Dera's Diary

Hello world… The updates are definitely still a work in progress, but I decided to figure out something to write about. I know this is a bit late, but bear with me. This last week got relatively busy for me towards the end. Beyond the tests I had, I was entrusted with the role of planning some things and giving speeches and while I was honoured, it was harder at some times to stay on top of everything. I’m really grateful that everything ended up well… but these last couple of weeks, I was reminded that even though I’ve come a long way from my old place of overthinking everything and stressing about anything, it is very easy to fall back into that place. For me, work can be a huge trigger. I think my main sign of progress is that even though at different times I was stressed, as I was working through the work, I was planning and organising my time so that things wouldn’t escape my notice. I was reminding myself that the things I had been given to do were within my capabilities, and...

Hello.... I'm going to be spending a little time working on my blogpage and figuring out how I can upgrade it. Not sure how much time it'll take, but I'll try to be done by next week with a new post. But to keep you satisfied until then ;), here's your reminder to give yourself grace as you navigate new seasons in your life or even as you try to navigate old seasons with more intention. In the mean time, feel free to browse my other posts! God bless. Dera

Hello world, I recently had a really good conversation with an old friend from high school and I'm always pleasantly surprised by how similar experiences can be between different people and how your experience can be so useful to someone else. That was a mouthful, I know. But we were talking about universities in the US (a topic I have done a lot of research on) and she was telling me things I didn't know and I was doing the same for her. Though we've had different educational journeys these last few years, we are both in similar positions now and I think it's amazing how capable we are of helping each other. Recently, it was world suicide prevention day and today is the 20 year anniversary of 9/11. There is so much pain in the world, but I have realised that there is so much that we can do for each other just by sharing our experiences or asking intentional questions and actually listening to the answers. This is not to say that by sharing your experiences you can ...

Hello everyone, I hope y’all have had a good weekend. I was listening to some podcasts and talks this past week and thought to share some of things that really stood out to me. First off, control makes us feel powerful but it’s really destabilising. We like the idea of being in control because in some weird way, we feel like if we only have to count on ourselves then we won’t let ourselves down. At least, I know that’s how it is for me most of the time. I think that being in control means I don’t have to worry about other people letting me down. But being in control introduces an entirely new problem… what happens if you fail? If you forget? If you underperform? Everything falls apart. I think a huge part of my renewed perspective on life is understanding that I was not made to handle being in control which is why I always break down when I try. It’s also a huge part of my relationship with God because understanding that my ability alone does not determine the outcome has given m...