Academic Validation

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✨Academic Validation✨
The dependence on physical awards as a sense of acknowledgement and appreciation.

First things first, 
This blog is not written to claim that academic validation is "bad" or that we should completely stop seeking it - NO!

It's authored to bring to the limelight the negative effects of academic validation on your mental health and how it affects not only yourself but your entire social circle. 

With the school year almost coming to an end, award season awaits.
For some of us, this is the most exciting time of the year - your yearlong efforts finally seek fruition.
Some of us can only dream about standing at the podium.
And for some, despite your hard work, you simply miss it by an inch.

Now I'm someone who has experienced all 3 of the above scenarios; and if you're a "late bloomer", chances are, you have too.

Getting awards, simply put, feels good. 
It validates the sacrifices made: the late nights spent, and the occasional social events missed.
And once you get into the cycle of being rewarded, you continue to push yourself harder to achieve something even greater the next year.

More often than not, this cycle leads to an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Either self-imposed or family-imposed, the pressure to not fail, or disappoint ourselves, and those around us, clouds our brains, and leads to a chase of perfectionism; and eventually, procrastination and burn out.

You start correlating your worth with the marks on the paper; and when they're not up to your standards, punish yourself by causing a mental strain through negative self-talk.

There is absolutely no harm in caring about your academics to secure a safe future - in fact, we all should strive to constantly learn and earn.
Academic validation fuels your desire to go further, prove people wrong, and live up to the standards you want to attain. It's your goal.
But you also need to remember to account for your present mental and physical state and not be so hard on yourself if you miss a couple opportunities.

Every time a door closes, a window opens.

As to how your pursuit of academic validation can have tangential effects on your friends and family, you'll have to wait a few more weeks :( 
Filled with personal anecdotes and 'thora-moda' advice on how to reduce your dependence, please share and follow as you wait for it :)

Signing off,
Kuhu :)

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