Now that I had to take an hour off my clocks, these past few days I feel like I have been time travelling. It took me a while to understand why I feel I'm always running late or why I am hungry at 11. Either way, time has become a rather elusive friend lately, since finals are right across the corner, and every second counts. I have no idea who came up with the marvellous concept of pressure-maybe the engineer that invented sardines cans- but I think it should only apply for processed food. If you really think about it, the problem per se is not pushing the limits, but pressuring yourself because of the fear of failure ...that's heaven on Earth right there. Of course as students most of you know what I mean, because no matter how many books I read, inspirational quotes I write down, or how many hours I spent talking about it, it's always there at this time of the year.
What are we (if you are not, please contact me) so afraid of? Maybe those little (and sometimes big) brownish spiders that hang in their webs, but I honestly believe they can actually harm you more than a not-so great exam. I am not implying that you shouldn't care (or that you poke every spider), but is it really necessary to live exams has a dreadful and horrific experience? Failure is a relative word, and can mean different things for all of us, but its connotation is so negative it literally has the same effect as a red traffic light, and makes you stop from everything you are accomplishing. I propose eradicating this word for being too loose on its definition, and ‘ failing’ is nothing more than giving it another go. Take it as a challenge, go all karate- kid and kick it on the face. We survived the end of the world in 2000 and 2012, we are unstoppable.
On a similar note, I suffer from a great anxiety problem. It does not only apply to school, but in life in general. Like when I'm watching a futbol match and for some reason no one seems to do what I am politely screaming them to do. Anyway, I find that in stressful anxiety prone situations the best remedy is what Taylor Swift so eloquently said: Give me my money Spotify. No, that' s not it, I mean the song: Shake it off. I go outside and walk around for 15 minutes or more, and now that I'm in the Netherlands ,I just grab my good old bike and go for a ride. This also works when you have a hard time concentrating on something, I hate the feeling of being stuck that I just take myself out and physically move. Do not take a lot of time, because that's just procrastinating. Don't escape, just find inspiration or get some fresh autumn wind on your face. And get back to it.
Now, I have found myself in a dilemma. As you might imagine it is probably not a big deal, but it does have something to do with living and adapting to this country. I call it The Red Thin Line.. of goedemiddag/goedenavond. In my view of the world, goedemiddag sounds like good midday, so I have no problem of saying it at 12, maybe push it till 1. But what to do at 4? The day definitely moved on, but people still wish you good midday without a blink of an eye. And when the clock hits 7… the real fun begins. Is it avond already? I sometimes hear hesitation on the conductors of the train when they announce the next stop and greet the dames and heren, so why shouldn't I hesitate? See? Anxiety again. But I'll just embrace it and move on.
I hope you find some comfort in this blog, and don't be afraid, everything will turn out fine. If you can manage to remember where you parked your bike after a long study day, you are certainly a winner for me. Blogger out.
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