My mum called in a panic: her electricity had gone off and she had no power.
By the I time I got to her house, she had checked and reset the main fuse box. The power was on again. It was still a mystery though. What happened? It just went off? The TV was the first thing she noticed… Hmm…
We decided to relax with a cup of tea. My mum set the kettle to boil and the power shut off again. Five minutes of careful trial and error helped us realise it was not the TV, the main fuse box or the electrical socket in the kitchen that was at fault. The kettle was no longer safe and was tripping the mains fuse, in turn, shutting off the power.
With the fault diagnosed, my mum didn’t have a kettle for a day, but everything else was fine.
This reminds me of so many times I’ve found myself cross, worried, anxious and unsure. Sometimes I feel one of these ways and I just don’t know why.
Taking a step back helps.
Reflecting helps.
Thinking about what happened in the lead up can help too.
How you feel about the viva has an impact on how you get ready for it. If you feel anxious or worried then it’s worth trying to unpick what the cause is. Anxiety and worry are right on the surface. Explore what’s underneath.
There are many possible causes, including:
- Not knowing about an aspect of the viva;
- Having a concern about what to do to prepare;
- Being unsure of how to respond;
- Being worried that you won’t be able to respond at all.
There will be many more, much more personal reasons to feel anxious. Something could just trip the fusebox of your feelings. Reflect, explore and find out the cause – then think about what you can do to set that right.
