Welcome to The Hearth. This space is dedicated to personal reflections and life outside of academic research. Browse the posts below for insights into my daily routines, navigating life as a neurodivergent PhD candidate, and finding balance beyond the university.
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Mental health reflection
Disclaimer: I’m a little nervous about publishing this, but I’m going to because it’s something I’m extremely passionate about. I have been living as a hypocrite for the last 2 and a bit years, maybe even longer. Since working at Mt A, I can’t even remember the number of students I have told to reach…
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Self-reflection is a powerful tool
All throughout university I found myself having to do reflective writing as part of my assessment. When doing my Bachelor of Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium I was expected to reflect on my voice lessons and progress. When doing my Post Graduate Diploma in Education at Griffith University, I had to reflect on group…
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Hearts on the line everyday
Disclaimer: the following is a brief discussion about mental health for teachers. Teachers. We put our hearts on the line every day. When Jane is in your office telling you that her parents are divorcing and they don’t have time for her and she’s failed her math exam but can’t tell her parents because they’ll…
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Nyxia – Reintgen
I recently read a book that made me realise just how much I appreciate a really good SciFi, and very real male protagonist: Nyxia by Scott Reintgen. A colleague who doesn’t usually read SciFi recommended this to me and it did not disappoint – so much so that I even went and bought my own…
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Role Models: Part One
Over the past two weeks I have spent some time at home recovering from an ankle reconstruction and I often found myself thinking about roles models. This came about because of the type of books I’ve been reading, the TV shows I’ve been watching, some of my interactions with our gym members, and what I wanted…
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Bouncing back from injury
Injuries – we’ve all been there one way or another. But how we bounce back is everything, and how we prepare to ensure we don’t end up with a reoccurence is even more important. When I was first taught how to lift I was taught the basic movements and told to practice that until it…
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Looking back at 2017’s reads
This year I have managed to read 61 books, surpassing my goal of 52. It was no where near as many as I read in 2016, I think I managed over 120, but I have certainly not spent anywhere near as much time reading this year. 2017, among other things, has been the year of…
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Holiday reflections
It’s no secret that 2017 was a massive year, but what I didn’t realise was how much stress this year has brought into my life. It wasn’t until I had left the country for my honeymoon that I realised just how much stress I had been carrying around with me all year. A very good…
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2017: What a year!
As we come to the end of 2017, I thought I’d look back on all that I’ve done. The following would not have been possible without the support of my amazing husband, family, colleagues, and gym family. I’m listing my achievements so that I have a record of my busiest year yet. In 2017, I…