The Social Isolation Of Opponents: Characteristics And Possible Solutions
The life of the opponent can be very hard. It’s not like in high school or university, where you could talk daily with your classmates, pass notes and make friends.
If you are working, you still keep in touch with people, but Most people spend full time preparing for exams In this way, the situations that allowed you to interact with people are reduced.
Added to this is that when studying we normally seek to physically isolate ourselves in order to concentrate better. Being alone for so long can take its toll, so we bring you a series of tips to May the time of oppositions not make you feel alone
When loneliness is unwanted it is a rather unpleasant feeling. Human beings have the inherent need to socialize, to seek company, affection and support. We are social beings and we will always want to be part of a group, we cannot avoid it no matter how much we want to
The case of the opponent is no exception, obviously. The competitive examinations require a prolonged effort, a lot of perseverance and focusing on a single objective. This can cause you to neglect other important areas in your life, including your social environment.
Furthermore, it may happen that despite being in contact with other people, you feel that only those who have studied for exams know what it is like: that the rest of the people cannot imagine the sacrifice it entails and your environment will not understand you.
As if that were not enough, it can be difficult to lean on people who are experiencing the same thing as you. The competitions are a competitive world, and although you can understand each other, you seek to be above the rest of the opponents to get your place. This can make the opposition environment hostile.
How can we stop feeling alone in oppositions?
The first thing is to evaluate your own situation and accept it. Do you think everything we have discussed so far is your case? Do you feel misunderstood or isolated from your support network? Well, this situation, luckily for you, has a solution although it may seem difficult to believe. Here we propose some of them, not mutually exclusive.
There are several centers that offer adapted assistance to opponents. In Optimal Level, for example, it is given specialized psychological support for those who are preparing for an opposition working on aspects such as insecurities, self-control, time management and expectations…
2. Lean on other opponents and even your tutor
Who better to support you and understand you than those who are opposing just like you? Yes, we already know that there is a lot of competition, but even so, the rest of the opponents are going through the same thing as you. You all need to feel understood and find support.
With them you can find what is known as hot empathy: when the person is able to put themselves in your shoes because they have experienced or are experiencing what you are telling them. Therefore, we recommend that you try to talk and vent with your fellow opposition members.
They may be people that you have met in the competitive examination academies and with whom you have felt that there is a certain connection “If I had met him in another environment, he would be my friend.” Well with that person. They can even be your exam tutor, who, after all, was also in your place.
If, on the other hand, you are preparing for the opposition exams on your own, you can search social networks for content for opposition candidates. There are many accounts that upload this content, you can try contacting one of their followers and talking a little. There are also groups of direct opponents, created to communicate new news and support each other.
3. Add moments of rest to your study routine
As you already know, organization is very important to oppose. If you don’t have a study routine, topics can accumulate and you end up neglecting your study. Well, the same thing happens with the rest of the vital areas.
In your study routine, you must include moments of rest and self-care. If not, you may neglect yourself. Rest is very important to reset, so there needs to be enough time in your routine For example, a few hours a day and even allowing yourself to rest for a few full weekends.
In these moments of rest you can include whatever you want, as if it were simply lying in bed. We encourage you to also include meeting other people in your activities.
4. Do pleasant activities
It is important that the rest time is quality and helps you recharge your batteries. And no, stopping to eat or shower alone is not enough to rest completely. During those times it is not enough for you to do housework or be alone with your cell phone. You have to really rest, disconnect completely. The goal is for you to practice self-care.
For it, During those moments, do pleasant activities that fill you up They can be taking up old hobbies or trying new hobbies that are a breath of fresh air in your life, whatever comes to mind. You can even think about activities that have to include other people and thus increase your time in contact with those around you.
At first it may be difficult for you to start doing the activities, you may not feel like doing anything and you may almost feel it is forced. It’s natural, maybe you’ve spent too much time focusing only on exams and, at most, on covering your basic needs. Taking up hobbies may seem strange at first, but as soon as you do it a few times, you will get the taste for it again and it will completely reset you.
5. Reconnect with old contacts
Talking again to people you haven’t seen for months or years can be quite dizzying. However, we advise you to try it.
Your old support network was there before the exams, offering you company and empathy If you already had defined the people you could count on, these are worth it.
They will know very well that the exams are very absorbing, and they will be able to understand you when you speak to them again. There will also be those who are not very empathetic with you and take your distance as something personal, no matter how much you try to explain yourself. If this person reacts like this, it may be better that he is no longer in your life.
Don’t expect the relationship to be the same as before overnight Give him time and space so he can include you in his life again, and little by little you can return to the level of intimacy you had before. He may even need you to justify your absence for so long. Speak it freely so that there are no hard feelings.
To resume the relationship, start by talking about less important things and gradually increase the level of intimacy, always leaving room for the other person to open up at the same pace as you. It is important that there is reciprocity.
6. Lean on your current environment
Don’t underestimate the empathy of those around you currently. Even if they have never taken an exam, they know from general knowledge what it entails and, most importantly, they know you well This being the case, they can empathize with you and get an idea of the sacrifice and perseverance that so much preparation time entails.
This type of empathy is known as cold empathy: when the person is able to put themselves in the other person’s shoes even if they have not experienced the same thing. Despite the name, this type of empathy is no worse or better than hot empathy.
Therefore, you can also count on those around you, vent and help them understand you so that they can support you. Surely it’s what they’ve been wanting to do for a long time, but they didn’t know how to do it if you didn’t open up to them.
You can also consider seeking help from a psychology professional. He can give you more advice in this regard, and we assure you that he will be able to understand and help you.
