Final Reflection

I was pleasantly surprised by this course. While I had come into the class thinking it would be trite and unimportant like most other courses that are part of the general education requirement, having completed it, I now believe that it is invaluable (although 99.9% of the reason why I ended up enjoying this course was because of the professor¹). 

There wasn't a class that I didn't learn something new or didn't find intriguing. So, there's no word to describe how I feel about having thought before this course that communication was only about talking. Silly? Stupid? Really stupid? I honestly do feel like a learned a lot about things I didn't expect there was anything left to learn about. I especially learned a lot about myself.

Communication is so essential to our being that I can't believe that I had ever discounted it. Everything we covered was applicable to everyday scenarios and I kind of wish we could have gone more in-depth into it. 

That being said, the material couldn't have resonated with the class without having been taught the way it was, I mean, I don't think I've ever laughed so much in a class before!


   
¹Thank you for being amazing :)

Problem Solving Sequence

I'm not sure if there's any part of the problem solving sequence that I could think of changing. I mean, the assignment wasn't too difficult, but it's arguable if that would need changing since it meets its purpose, regardless. But then again, I think it might be interesting to have the students participate in a problem solving sequence in which the groups' proposed solutions could be implemented and tested during the class period. While through the exercise the groups were able to identity the problems and their options and etc., from what I remember, each group's propositions (including my own group's) tended to be more non-solutions (i.e. not doing anything about the road). Still, I liked that the problem we were "solving" was indeed a real problem, with realistic components to consider, but fictionalized into a context the groups could find humor in.  

Stress and Priorities

Stress is stifling. Before I've even recognized that I'm feeling it, I begin to shut down. I procrastinate some, then procrastinate some more, all the while feeding my mind the lie that I'm accomplishing something. (For example, if I'm stressed about a paper I have to write, I'll type the heading and then play around with a title for an hour and half before settling on what was given on the rubric in the first place: "Reflection Paper"). I divert my attention to something else so I am not preoccupying myself with whatever it is that I am stressed about; but as we all know, stress tends to permeate into everything else too. 

Sometimes stress is accompanied with a kind of adrenaline or high that, if stressed long enough, can get you motivated and doing some of the best work of your life (however, this of course comes with the cost of immense douleur beforehand). So, before I get to the point of crawling into bed for hours on end, I make the effort to trivialize what it is that I'm stressed about, to find another context. I typically become stressed about assignments or presentations, things that hold a lot of weight in an academic sense. I become crippled with the thought of "what if I can't do this", even if it's not entirely difficult, even if I wholly know it's possible to do. This stress stems from the notion that this one grade will affect me for years to come, that it'll somehow be responsible for this or that or whatever. This is when other people (i.e. friends) become helpful.

When I become stressed and overwhelmed, I instinctively isolate myself, thinking I can alleviate the stress by removing all distractions and just getting to work on whatever it is that I need to get done. Unfortunately, you yourself are your biggest distraction, so nothing gets done in this scenario, and the stress multiplies. Meeting up with friends or simply conversing with others, however, (although also distracting) is better for managing stress because others distract the stress away from you. Often times everyone else has their own worries too, and your stresses can't be compared, and you realize what you're stressing about often times isn't a big deal. 

Until then, I'll do things like make a list and stare at it, but chocolate helps too.