A spark of thoughts on my thesis journey

By Syifa

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I’ve been working on my thesis for a year now and I was fine until these months. I feel so anxious because I am expected to graduate this year, and I saw a lot of my friends have already graduated. I live in the country when you have to live by peoples’ expectations. It's just somehow a culture. 

While my friends successfully graduate, I am facing the lowest time of my thesis. That time was a very bad experience for me. I kept seeing social media and torturing myself by looking at my friends’ lives. I was a pretty ignorant person until those times. I cried every night and blamed myself for things I should have done. I pushed myself to do something useful for my thesis while my mind was just stuck and empty.

Then one day, I remembered someone had told me that every person has their own path. Never mind age norms. There is nothing wrong if you graduate at 20 or 22 or married in your 40. You just have your own right time. 

To those who may be experiencing a similar situation for me, you can shut your social media off. Social media is an unhealthy place for our mental health and sense of security. You also need more intense support from your friends or family. Support matters a lot. 

That is all I could say. I’m still progressing on my thesis and still learning to regulate my emotions.