Back in Oxford, happily

I did not spend the school year of 2015/2016 at Oxford because my mental health collapsed. Throwing myself into workaholism at full steam was seriously damaging in the long run. At the end of the year, I couldn't concentrate, sleep, work or in general function as a normal person. Before the beginning of my second school year, I received the diagnosis of panic disorder, and for once I decided to focus only at my own health and to intermit the school year. I had no idea what I was going to do all year long, but ultimately it turned out to be the best decision I ever made.

Besides spending the year receiving helpful treatment and therapy, I co-founded a mental-health campaign Nevypust dusi that focuses on prevention and de-stigmatization of mental illness. This activity led me to work at the National Institute of Mental Health, which was an incredible personal and scientific experience. To learn more, you can find the campaign on Facebook or read this article:http://zpravy.idnes.cz/cesty-vzhuru-tereza-ruzickova-nevypust-dusi-panicke-ataky-p4s-/domaci.aspx?c=A160902_140335_domaci_mcn

The main message of this post, however, is meant to be how I'm doing now. Fortunately, I can say that at the moment I'm very well. In October, I re-joined the second year of Experimental Psychology with renewed enthusiasm and a completely different lifestyle. I sleep, I eat, I savour the fact that I'm here, and I certainly do not spend as much time engaged in perfectionism or excessive pressure on work performance. I still love my subject and I want to spend my career exploring the human mind. However, I now absolutely know that I will not sacrifice my health for it.