Підсумкова робота №3 за темою “ You made it! Take care of yourself” . Читання.

The Art of Taking Care of Yourself

At sixteen, Emma had a rather unusual definition of success. She believed that successful people were always busy, never complained and somehow managed to get everything done without making mistakes. Her ideal day started at six in the morning, included a full school timetable, two hours of homework, an online English course, volleyball practice and, if there was enough time, a little reading before bed. She was proud of her ability to keep going, even when she was exhausted.

At first, this lifestyle seemed to work. Emma received good marks, teachers praised her responsibility, and her parents were pleased with her achievements. However, gradually, small changes began to appear. She found it difficult to concentrate during lessons, became irritated by things that had never bothered her before and started forgetting simple tasks. Even activities she had once enjoyed felt like additional responsibilities. She told herself that she simply needed to become more organised.

One Monday, after forgetting about an important history assignment, Emma stayed up until nearly three in the morning to finish it. The following day, she fell asleep during a lesson. Her teacher did not criticise her. Instead, she asked Emma to stay after class and explained that being responsible did not mean ignoring her own needs. She pointed out that constant exhaustion was not proof of dedication; it was often a sign that something needed to change.

Emma initially disagreed. She thought that taking breaks was a reward for people who had already completed their work. Her teacher suggested looking at the situation differently: rest was not something to earn after working hard; it was part of the process that made effective work possible.

That conversation made Emma reconsider her daily routine. She started with small changes rather than attempting to transform her entire life overnight. She stopped checking school messages immediately after waking up, began preparing a realistic list of priorities and decided to leave some free time in her schedule. Most importantly, she learnt to distinguish between tasks that were genuinely urgent and those that only felt urgent because she was afraid of disappointing someone.

However, changing habits was not as easy as she had expected. When Emma refused to take part in an extra school project because she already had too much to do, she felt guilty. She imagined that her classmates might consider her selfish or unreliable. Surprisingly, one of them admitted that she had also been struggling to manage her workload and wished she had the courage to say no. Emma realised that people were not always judging her as harshly as she judged herself.

She also discovered that taking care of herself involved more than getting enough sleep or eating healthy food. It meant recognising her emotions instead of pretending they did not exist. On particularly stressful days, she began writing down what was worrying her. Sometimes the problems seemed less frightening once they were expressed in words. On other occasions, she talked to her older sister or a trusted friend. She understood that asking for support did not make her less independent; it helped her deal with difficulties more effectively.

Another important change concerned social media. Emma used to spend evenings looking at photographs of classmates and influencers who appeared to have perfect lives. Without realising it, she compared her ordinary moments with other people's carefully selected highlights. She began to feel that she was falling behind, even when she was doing perfectly well. Eventually, she limited her screen time and unfollowed accounts that made her feel inadequate. She did not abandon social media completely; she simply became more selective about what she allowed into her everyday life.

A few months later, Emma was not suddenly a person who never felt stressed or made mistakes. She still had difficult days, deadlines and moments of self-doubt. The difference was that she no longer interpreted every difficulty as evidence of personal failure. She had learnt that progress was not always about doing more. Sometimes it meant recognising when to stop, changing direction or asking someone for help.

When a younger student asked Emma how she managed to balance everything, she smiled. "I don't balance everything perfectly," she replied. "And that's the point. Taking care of yourself doesn't mean avoiding challenges or giving up your ambitions. It means making sure that achieving your goals doesn't come at the cost of your well-being. You made it through yesterday, but you also deserve to feel well tomorrow."

Emma's experience taught her that self-care was neither laziness nor selfishness. It was a form of responsibility towards herself and the people around her. After all, looking after your well-being does not make you less ambitious. It helps you keep going without losing yourself along the way.

What was the main misconception behind Emma's original understanding of success?

The Art of Taking Care of Yourself

At sixteen, Emma had a rather unusual definition of success. She believed that successful people were always busy, never complained and somehow managed to get everything done without making mistakes. Her ideal day started at six in the morning, included a full school timetable, two hours of homework, an online English course, volleyball practice and, if there was enough time, a little reading before bed. She was proud of her ability to keep going, even when she was exhausted.

At first, this lifestyle seemed to work. Emma received good marks, teachers praised her responsibility, and her parents were pleased with her achievements. However, gradually, small changes began to appear. She found it difficult to concentrate during lessons, became irritated by things that had never bothered her before and started forgetting simple tasks. Even activities she had once enjoyed felt like additional responsibilities. She told herself that she simply needed to become more organised.

One Monday, after forgetting about an important history assignment, Emma stayed up until nearly three in the morning to finish it. The following day, she fell asleep during a lesson. Her teacher did not criticise her. Instead, she asked Emma to stay after class and explained that being responsible did not mean ignoring her own needs. She pointed out that constant exhaustion was not proof of dedication; it was often a sign that something needed to change.

Emma initially disagreed. She thought that taking breaks was a reward for people who had already completed their work. Her teacher suggested looking at the situation differently: rest was not something to earn after working hard; it was part of the process that made effective work possible.

That conversation made Emma reconsider her daily routine. She started with small changes rather than attempting to transform her entire life overnight. She stopped checking school messages immediately after waking up, began preparing a realistic list of priorities and decided to leave some free time in her schedule. Most importantly, she learnt to distinguish between tasks that were genuinely urgent and those that only felt urgent because she was afraid of disappointing someone.

However, changing habits was not as easy as she had expected. When Emma refused to take part in an extra school project because she already had too much to do, she felt guilty. She imagined that her classmates might consider her selfish or unreliable. Surprisingly, one of them admitted that she had also been struggling to manage her workload and wished she had the courage to say no. Emma realised that people were not always judging her as harshly as she judged herself.

