Reality Bites, But Only Because It's Hungry and Needs Attention

Much has been written recently (by myself more than most) about the impending rebirth of the university/college drag and today's post is going to be very much along the same lines. After all it is just around the corner for most of us and therefore the feelings are running a little bit higher about it than at any other point in the summer break. For me, today signals the 2 weeks notice until I pull myself out of bed at some unfamiliar hour for lectures that are going to twist and stretch my brain power to the max - this year never said it was going to be kind to me. My timetable for the year ahead was released last week and it looks pretty ugly - think Shrek after being hit over the face by a thick textbook. The reality of my situation is that the days are going to be longer and the stress levels are going to be elevated. The thing is that I knew it was coming and that's the reason why I think that I'm going to be able to take it in my stride. This is where I'm coming from in today post: if you prepare yourself for the reality of your situation and don't ignore it, it won't be quite as hard to deal with.

I'm a bad writer. A lot of the posts that I pull together are based on a 'quirky' (at least in my eyes) title and from there it grows into a few paragraphs of philosophical ramblings. Today's title is based on the saying 'reality bites' and from there, sadly some may say, I went on to say something about food - I think I'm funny but most think I'm another word beginning with F. But anyway I'm going to go on with my metaphor because I'm proud of it and, even though I don't think a good title makes a good piece of writing, I'm often chuffed with myself when I look back on some of the lines I come up with.

So, back at the ranch, my message for today is that you should pay attention to reality and try and avoid kidding yourself about things. I'll use myself as an example because I know myself better than any other person: say I knew that my timetable was out but I chose to ignore it until a few days before I was due to start back. What that would achieve is a couple more weeks of ignorance from the reality of my situation and potentially I might be happier as a result. The thing is that now I know what the year ahead looks like, I have time to prepare myself mentally for it which is something that I think is so important to being successful. If you can get your head in the right place before you start something then you are more likely to be able to cope with the stresses and strains of the task in hand. If I was to choose to ignore the fact that the year ahead is going to be the hardest academically of my life until a couple of days before, it would take me about a month to get my head back above the water. Never try to balance mental preparation with practical preparation because one of them is going to suffer and it's usually the stuff that matters on paper which subsequently makes you miserable.

I urge you to go and look at any new timetables or handouts that have been released ahead of the new academic year for your course. It might not be a pretty sight but the sooner you come to terms with the reality of your situation, the easier it will be to get back into it when the inevitable comes along.

Thanks for reading and best of luck for the weeks and months ahead for all of those embarking on a new year of studies,

Martin