Report by Anggi Kusuma Putri
[Unpad Media Channel] A professor from Universitas Padjadjaran Faculty of Psychology, Hari Setyowibowo, Ph.D., explained a few aspects the postgraduates have to focus on to stay resilient in the course of their studies.
The topic came up in a lecture he delivered at the orientation event for the second batch of new postgraduate students held at Grha Sanusi Hardjadinata, Unpad’s Iwa Koesoemasoemantri Campus, on Wednesday (2/21/2024).
Hari explained resilience as a person’s ability to face, and come back from, various hardships, and he emphasized the importance of developing it. One way to do it is by remembering the many hardships that one has overcome.
“We need to keep developing our resilience because we always hope for everything to go smoothly,” said Hari.
In his lecture, Hari described five things that could be done to remember how resilient one has been. These include managing aspirations, honing skills, managing energy, building relations, and appreciating challenges.
In having an aspiration, someone should consider a few things. The aspiration itself should be valuable enough and worth fighting for. It should also be developed into a measurable target. This is so they can see how far they have come in achieving that target.
“If you put aside that aspiration and not make any measurable targets, then that dream will remain a dream and will not move you towards concrete steps,” Hari added.
Students also have to hone their skills. This is because of how the postgraduate study will increasingly remind them that there is a great deal to learn. Hari advised the students to continue chasing and honing those skills so they do not feel discouraged to continue learning.
Not only that, postgraduate students should also manage their energy, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. This is required to prevent fatigue in those particular aspects as they go through their studies.
“Believe that the learning process at a postgraduate level will be tiring. The course of your studies is not like a marathon, and I suggest changing the analogy to a series of sprints. So you have to space things out like a series of sprints. Run, pause and enjoy life, run again, pause and enjoy life,” explained Hari.
Furthermore, in the course of the study, students have to make sure to build relations through various means. This is so the students could continuously have someone else’s social support through their built relations.
Also important is how students need to practice appreciation toward every challenge they face. Hari said that in the course of the study as a postgraduate student, there are at least a few things they will face, such as hardships, failure, and unforeseen circumstances which still have to be appreciated.
Appreciating challenges can be done by accepting and admitting that the hardship is indeed there. The students should also be able to learn a lesson from the failures they faced.
“Many might get carried away when cheering themselves up, saying ‘I’m okay, this is nothing, I’ll get through it’, that is the kind of cheering up which could get you carried away. My suggestion is to admit you’re not okay. If you wanted to cry, just cry” he concluded. (arm/ICP)*
