Nico’s story

Mature student Nico was in her second year of a nursing degree at Cardiff University when she did a Grit programme.

It was kinetic. Everyone was engaged. We each had time to express ourselves. We got out of our comfort zones but in a safe space.

I’ve had a lot of therapy over the years so I’m well-versed this kind of thing. I’d read a lot of what we talked about but, suddenly, here I was, putting it into practice. The workshop was a refocusing, a reframing, a reminder of the things I knew.

We spoke about our goals, about the barriers to achieving them and strategies to overcome the barriers. The big message for me from Grit was that I can take control. It’s up to me how I respond to things, how I prioritise what’s important to me.  When you take the time and effort to work all of that out, it can be transformational.

I did a lot of reflecting on myself. I often take on too much for my mental and physical energy levels. Grit gave sense of perspective. It gave me pause to think about what’s important to me: my health, having quality time with family. I realised that everything else will have to wait. My focus has to be on the next year and a half of my course, and on creating space so I can be present for myself and my children. So I’ve taken some time out of my volunteering: it’s too much for now.

We spent a lot of time talking about having a more healthy work/life balance. Almost all healthcare professionals are in the job because they want to help people. Grit had me see how important it is to make time to focus on myself as well. I can’t be all things to all people. When you’re busy with studies and work, when you’ve got a busy social life or a family, there’s a real risk of burn out.

Then there’s the emotional toll. When they start most students have limited understanding of the job and the emotional toll that can bring: regularly meeting huge numbers of new people in a professional context; the frantic and frenetic pace; working every day with patients who are ill or in pain. Some you can help, others you can’t, and this can be difficult when you’re someone who thinks you should be able to help everyone.   And then there’s the pressure, the expectation that you’ll always put on a brave face on it.

Straight after workshop I went home and designed a plan do my physio. Often my physio falls  by the wayside. Grit encouraged me to think about it differently. Before, if I couldn’t do everything I thought I should do, then I wouldn’t do any of it. Now I’m a lot kinder to myself. I’ve put reminders on phone so I can carve out time to do what I can, when I can.

We talk a lot about Grit on the Staff-Student panel.  Everyone who had done Grit agreed it should be made part of the curriculum. As one student said, she left the session with a spring in her step.

It is a very worthwhile way to spend a day. It is an opportunity to focus on YOU, to make YOU the priority. It’s a chance to get to know yourself better, to really understand what’s important to you and leave you with the strategies to help you achieve what it is you really want.