Hi everyone! If you have been patient enough to be have checked my website, thank you! As you can see, a weekly blog has quickly fallen through the cracks, and this is my first entry since November, whoops! I’ll be the first to admit here that this definitely wasn’t planned. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic still ravages society as we know it, and as is common, especially at the moment, is that I have been slightly overwhelmed, and simply put, I had other priorities. I think it is probably a bit (*very) late to say it, but happy new year (and happy Easter too?), maybe at some point we will get some normality back! So, the blog hasn’t happened how I thought, so this could be quite a hefty entry catching you up with what has been happening. With that all out of the way, let’s begin. This blog entry has some personal wisdom, my exercise goals / plan, and what I’ve been up to academically!
First, I wanted to touch on some personal stuff. The last year have been an incredibly tough time for everyone, and everyone has been affected by the coronavirus differently throughout the pandemic. Thankfully, the vaccine is now being rolled out, but how can we look after ourselves in the meantime. When I say this, I don’t mean wash your hands (were people really not doing this before? I thought this was a normal thing to do, but apparently, we needed to be told), I mean how can you look after yourselves mentally. I don’t pretend to be a professional (despite some people *annoyingly* asking if I can read their mind, if I’m analysing them or saying I’m a therapist), but I do know a little about looking after yourself. I’ve said it before that especially between the period of my GCSEs and finishing my master’s degree, I did not take particularly good care of myself, and my mental health took a huge hit because of it, but I am working on things to help improve it. So, what can we do to look after ourselves? There are a few things I think we should all remember. First, remember its ok, to not be ok. Even better, talk to your supervisor when something is wrong. I admit, I am very lucky with my supervisor. Not only is she bonkers, but she is one of the most amazing and incredible people I've ever met. When I went to speak to her, she knew something was already wrong that day (I wasn’t wearing a tie, a common ‘in’ joke between us), and this made it much easier to talk about. Paloma was the most understanding and kind person in this instance, and I couldn’t have asked her to be any more awesome than she was. (Paloma is a fab supervisor in every respect, she really is the best.)
Second, recognise that not everything can succeed, and that failure is ok. This is something I heard a lot of in I’m A Scientist (more on that later). No one is perfect, and its ok to get things wrong or be slower making progress than you thought! A big tip I learnt from my chair, was to under promise and over deliver. This doesn’t just apply to work for other people, think of it for yourself. You want to write 300 words a day. Great! Maybe think of making it 200, then if you write 300 you’ve over delivered to yourself, and your task is achievable. This is just an example though, I used it as I have no chance of writing 300 words every day!
My third piece of wisdom. Work regular hours. It doesn’t matter if you work weekends, or evenings or any other time. It has to be a time that works for you but try sticking to regular hours. Work the time that is convenient to you, and then switch off, and that brings me to my final piece of advice. Third, take care of you. Whether you love baking, gardening, walking, martial arts, playing an instrument or anything else, make the time for you! I have been a martial artist for a long time (about 18 years, at various clubs in various martial arts), and I have recently made sure that I do things for me, everyday! A while ago, I wrote about all the things I wanted to do in my time off. I over promised myself and haven’t started a lot of it. But I do what I can each day, and make sure there is time for me!
To be clear, although I've been doing these things, it doesn't necessarily help someone's mental health, but this is the advice lots of people have passed to me.
So! I imagine those visiting this blog, do so more to see my academic journey, so this is what’s been happening!
My time has mainly been taken up with research and teaching and to be honest, that’s plenty! I have been rushed off my feet every week with a little time to breathe between! But I have absolutely loved it! If your university gives any opportunity to teach, jump at the chance! It is such a fantastic experience that prepares you if you want to follow an academic or non-academic path, and it really helps with public speaking! The hard truth of teaching is that you cannot please everyone. But(!) you do make a huge difference to some students! When a student understands a new concept, or when that magic ‘click’ happens, it is the most rewarding feeling, and its great to hear students enjoy sessions and find it useful!
My research has really taken off! Last semester we ran a feature analysis study. This involved individuals identifying cues that are indicative of threat and rating their severity. We have analysed the data and without giving anything away, keep your eyes peeled! I am currently writing this up into a paper for publication which is time consuming but its going to be fantastic! In the meantime, I am waiting for ethical approval for two new studies that will form the backbone to the thesis for the master’s students I am working with! I absolutely love the group who are keen, engaged, interested, and raise fantastic points! Keep an eye on the interpersonal threat project page for more details on the study and links coming soon!
One of the things I have learnt from university, is really to seize every opportunity. I recently took part in I’m A Scientist – Psychology zone. This involves talking to students from primary to sixth form and talking about, you guessed it, science, or more specifically psychology! Students asked a whole range of questions and it being part of the zone while it was running in March was fantastic! Some of you may remember, I applied to take part in November but wasn’t selected. So, I really crammed in as many sessions as I could, and I loved every minute of it! This is just one of the fantastic things we as researchers can get involved in!!
Some of you may also remember I applied as a supervisor to a DAAD internship, in which a German intern comes to the university and joins the lab for a period of weeks. Well, after working through the applications I am thrilled to be having a student join the lab for a period of 12 weeks. We have lots of ideas for projects to run with them, so we will have to look at what is viable depending on restrictions and such, but this is very exciting!!
Meanwhile, I have also attended conferences such as the Experimental Psychology Society January Meeting (check the project page for my poster), and the Home Office Security and Policing Event, as well as collaborating with North Wales Police, collecting data, and generally having fun.
Don’t forget, it’s also great to set goals in your personal life too! For example, last year I set myself goals to reach for my third wedding day (7th July 2021 - thanks a lot, COVID) for my martial arts, and other exercises I do. This was part of my goal to increase my fitness, and also to help improve my mental health (I’m still waiting for that supposed buzz people get post exercise).
Here are my goals for people who are interested, but this is also my way of holding myself accountable
1. 60 sit-ups (achieved - currently at 70)
2. 60second plank (achieved - currently at 60)
3. 100 crunches (achieved - currently at 100)
4. 50 press-ups (achieved - currently at 51)
5. 50 squats (achieved - currently at 60)
6. 35 resistance band pullups (achieved - currently at 50)
7. 50 resistance bicep curls (achieved - currently at 70)
8. 3 sets of 10 repetitions of 15kg floor-press (achieved - currently at target)
9. 3 sets of 12 repetitions of 15kg bicep curls (achieved - currently at target)
10. Cycle 30 km in less than an hour (achieved - currently at 34.60km in 1 hour)
11. Learn all 27-karate kata (achieved – 27/27)
This is a really brief summary of everything that has gone on in the last few months. The most exciting news is that we got lab t-shirts (thanks to Alex Baxendale for creating them)! Truth be told they are awesome. Here are my key take-away messages, and hopefully the blog will get a little more attention in the future!
Thanks all!
Take Away Messages:
1. Its ok not to be ok
2. Failure is a part of life – live it, accept it, learn it
3. Work regular hours that suit you – but don’t forget to switch off
4. Make time for you – work on your hobbies
5. Set achievable targets – its better to promise less and produce more, than to promise too much and not get it all done
6. Seize every opportunity – but don’t be afraid to say no if you have too many other commitments