Final Blog

In Chapter 14, the Coreys (2010) invite us to review what we've learned this semester and think about where we go from here. For my final preparations, I've been reflecting on my aha moments from this course and think these tie nicely into the spirit of reflection the authors promote in the final chapter of their book. Although many of the issues in this course spoke to me, I was especially impacted by particular themes in the areas of relationships, loneliness and solitude, and stress and time management. After ending a significant long-term relationship in my life, I felt a lot of guilt and then pressure to pretend that everything was okay when I actually felt really terrible for a long time afterwards. Because of this, I really appreciated the Coreys' (2010) perspectives on dealing with the termination of a long-term relationship which encourage the expression of anger and allowing time to grieve. Instead of being hard on myself for taking longer than I expected to move on from this relationship, I can view my reaction as a healthy response which will hopefully make me stronger for my future relationships. As a result of this breakup, I am now living alone for the first time in my life and have experienced more solitude than I was ever accustomed to. Although this period of aloneness was triggered by a specific life event, I have not often found myself feeling alone, and instead, have appreciated this opportunity to focus on my goals, pursue my hobbies, and examine my life in order to develop a plan for moving forward. Stress is something that everyone must face, and it is important to develop effective coping mechanisms. Managing my time appropriately is definitely an area where I can improve, and I found some of the Coreys (2010) suggestions helpful, such as reflecting on short and long-term goals, creating schedules, and concentrating on doing one thing at a time to the best of my abilities. Above all, I think it is important to remember to be proud of myself for the things I've accomplished and perhaps not worry so much about the small things that I sometimes ignore in pursuit of larger goals. In managing stress, self-care is also critical as it is impossible to give to others if you are not addressing your own needs. When I start feeling as if giving to others is more of a burden than a gift, I can usually identify this as a time when I need to turn inwards a bit more and address my own self-care a little better. Corey,G.,& Corey, M.S. (2010). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal growth. (9th ed.). Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole.