Last September I embarked on a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and while I knew it would be tough, it’s been one of the steepest learning curves of my life.
This was the third course I had applied for, the first two turned me down because I do not have an undergraduate degree. But I desperately wanted to undertake some learning in Positive Psychology. It is what I spend my life doing through work and in applying it to myself. I wanted to go deeper into the subject, and I also wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
So how has it been.
It’s only the end of the first year, (I'm doing a three year course) and I'm doing great. I've passed all my assignments and I'm loving the learning and the interaction with my fellow students and lecturers. But it has had its challenges.
Challenge 1 - This one was anticipated, managing my time. Balancing work, studying and a personal life has not been easy, and I have definitely not managed this a swell as I expected. I am determined in year two to say no more (work wise) and block out more time for studying.
Challenge 2 - Emotional awareness and development.
For many years I have been on a continued journey to become more self-aware in terms of unravelling past trauma, understanding what is going on in my brain and body and learning happiness and resilience tools. However, I was not expecting the onslaught of emotions and personal revelation that happened as we delved into this subject. It’s all been very positive but intense.
Challenge 3 - Reading academic journals and writing in an academic style.
Sometime into the second term I realised that writing the assignments, organising my work and reading academic journals seemed to take me a lot longer than other people on my course. Guess what, after seeking some help and some length assessments, it turns out I’m dyslexic and have ADHD. Hopefully now I know and am receiving extra help next year may be easier.
So, I am now looking forward to slowing down over the summer before launching into year two. I wonder what next year’s challenges will be.
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