By Elle Bellwood

Coming to terms with Elle Bellwood.

So the first term is done.

Fifteen weeks of madness.

It’s cliche, but it is crazy how much can change in just over three months. My vision of the future has also completely changed.

For Generation Z, the pressure to go to a good university, get a well-paid job and settle down with a mortgage has been immense. When we were younger, we were given the impression that we needed to have all our ducks in a row by the time we are thirty.

But, I’ve learnt this term there is no rush. We all need to stop the panicking.
I don’t need to be on 50k by the time I’m 25. I don’t need to own a house before I’m 30. I don’t need to find my dream job one week after graduating.
All these things will eventually happen. I will be able to own a home, have a thriving career and a family; however, there is more than one direction and speed of travel to get to this point.

What’s important right now is being in the present. It’s important to embrace every day as it comes and celebrate every opportunity you’re given.

Waking up every morning is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to live your life the way you choose to. If you want to change careers, then do it. If you want to go out and get white girl wasted with your friends on a Tuesday, then do it. I feel it is essential for you to go out and do precisely what you want to do.

It is essential to embrace all of one’s feelings. If you feel upset and angry at the world, then own it. If you want to fall in love, then do it. If you are happy and positive, share this energy. Repressing your feelings makes is counterproductive; it stops you from reaping the benefits of your body’s natural reactions. It’s healthy to be sad and anxious sometimes because it only makes happier emotions better.

SCA has taught me many things, but most significantly, it is teaching me to be unconditionally me.

Culturally women have been conditioned to apologise. We apologise for the way we feel; we apologise for the way we act and we apologise about the way we look. I am coming to terms with the fact I need to stop being sorry for being me. I have every right to think, feel, say and do what I want, just like a man would.

I feel with this shift in my mentality; things are starting to fall in place. I have accepted myself. My insecurities are melting away. I am more in control of my feelings and more in control of myself.

You attract people who are similar to you. Birds of a feather flock together. At the SCA Christmas party and various other festive celebrations this weekend, I took a step back and looked at all my new and old friends. And I feel so blessed and happy. I have around me, beautiful, intelligent, thriving friends who are making their own choices and building their careers.

So, in reflection, be more present. Realising what you have around you and not wishing for your future to hurry up is my little key to happiness.