A message to Class of 2020 school leavers

Hey Claire peirson here from Pivotal Mind.

This is a message for year 13s, school leavers & class of 2020.

You must be feeling in an emotional crazy place right now...
Disappointed
Frustrated
Angry
Fearful
Cheated

Unease
Uncertainty
What does the Future hold?

Now’s the time to feel the feels.

Experience the experience of what’s happening
Get some rest

Baby steps
Be gentle with yourself
Practice self-compassion
It’s okay to feel however you’re feeling.

Emotions are like waves - they come and go and wash over us. Go with it & accept whatever you’re going through because it’s right for you.

There’s no point in comparing one person’s experience to yours because we’re all different.

Someone who seems unaffected now may need your help in the future when they come to terms with what’s happening.

Yes, there’s lots of talk about resilience - and I’m all for that but there’s also a time for gentle compassion whilst you accept the losses.

One thing that might be beneficial for you is to write a clearing letter - we use this method in the therapy room a lot to deal with past traumas and forgiveness.

It’s a great resource for you to use in a future context too.

Simply, Write a letter explaining how you feel, how you’ve been wronged and how your ideal scenario would have played out. Write everything down - including scenarios and dialogue that’s in your imagination.

Explain in your letter how your ideal perfect situation would have played out: you revising, you going into the exam hall, the nerves, the energy, the excitement.

Think about what else you’ve missed out on & put into words how this makes you feel: the last day of school, saying farewell to friends, prom night, finding out your grades, getting your uni offers accepted.

All of it - write it down!

Get the thoughts out of your head and onto paper - this will make them less abstract and more tangible.

When your thoughts are tangible - you can see them and you will be able to respond with more logic and reason...when you’re ready.

You will find solutions, you will get stronger - now is a time of abrupt change and you just need to give yourself some time while you come to terms with what’s happening.

Something has been taken from you - and it’s not fair!

We don’t know what the future holds for us yet.

When you have a massive journey ahead of you just remember to take it step by step.

The journey is just as important as the destination and this one even more so.

Use this time to Find out the person you are during this social distancing - your strengths, your values, the way you cope in a crisis and when you’re under stress.

You, us, we have had something taken but we’ve all been given the gift of time. This is an absolute blessing.

Once you’re ready and feel energised - even inspired again to rise from the ashes like a Phoenix, you’ll find you have loads of ideas for keeping yourself entertained and being productive.

Maybe you’re already thinking how this situation has inspired you for the future and your chosen career path...?

Maybe one of you will be a pioneer in the field of future education.

Maybe there’s a programmer amongst you who will be responsible for building a global learning platform that means all children regardless of wealth will receive the same equal education.

Perhaps there’s an ambition chemist out there who’s going to spend their life researching antibodies for infectious diseases.

Are you someone who’s been so inspired by the healthcare staff that you want to work in medicine and be at the nucleus of what’s going on in future global crises?

Now... Class of 2020
Just listen, see that number! It’s a power number
You’ll have important work to do in the future
Anyone so harshly impacted & effected by a global event will be a catalyst for evolutionary change
You guys are going to suffer so that future generation don’t’ or won’t
You are our Pioneers
Our future Champions

Go easy on yourself.

I’m going to be posting on Instagram every day so get yourselves over now and learn ways to keep yourself mentally fit during this time.

There’ll be tutorials about the positive psychology interventions you can do online to increase your wellbeing and I’ll be going live to help and support you.

So keep in contact & go follow my professional pages @pivotalmind.

I’ll make sure all the links are at the bottom.

Good luck - you’ve totally got this - just remember to take it easy on yourselves & take each day as it comes.

Bye!

C

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