Elsie Wong, 3/5/2021, PD8, Day C

Elsie Wong
3/5/2021
Period 8
Day C
Modern Mythology


Goal Setting & Growth

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

Growing up, I have learned to sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of academics, especially my personal health. My parents only played into this, instilling in me the belief that education precedes all, especially my personal enjoyment when they barred me from joining the badminton team. I let this poisonous mindset fester within me. I let it push me to the edge of my limit, my abilities, and my sanity. But just like how adrenaline only numbs the pain for so long, all the consequences started to catch up to me. My body started breaking down, mentally and physically. It only got worse when the pandemic happened. Away from my source of support, my health continued to decline. I couldn’t take it anymore and I sought help, and through them I learned that I needed to prioritize myself over all else. Currently, I still haven’t gotten the whole gist of this yet, so it’s still an ongoing goal. I want to learn to do things for myself from now on, especially for my own enjoyment. I want to set time apart for the sake of doing things that I enjoy and not feel guilty for taking that time out of my work. I wish to pick up all the hobbies I dropped in favor of studying for tests. I miss sewing plushies, making music and just hanging out with friends in general. I want to feel ok about the fact that I’m doing unproductive things simply for the sake of fun.

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

I’ve been working on this goal for a while. Enough that everybody around me is pulling out their hair in frustration at how relentless I am in pursuing work. I still remember making the goal to take breaks during Winter Break. The disappointment on my friends’ face when I told them I only ended up taking a break for 2 days out of the entire time was immeasurable. But I’m learning little by little. I have people who are there to help me. It’s taking me time but I’m slowly easing out of my mold. Whether it’s through small decisions like putting off the homework for another day so I don’t sleep at 3 in the morning or major decisions like setting certain days where I do not work. My anxiety factors into my will to work too, so I’ve been learning how to fight against my anxiety. Truthfully, it’s quite difficult to shake off the constant feeling of anxiousness and my mind isn’t helpful either. But I understand now that stress is different from anxiety, and that stress is good, anxiety is not. It’s a struggle to shake off my past habits but I’m working towards it.

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


The world around me is a mixed bag as of now. I have supportive influences, but sometimes things just don’t work out. Like I mentioned before, my parents played into this whole mindset in the first place. Their mindset influenced mine, making me originally believe that this goal was irrelevant. And sometimes, I still think that. But I’m moving away from that thought process. My constant feelings of burnout regarding school has started to make everything feel lackluster. This only makes me want to grasp this goal as soon as possible. Only by feeling well rested can I shed my feelings of tiredness. My friends help motivate me towards this goal as well. They provide encouragement and some of them are even models of what I want to achieve. I see the world around me and there are so many happy people (even in times like this) and I want to feel the same as them again.