court press!
Cheers to acing your academic responsibilities 🥂.
Now then, let’s delve into the concept of Academic Wellness.
For starters, it includes extending your knowledge, building networks and habits that support lifelong learning, whilst taking good care of yourself.
Further than that, it consists of managing academic workloads, using available resources to make effective decisions, challenging yourself to new academic experiences and achieving your goals without burning out.
Number one rule of the successful: strategize to achieve greatness
The year carries twelve months. That’s why it can get overwhelming to handle all the workload and still have time to be a person outside of the classroom.
To be an effective student, break the year into digestible pieces.
Planning and strategy are the lifeblood of consistently successful endeavours.
For example, you may begin by developing weekly (academic) habits, as time goes on come up with monthly milestones, fight to commit to them and before you know it, the habits will be hardwired —— and the year will take care of itself.
And whenever you lose your perspective and motivation, think of an elephant. The analogy goes: you cannot eat the entire elephant with one big bite. (Neither can you see the whole elephant if you are standing too close to it. Take a few steps back to get an unobstructed view.) Self-introspect — and journal your thoughts — all the time.
One lecture at a time until the course is finished. Mantra.
It’s 2023, let’s get academically healthier
First, let’s both accept that wellness is multi-dimensional.
That’s the reason it is important to take care of yourself holistically.
In addition to the need for food, shelter, communication and transport, there’s the need to be healthy —— academically speaking.
It’s your responsibility to monitor how well-off you are on the school front.
And while in pursuit of academic happiness, be on the look-out for:
Anxiety (don’t create problems in your head; breathe, relax, you got this!)
Sleep difficulties (are you giving enough sleep to the body and mind?)
Nutrition (how and what are you eating?)
Depression (what is currently stressing you out? And why?)
Sexual health (love and take care of yourself always)
Participation in extracurricular activities (all work and no play made Jay a dull boy; leave behind the textbook, the phone and go interact with the world fully)
Relationship challenges (learn to solve disagreements with a calm, intelligent and respectful demeanour; that’s how you keep lifelong relationships)
Alcohol and other types of drugs (look out for yourself; don’t depend on substances to function)
Body image and self-esteem (how do you really feel about yourself? Explore that question deeply and you’ll be better for it).
Above all else, tend to your wellness consistently. Make it your foundation. Mainly because on a good day, being a student and juggling other life commitments can be daunting. Hence a student with poor academic health has a higher chance of flunking their subjects and perhaps, end up dropping out as a result.
Take advantage of campus health services.
Supportive health services are interventions designed for students. This includes the provision of a wide range of services that can influence health and well-being.
For a tangible feel and understanding of academic wellness in action, check out a few student support initiatives from South African universities:
In the song Toast by Koffee, the lyrics “Gratitude is a must” seem so mundane yet are so impactful because indeed, gratitude is a must. November and December are always that time of the year when a myriad of emotions are naturally present. Amidst academic, work, personal, and family challenges, you have made it till now. That could be a sign of determination, perseverance, and resilience. And given all those emotions, whether affiliated with positivity or negativity – there is always something to be grateful for.
Gratitude means more than simply saying thank you. Researchers usually define it as a feeling or state that results from both (1) recognizing a good thing, such as a positive outcome or gift we’ve received, and (2) recognizing that this good thing came from outside ourselves.
Bouncing back from failure
Like many of you, this is the time of year when I take time for reflection and gratitude. Reflection and gratitude form an innate core of my being because they help me build better connections with the people in my personal and work/academic life and improve my relationships. Each year, I reflect on my experiences and think about how I could have done better. But what happens when I did not achieve my new year’s resolutions, failed an exam, did not complete my work KPIs, did not save money, or lose weight? What now? Perhaps you walked into that exam room feeling very confident but the results prove otherwise.
I recently watched a YouTube video by one of SA’s best content creators, the Financial Bunny: Nicollete Mashile. And when I was watching, she said one sentence that completely changed my outlook. “Make your financial mistakes early – you have time to recover”, whilst this statement was aimed at financial advice, it can be relevant to most aspects of our lives. You are young. You will recover. Whichever mistake you made, which ultimately lead to your failure or not achieving your goals, just remember that there’s always time to dust it off and redeem yourself.
If you’re currently trying to navigate failure which you will inevitably go through at some stage, two things are always important to remember:
Failure is not the end of the world – everyone goes through it at some stage.
Failure is only redirection and we should always learn from it.
Overcoming failure and learning from the process requires certain stages:
Take a step back
Failure seems earth-shattering when it happens which means your emotions are all over the place when it happens
Identify the cause of the failure
Were you taking too many classes? Did you fail to implement good study techniques? Was there something in your personal life distracting you from your studies?
Develop a plan
Think about how you can retry more smartly. For instance, get an accountability partner, download commitment apps, and study in the library instead of your room.
Get help if necessary
Get a tutor if necessary or simply raise your hand in class if necessary.
If you feel like a failure in other ways, let’s say for instance you did not achieve some of your new year’s resolutions, the points above are still relevant. Remember, to not be too hard on yourself. There is always next year. And amid the “failures”, force yourself to find something to be grateful for – even if it is as simple as the gift of life.
And for those who have had good marks and are generally happy with the outcomes of the year, please keep up the impressive work. I hope you can find a way to celebrate yourself and acknowledge all your hard work.
I also encourage you to take time to recharge over the summer and get back stronger for 2023! As we wrap up this year, I hope you will take a moment to reflect and learn from your failures, revel in all your successes, and always remain grateful. And remember, gratitude is not gratitude unless it is expressed.