Wow this past year has been crazy. Looking back to who I was a year ago vs today, life has changed so much for me. Last year I lived with my parents in Burnaby and now I live in Tsawwassen with my Aunt and Uncle. Then covid happened and fast forward to today, I just graduated. Like what. Life happens fast, and sometimes it is hard to process changes. They say people are scared of change, but it’s actually the work that needs to be done for the change to occur that makes people afraid. This is because when we think of change, the first thought we have is the outcome. We set these expectations of the end result that we miss out on enjoying the process. We can also look at our goals in this way. By focusing so much on our “destination” we miss out on the experiences, and lessons along the way. There are two types of changes, planned and unplanned. A planned change could be moving schools, joining a new club, dying your hair, etc. These are easier adjustments because you expect the changes. Then there are the unplanned changes, like covid -_-. Changes like these can cause feelings of stress, feeling overwhelmed, and fear. The scary part about change is 1. not living up to the expectations you have set for yourself 2. not knowing what to expect. Sometimes, there are moments in life when change is inevitable. Personally, I think this is the hardest one to experience because when you know change is coming, you have more time to feel anxious. For me this was graduation. Graduation is a bittersweet experience because it is a celebration of your accomplishments of your past 5 years in highschool, but simultaneously you know that it is the end of this chapter of your life. HOwever, we can also see this as the start of a new chapter :) Moving forward with life is a difficult process and honestly a hard concept to accept. And it is natural for us humans to feel self doubt, anxiety, and fear when change is to come. An example of this can be moving out of your parents home. But when once you can start accepting change, you can adapt and learn. Some reasons why people struggle with moving forward is because letting go of the past is hard, and holding onto old habits and patterns is comfortable. It is important to remember that change is inevitable. Life is always changing, and as humans we must constantly adjust, if not that's when feelings of staticity arise. This happens when you don’t feel like anything significant in your life is happening, like you’re just existing. Feeling this way is normal, but if it's prolonged, it can lead to signs of depression. To maintain happiness and live a life thriving, we need to adapt to changes, and embrace the process. Without change, there is no growth. When you hold an open mind to the shifts in your life, keep a focus of what is ahead and hold onto positive life lessons, new paths get created. Here are some tips to remember to help move through change: 1. forget the past There's this quote that goes “never compare your life to what it was yesterday”. Basically remember that experiences are a part of your personal growth and to utilize them. Don’t look at the negative moments as something that holds you back, but rather as fuel to move you forward. Letting go of the past allows you to be present and ready for a fresh start. Releasing any toxicity/ negativity can help create new perspectives and focus. 2. support Don’t feel that you have to go through things alone. Find someone you can go to that encourages your growth. Through new opportunities, you can create new goals, meet new people and gain different perspectives that boost your life quality. 3. find escapes Remember that having bad days is not a sign of weakness. ANd that it is okay to feel overwhelmed with change. Finding escapes such as meditation, nature walks, or reading can be helpful to take your focus away from any negative energy 4. patience Change can happen slow or fast, but just because it doesn’t work out in the beginning doesn’t mean it never will. LEt change run its course, be gentle with yourself. For the seniors in this class, whether you have a plan or no plan, just know that you will be okay. Don’t stress and just have fun please. FOr the rest of you, good luck senior year babes. Semester system is coming and she’s gonna be interesting for you.
Kaysey H
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They say high school prepares you for life. Well, I graduated yesterday and I’m still terrified of my future. Technically I didn’t graduate yet because I still don’t have my diplomas and I have another two weeks or so of french. But still, I wore the cap and gown and I walked across the stage. It was a lot more underwhelming than I thought it would be, but I guess that’s because I walked in front of about twenty people rather than hundreds of them. After it was over, everyone I talked to asked me one question: “So how does it feel to graduate from high school?” After being asked this question about twenty five times, I started to reflect. How was high school? When I think of the ups and downs of high school, my mind is drawn to the negative. I certainly had my fair share of downs. I fought with (and lost) friends, I struggled with keeping on top of my school work and extracurricular activities, I argued with family and I battled some mental health and confidence issues. I had bad teachers. I let people down, I let myself down. There have been times when I have been a shitty friend and student. I worked through a lot of negatives. There were days where I wouldn’t have a place to eat so I’d walk around until I found someone I knew. There were fights where I walked away as I thought about punching my best friend in the face. There were times that I felt really self-critical and times that I felt self-conscious over nothing and proceeded to feel guilty about that. But haven’t we all? Isn’t that what high school is about? The more I think about the bad experiences, the more I come up with reasons why those led to better ones. I grew through every single one of those experiences. Good and bad. I learned about toxicity and what that means for me. I learned about what kind of person I am, and the kind of people I like to have in my life. I gained a best friend for life. I grew closer with my parents and my brother. I became a better friend. I am becoming a better student. I am learning how to take care of myself. I’m learning how to bite off an amount that I can chew. I dealt with bad teachers, classmates and co-workers, the way I will have to for the rest of my life. I learned how to hold my tongue and think before I speak. I learned that sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth and that’s okay. You can’t control people. And that’s okay. I learned, I grew, I matured. The person I am on my way to becoming, is born from these high school experiences, through trial and error. There’s no way to teach this. There’s no way for you to study and learn this without actually doing it. You have to go to school, be a kid. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll be an idiot, you’ll get in trouble. That’s life. Maybe high school academics don’t prepare you for life, maybe it’s that not so obvious personal development, that secret “becoming a better human” that does. When I think about all of this, of how prepared I actually am and the people I’ll have in my corner, the future doesn’t look so scary after all.
Nevada J Well this year was certainly a rollercoaster, well at least I think it was. I feel like there are many ways we can cover it and go on to say negative things about the year 2020/21, but sometimes we have to look further than what we can actually see or think. I don't want this to seem like a reflection of the past year, or a way to feel sympathy as a grad of 2021, but I want this to give me the occasion to let me tell you my story. So there are many things that each individual goes through as we have our own life's to live, and we often pass through events that are meant to be in our lives. When those events occur, did you ever ask yourself what they meant for you, like their purpose? I guess you could call this a type of self-relfection which is the key to self-awareness. Through this practice we are able to look at ourselves with interest and curiosity. In my opinion I only self reflect after a year, doesn't have to be on paper or verbally said, but we could eventually take a step back on life and take a moment to spot out some positive impacts and be grateful about them. This past year for me was very hard to handle. I had a lot on my plate, emotions pouring out, friendships tearing apart, family disconnection, fear of being alone, and much more. And that's just barely touching the surface on some things. And you may have noticed but those were negative aspects of the past year. Now that is something I hate doing but it's natural to spot negative things as we humans are really good at doing that. Let’s put that aside for a moment and focus on the positive parts of the past year. For me I did not have school until February as the schedule changed for school. I had so much spare time to focus on my own health like my knee pain, and my dance training as it is important for me to get on top of it and take care of it. It also gave me time to really focus on my dance auditions for university applications. Now seeing that I had so much spare time I am glad I spent it well. Looking back at it and seeing my actions well chosen I feel a sense of completion or success and that creates motivation for me. I hope I'm not the only one who feels like this when they appreciate that their effort pays off. I am so grateful that this year became an eye opener, as I realized who my real best-friends were and who weren't. I guess it can be really hard for you to realize that a best friend of yours is gone in no time, but the reality can be harsh, right? Well I mean nothing comes so easy. Nothing in your life is not guaranteed to be there tomorrow, including those you love. Life can be full of hard life lessons to learn, but it may be the most important of all: Life can change in an instant. Make sure you appreciate what you have, while you still have it. Amélie G |
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