She also discovered that taking care of herself involved more than getting enough sleep or eating healthy food. It meant recognising her emotions instead of pretending they did not exist. On particularly stressful days, she began writing down what was worrying her. Sometimes the problems seemed less frightening once they were expressed in words. On other occasions, she talked to her older sister or a trusted friend. She understood that asking for support did not make her less independent; it helped her deal with difficulties more effectively.

Another important change concerned social media. Emma used to spend evenings looking at photographs of classmates and influencers who appeared to have perfect lives. Without realising it, she compared her ordinary moments with other people's carefully selected highlights. She began to feel that she was falling behind, even when she was doing perfectly well. Eventually, she limited her screen time and unfollowed accounts that made her feel inadequate. She did not abandon social media completely; she simply became more selective about what she allowed into her everyday life.

A few months later, Emma was not suddenly a person who never felt stressed or made mistakes. She still had difficult days, deadlines and moments of self-doubt. The difference was that she no longer interpreted every difficulty as evidence of personal failure. She had learnt that progress was not always about doing more. Sometimes it meant recognising when to stop, changing direction or asking someone for help.

When a younger student asked Emma how she managed to balance everything, she smiled. "I don't balance everything perfectly," she replied. "And that's the point. Taking care of yourself doesn't mean avoiding challenges or giving up your ambitions. It means making sure that achieving your goals doesn't come at the cost of your well-being. You made it through yesterday, but you also deserve to feel well tomorrow."

Emma's experience taught her that self-care was neither laziness nor selfishness. It was a form of responsibility towards herself and the people around her. After all, looking after your well-being does not make you less ambitious. It helps you keep going without losing yourself along the way.

Why did Emma initially interpret her growing difficulties as a problem of organisation?

The Art of Taking Care of Yourself

At sixteen, Emma had a rather unusual definition of success. She believed that successful people were always busy, never complained and somehow managed to get everything done without making mistakes. Her ideal day started at six in the morning, included a full school timetable, two hours of homework, an online English course, volleyball practice and, if there was enough time, a little reading before bed. She was proud of her ability to keep going, even when she was exhausted.

At first, this lifestyle seemed to work. Emma received good marks, teachers praised her responsibility, and her parents were pleased with her achievements. However, gradually, small changes began to appear. She found it difficult to concentrate during lessons, became irritated by things that had never bothered her before and started forgetting simple tasks. Even activities she had once enjoyed felt like additional responsibilities. She told herself that she simply needed to become more organised.

One Monday, after forgetting about an important history assignment, Emma stayed up until nearly three in the morning to finish it. The following day, she fell asleep during a lesson. Her teacher did not criticise her. Instead, she asked Emma to stay after class and explained that being responsible did not mean ignoring her own needs. She pointed out that constant exhaustion was not proof of dedication; it was often a sign that something needed to change.

Emma initially disagreed. She thought that taking breaks was a reward for people who had already completed their work. Her teacher suggested looking at the situation differently: rest was not something to earn after working hard; it was part of the process that made effective work possible.

That conversation made Emma reconsider her daily routine. She started with small changes rather than attempting to transform her entire life overnight. She stopped checking school messages immediately after waking up, began preparing a realistic list of priorities and decided to leave some free time in her schedule. Most importantly, she learnt to distinguish between tasks that were genuinely urgent and those that only felt urgent because she was afraid of disappointing someone.

However, changing habits was not as easy as she had expected. When Emma refused to take part in an extra school project because she already had too much to do, she felt guilty. She imagined that her classmates might consider her selfish or unreliable. Surprisingly, one of them admitted that she had also been struggling to manage her workload and wished she had the courage to say no. Emma realised that people were not always judging her as harshly as she judged herself.

She also discovered that taking care of herself involved more than getting enough sleep or eating healthy food. It meant recognising her emotions instead of pretending they did not exist. On particularly stressful days, she began writing down what was worrying her. Sometimes the problems seemed less frightening once they were expressed in words. On other occasions, she talked to her older sister or a trusted friend. She understood that asking for support did not make her less independent; it helped her deal with difficulties more effectively.

Another important change concerned social media. Emma used to spend evenings looking at photographs of classmates and influencers who appeared to have perfect lives. Without realising it, she compared her ordinary moments with other people's carefully selected highlights. She began to feel that she was falling behind, even when she was doing perfectly well. Eventually, she limited her screen time and unfollowed accounts that made her feel inadequate. She did not abandon social media completely; she simply became more selective about what she allowed into her everyday life.

A few months later, Emma was not suddenly a person who never felt stressed or made mistakes. She still had difficult days, deadlines and moments of self-doubt. The difference was that she no longer interpreted every difficulty as evidence of personal failure. She had learnt that progress was not always about doing more. Sometimes it meant recognising when to stop, changing direction or asking someone for help.

When a younger student asked Emma how she managed to balance everything, she smiled. "I don't balance everything perfectly," she replied. "And that's the point. Taking care of yourself doesn't mean avoiding challenges or giving up your ambitions. It means making sure that achieving your goals doesn't come at the cost of your well-being. You made it through yesterday, but you also deserve to feel well tomorrow."

Emma's experience taught her that self-care was neither laziness nor selfishness. It was a form of responsibility towards herself and the people around her. After all, looking after your well-being does not make you less ambitious. It helps you keep going without losing yourself along the way.

What is suggested by the fact that Emma's activities began to feel like additional responsibilities?