Daniela Yevdaev, Period 8, 11/18/21

 Daniela Yevdaev, Period 8, 11/18/21

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

● Today in class, one of our beginning topics of discussion was focused around Dalia

Ravikovitch’s poem, “Pride” and it corresponds really well with one of the goals that I have set for myself this year. The idea of forgoing a prideful personality in order to set boundaries in a way that will prevent you from ending up with an “open wound” after time of buildup is important to me, this year more so than ever. Being in the middle of college application season as well as focusing on senior courses and extracurriculars after a year and a half of remote learning has been a hard adjustment for all of us I’m sure, so I’ve been taking those extra precautions to make sure that burnout doesn’t become something that I have to deal with on top of everything else.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

● With this goal in mind, I’ve had to hold myself to a standard that would ensure that I use

my time in a way that will be most beneficial to me. I’ve cut down some of the time I spend after school in order to make sure I finish my work on time. I have continued to sleep at a reasonable hour, even when there are a number of reasons I could find to stay up later than usual. Making myself stay on top of deadlines, so as to not have to be freaking out when the deadline actually arrives; going home after a day at school when I feel exhausted even when some of my friends choose to stay longer; relaxing on my off-days to give myself a break from everything else. All of these “mini goals” have been in the back of my mind all year just so that I could achieve that main goal of setting boundaries for myself and avoiding “cracking.” However, if that wound ever does open up regardless of all the ways I try to prevent it, I make sure to take the time to let it heal, just like the Greeks did with their catharsis.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

● The world currently seems to place a huge emphasis on productivity and I think that

plays a role in my perception of necessary goals for myself. My choice to value tasks that will help me get ahead in life such as prioritizing homework, extracurriculars, and college applications is largely impacted by our societal view of the “proper future” that everyone should aim for. However, another way to look at my goal is through the mental health

 perspective: focusing on setting boundaries, taking breaks when needed, and having a decent work/sleep schedule are all major factors that can contribute to a person’s mental health. This, similar to the productivity mindset, is pretty heavily valued in our current world. I feel as if recently, there has been a huge rise in bringing awareness to mental health and mindfulness on a number of platforms that I interact with on a daily basis so I have adapted this kind of mindset as well. Due to this rise of discussion around the topic, I feel the need to prioritize it now more than ever. I maintain this idea that if others value it so much and talk about it so often, it must be important enough for me to engage in as well (a kind of herd mentality!!). I feel as if focusing on both productivity and mental health, along with setting this one specific goal is a huge step in achieving my more long-term goals so I am grateful that past-me chose to take that first step.