Results days have a strange way of making life feel very black and white.
Pass or fail.
Accepted or rejected.
Celebrating or disappointed.
But real life isn't nearly that simple.
As thousands of young people receive their A-Level results, social media will inevitably fill with photographs of smiling faces, university announcements and proud families.
Those achievements deserve to be celebrated.
But there's another person we should be thinking about today too.
The person quietly scrolling through those posts whose results weren't what they'd hoped for.
The person whose plans have suddenly changed.
And perhaps, more broadly, anyone currently going through a period of life where things simply aren't working out the way they imagined.
Positivity Doesn't Mean Pretending Everything Is Fine
At Elysian, we talk about well-being, mindfulness and positivity.
But genuine positivity isn't forcing yourself to smile when you're struggling.
It isn't saying “everything happens for a reason” when somebody is hurting.
And it certainly isn't pretending difficult emotions don't exist.
Sometimes things are disappointing.
Sometimes life is unfair.
Sometimes we're frightened, angry, exhausted or completely unsure what to do next.
Healthy positivity is being able to acknowledge those feelings while still leaving room for one important possibility:
This moment isn't necessarily the end of the story.
The Pressure to Have Everything Figured Out
We ask young people incredibly early in life:
What do you want to be?
Then, somewhere along the way, that question starts feeling like a deadline.
Choose your subjects.
Choose your university.
Choose your career.
Choose your future.
But how many adults reading this are living exactly the life they imagined at 18?
Probably not many.
People change careers.
Businesses are created.
Relationships begin and end.
People move somewhere unexpected.
New passions appear.
Opportunities arrive that weren't even imaginable five years earlier.
Life isn't a straight line.
And perhaps we'd all feel a little less pressure if we stopped expecting it to be.
Difficult Chapters Can Still Create Something Valuable
This doesn't only apply to exam results.
Most of us will experience periods when life feels heavy.
Bereavement.
Relationship breakdowns.
Financial difficulties.
Loneliness.
Career changes.
Health worries.
Rejection.
Loss of confidence.
During those moments, thinking positively doesn't mean being grateful for what happened.
Sometimes there's nothing particularly positive about the situation itself.
Instead, positivity can simply mean believing that how you feel today isn't necessarily how you'll feel forever.
Sometimes progress looks incredibly small.
Getting out of bed.
Going for a walk.
Calling somebody.
Coming to a yoga class when you'd rather hide away.
Taking ten minutes to breathe.
Asking for help.
Trying again tomorrow.
Those things count.
You Are More Than Your Most Difficult Moment
If you're receiving results today and they're not what you hoped for, give yourself some compassion.
A grade doesn't determine your intelligence.
A rejection doesn't determine your worth.
A setback doesn't mean you've failed at life.
And if you're reading this for completely different reasons because you're going through your own difficult chapter, the same principle applies.
You don't have to know exactly how everything will work out.
Sometimes the next step is enough.
Breathe.
Regroup.
Talk.
Move.
Rest.
Try again.
And remember that there are people and communities around you who will happily walk alongside you while you figure out what comes next.
A difficult chapter is still only a chapter.
There are pages you haven't reached yet.
🤎 Elysian Well-being
Move. Breathe. Connect.