Endings

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Endings….

Summer holidays are upon us so that means endings. Second years will finish college for good whilst those of you in year 1 will be contemplating the end of a first year at college. Whether you are finishing completely or ending for the summer and returning in the autumn, all of you are experiencing some kind of ending. After all that build up to exams, exam stress and the focus on the academic, what now? It will be different for everyone, some will be embracing the end, some of you will be apprehensive about the end, whilst other will feel a bit numb, all that effort and angst and now its stopped.

With endings also come beginnings. So how do I shift from an ending to a beginning? The transition for some will be swift with plans and schemes in place, for others there will be a time of gradual transition. There is no one right way, we are all individuals. But here is a checklist of things to consider whilst experiencing that transition.

  • Make Plans.If not already done so, make some plans. Plans come in all shapes and sizes, they are tailor made to you. It could be anything from planning a holiday, to learn to cook yourself a new meal or read a book or learn to drive.

  • Keep Busy.Meet with friends or family.Have ‘me’ days doing what you want for yourself, a little self-care. Rediscover old hobbies.

  • Value Yourself.The focus has been achieving grades, but you are more than that. Think about all the things you stopped doing because of exam stress and go back to those things.Meditate.Write a journal.Download an App that helps you track your mood.Create a new daily mantra, "I am Okay!"

  • Talk.Remember talking helps. People say ‘why should I do that?, it doesn’t change anything?’ But maybe it does? Just by sharing your ideas, thoughts and feelings, with those you trust, you can gain a new perspective, or better understand yourself, rather than burying those ideas and feelings. It’s a bit like sweeping things under the carpet, eventually the rug gets so high you trip over it.

  • Become familiar.Second years: You may be moving on somewhere new. Join forums and groups going through the same thing.If going to University look for an online chat group of people staying in the same accommodation as you. Visit your new city. First years:What to expect from the second year? Talk to second years that have finished, or tutors or just be happy in the knowledge that Wyke is already a familiar place to return to.

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