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If you've previously attended some Aspen training, this image will no doubt be familiar to you.
Introduction
Well, it’s been quite the year! And I’m 100% sure I’m not the only one who can say that. How has yours been?
So much happens over the course of an academic year – both professional and personal – that it can be tempting to get to the end of it, collapse once the cortisol subsides, complete the burgeoning to-do-list of outstanding tasks, dust oneself off, enjoy a break, and then return to face the mountain again without properly stopping to take stock and smell the roses.
So in this article I am going to do some rose-sniffing (as well as acknowledging some other less pleasant scents that have cropped up along the way), and take a structured approach to reviewing my own personal experience of academic year 25-26. My hope is that this will model the benefits of engaging in a positive-psychology-informed reflective process, while helping me to process my experiences, extract some useful learning points, maybe experience some catharsis, and hopefully get a mainline injection of that positive emotion that, yes, feels good, but has also been evidenced to broaden-and-build our cognitive and social capacities and capabilities (Fredrickson, 1998, 2005). At the same time, I’m also hoping that doing so in public might be of help to others, either in terms of you being able to take something from the content of what I’m writing, or perhaps in sparking a motivation to carry out a similar reflective exercise yourself.
My idea for this blog was inspired by Dr Fiona Coley, The Ed Psych Coach (https://www.theedpsychcoach.com/), who at the end of each academic year invites us to take a positive-psychology-informed appraisal of our experiences. Fi has written a one-side-of-A4 structured reflection tool* that contains various prompts to guide reflection, including ‘Times when I made a difference’, ‘Things I am proud of’, and ‘Most interesting thing(s) I read or learned’, for example. An end-of-year reflective exercise can often be valuable, and with Fi’s series of structured prompts the embedded positive psychology orientation can steer our attention to some soul-nurturing aspects of our year that might otherwise have got buried in the avalanche of experience.
So, with Fi’s tool as inspiration and guide, here we go with a series of reflections from me about my experience over academic year 25-26.
* The one-side-of-A4 tool is the free version, and you can find that by clicking here. If you’re looking for something more in-depth, Fi has also written an expanded 'Reflect and Renew' workbook that can be purchased here. Readers of this article can obtain a £10 discount on the larger workbook by entering the code ASPEN at checkout.
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Introduction
Rather, it was an exchange between two men on a football discussion programme - a show normally known for sharp analysis and good-natured banter, not for emotional revelation. But then, at the beginning of the show, in front of an international audience, one of them paused to say something real to his friend and colleague. Something unexpected. Something kind.
The other man received it. He didn't deflect, didn't laugh it off; didn't reach for a joke to kill the awkwardness of the moment. He accepted it - admittedly, with no small degree of self-consciousness - but then, courageously, talked openly on international television about his struggles with depression and alcohol, and how a friend helped him reconnect with the true meaning of life beyond the glitz and glamour of being a professional footballer.
It was, without exaggeration, one of the most powerful displays of masculinity I've seen on television in recent years.
We'll come back to it, as an example of what some writers refer to as positive masculinity (Kiselica & Englar-Carson, 2010).
But first, we need to talk about the other kind.
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Introduction
In this article, I will explore the concept of Facing Your Dragons, a psychological and behavioural process that can help us at times of challenge or difficulty, or when experiencing emotional distress (e.g. anxiety). We will also see how Facing Your Dragons doesn’t necessarily mean heroically slaying them – there are some dragons that cannot be slain. But – as Obi Wan Kenobi wisely noted in Star Wars (A New Hope): “There are alternatives to fighting.”
Facing Your Dragons is a process that I have been through many times both at work and in life, but one of my more memorable examples occurred back in 2010 when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That example will be the main focus of this article.
I hope you find these musings helpful. As always, take what you want and leave the rest.
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- How and why our service is changing (but still continuing).
- Why these changes are needed.
- How we plan to move forward from here.
- How the services we are able to offer moving forward may still be relevant to you.
This is no doubt one of the more personal blog articles I have written, but I am providing the full context as it is consistent with my values of transparency, authenticity, honesty, and clarity.
Warning: Sensitive content
This blog article contains information that some people might find upsetting or distressing to read, especially if you have or know someone who has Multiple Sclerosis or another potentially degenerative or life-limiting condition.
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