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Tag: guidance counselor

  • The Importance of Finding Peace Within

    The Importance of Finding Peace Within

    Finding peace within is sometimes a mysterious topic. One may often wonder what it even means within the hustle and bustle of daily life; is it possible? Can it ever be achieved? We are overloaded with a seemingly endless to do list and people to please. Being aware of not feeling at peace can be a motivation to find it again, and to overcome the challenges that are presented to us.

    The first question for overcoming the feeling of being ill at ease is to identify why you feel ill at ease. Perhaps your to do list has not been worked on and is becoming quite frightening, or perhaps the problem is with the to do list itself. Maybe the thought of everything on that list gives you no satisfaction at all. If the problem is that you have not done any work on your to do list in a long time, the solution may be very simple; break the list down into smaller steps. For example: If you have a presentation due on the topic of women’s rights in Canada, you might want to break the project down into doing an introduction on day 1, the body of the presentation on day 2, and the conclusion of the presentation on day 3. Doing this with the various items on your to do list will help to make things less scary, and more approachable.

    On the other hand, if your to do list is filled with things that are not rewarding, then you may need to conduct an evaluation of your goals and desired end results for your various pursuits. Sometimes we avoid doing work because we do not truly care anymore about the results. For example, if I want to get a high school diploma, I will go to class and do the homework and act generally respectful of those around me in order to facilitate my success. If you do not want a high school diploma anymore, you may consider dropping some of the items off your to do list. In this case, I would recommend speaking with a guidance counselor who may be able to re-light the motivation to complete the diploma. If you are knocking off things on your to do list, you are closer to achieving the goals you originally set out for yourself. The question is how you can regain a sense of inner peace amid seemingly random, negative emotions?

    There are many strategies for regaining peace within:

    • Take some time to reflect upon all of the things that you are grateful for.
    • Do some meditation or conduct concentrated moments of silence.
    • Talk with a friend about positive things in your life.
    • Get a little exercise to increase your brain’s natural feel good chemicals.
    • Do some yoga, or engage in an activity that makes you feel good.

    Finding peace within is something that is always in your control. You are always able to regain it; it just takes some investigating to find solutions that will work for you. Good luck!

  • Utilizing Guidance and Career Counselors

    Utilizing Guidance and Career Counselors

    Whether you’re in grade 9 or grade 12, it is never too soon to meet with a guidance or a career counselor. If you’re like many people in high school, you have a vague idea of what you might be good at, but you haven’t nailed down exactly what it is that you would like to do. Or maybe you might know what you want to do, in which case it is still a good idea to speak with your guidance counselor about the proper steps you should be taking.

    Learning what careers are out there and what you are good at are the two most important subjects that your counselor will help you with. Sometimes we limit our job search to traditional jobs that we have heard about from friends and our family members. When you broaden your search to what jobs are really out there, you might discover that there are jobs that you have never heard of before that could suit you perfectly. Asking your guidance counselor to help you identify your gifts and skills is another good tool to help you while navigating careers. There are a ton of resources available to help you discover what it is that you are good at and what you should capitalize on in terms of your strengths.

    If you know what you want to do with your career, you are already ahead of the game. That is the first step in the process of building a career, however there are many more steps that need to be taken depending on what it is that you are choosing to do. At the point when you know what you want to do, then you can start setting some goals for the coming years. Make sure to follow the SMART goal setting formula, setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed goals. For example, if I want to be a doctor, I will set a goal related to having high marks and having a range of extracurricular activities to round out my application. Two SMART goals related to this could be: I want to have an average of 90% in grade 11 and 12 so that I can get a scholarship and I want to be on the basketball team, amnesty club and chess team for grade 11 and 12. These goals identify exactly what is to be achieved, they are realistic because I do well in academics and have an interest in the activities that I want to participate in, and I have identified when they need to be achieved by.

    The important thing to remember, whether you know what you want to be or not, is that talking about your career will help you to start thinking about your future – and that is the first step towards starting a successful career path. Doing some research and talking to a counselor will help you to know what is a realistic career for you. Take the first step today and contact your guidance counselor!