Is there a degree for that?

After any bad experience people are reassured with phrases like time is a great healer and during those often painful teenage years smothered in uncertainty, self doubt and insecurity, we are assured that as adults we won’t feel that vulnerability because by then it’s assumed that everyone will be well rounded emotionally stable grown ups.In school we are taught algebra, Irish poems that we’ll probably never read again and theorems, none of which I have ever used in my now almost ten years out of secondary education. It begs the question why doesn’t our education system begin to incorporate more practical life skills so that as adults we can implement those skills in our day to day lives.

Our emotional well being is something that I think is vastly underestimated. Luckily, schools and the larger community in general are beginning to wake up to the importance of mental health, emotional well being and self awareness and have begun to speak about and educate students on these topics. This is so important as it enables young adults not to fear them. They are familiar with the ideas surrounding emotional well being and self awareness so that if they do experience them they can recognise and acknowledge what it is they are experiencing. Often not being able to identify the emotions you are feeling can be the most intimidating but if you can take a step back and observe them it will be the first step in dealing with them.

While we are all busy studying for exams, to get the points, to get to college, to get the job that pays well, so that you can make enough money to live the life you’re “supposed”  to live we are all forgetting that even if you achieve all those things life can be difficult. Many of us need to play various roles in our life. In my case it is a daughter, a sister, a godmother, a friend, a work colleague, a writing enthusiast and so on but there are pressures and emotions that go along with all of these individually let alone when you combine them all together. This is the same for almost everyone, we all have responsibilities, some more than others, and they can be overwhelming at times. Being taught how to cope and manage these multiple aspects of day to day life is something which should have a stronger focus in our education system. Now, I know that these may not be the easiest skills to teach but surely with all our Honours degrees and Masters someone can figure it out… No?