This week is the first ‘return to normal’ back at work week for many people, and the reality can hit hard. I’ve been reading articles about how to get over this particular speed bump, mostly because they are everywhere you look right now. Many of them talk about how important reflection is to re-centre yourself and adjust to the change of pace.
Now, I haven’t been off in quite the same way as many but doing a bit of reflection to process 2025 and set up 2026 seemed like not a bad way to manage some of my thoughts that I hadn’t made time to investigate in the chaotic world of the Christmas build up. Doing a bit of mental spring cleaning felt timely. So, in case it helps, I thought I would share the questions I asked to structure my thinking, as well as the answers in case you fancy doing something similar as a way to enter 2026 in a positive mindset.
One thing I’ve learnt
I wrote last week about my journey redefining who I am post pandemic. The thing that triggered this, that maybe everyone but me already knew, is that redefining identify requires work.
The need for redefinition to be an active process that requires purpose, energy and focus, was something I just hadn’t realised. I’d been waiting for it to ‘just happen’, for me to snap back into my pre-pandemic self like some kind of human rubber band. I think I’ve spent some time quietly baffled about the fact that wasn’t happening and questioning how long it would take. After all, as teenagers we don’t define ourselves with purpose, we try on identities like clothes, and finally one sticks.
The same does not seem to be true as a woman in your 40s. In hindsight, having had this revelation, I am glad for the requirement to be purposeful about getting back to the new me, rather than defaulting to the old.
The thing I’m proudest of this year
This year I really feel I rolled the dice on myself. I put something out there which made me both visible and vulnerable, without any idea of how it would be received. I had an idea. I committed. I took that idea and made it into a reality I could hold in my hands. I wrote a book that went out into the world, where I gave up all control of how it would be received, and how those who read it might view me.
The book is called ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a PhD Student‘ and it is very deliberately not the kind of academic book I have been previously involved in writing. Much to the horror of some of my academic colleagues it is not referenced. It is a practical guide to your PhD journey, everything from what you need to take to your first conference if you are presenting a poster, to how to build confidence in public speaking. It also contains a lot of me, acknowledgement of how I got things wrong in my own PhD and supervisory experience, as well as the things that went well.
I’m so proud of myself for taking the risk. I’m proud of myself for taking some of the commentary in my stride. I’m proud of myself for trying to make a difference, so that others have a better experience when they are taking on a new challenge.
I’m also grateful to everyone who has stood with me, shared, brought, and supported me. It’s when you put yourself in a vulnerable position and see everyone come out to cheer lead that you are reminded of quite how fortunate you are in life.
Something I am still working on
One thing that I am still making very slow progress at, and requires conscious effort, is managing the need for external recognition in order to feel validated. Sometimes, I think that I am something of a Golden Retriever, with a love of people tapping me on the head and telling me I’ve done a good job. In my defense it be because positive reinforcement is not exactly a feature in my day job, I am, after all, often the bearer of bad news, but as a people pleaser this lack of acknowledgement can make it hard to feel safe and heard.
This lack of positive feedback/reinforcement is also a feature of seniority. As you move up the ladder competence is assumed. No one is going to say well done just for doing your job. There is a need to go above and beyond in order to gain that recognition. A lot of my above and beyond is linked to our wider community, and therefore pretty invisible to my day job, or not considered relevant. It’s not a surprise therefore that it doesn’t feature. Building on my own internal capacity for reflection and acceptance is an important way to manage my people pleasing tendencies. I suspect I need to be less dog and more cat, in terms of independence, moving forward in my working life.
A reflective tool to structure my 2026 learning
Towards the end of 2025 I found this reflection tool online which I have found quite useful as a way of entering 2026. Leadership can be a lonely space, and having a structured way to process and explore events that arise can be really beneficial, both for well being, but also for learning.
A lot of the ways I want to approach 2026 are linked to being more targeted and defined in terms of the impact I want to make. I have been fortunate to have this amazing community support me and let me grow, and now I want to think about moving it forward, rather than just drifting and responding. Understanding challenges and moments that I could improve is the first step, alongside reflection on what fulfills me and brings me joy, in making sure that I move forward with purpose. Challenge and conflict are not dirty words in the Girlymicro world, they are opportunities for growth, even if living those moments brings discomfort. Rather than denying they have happened, I would rather be a better person, scientist, and leader as a result.
Three words to carry me forward
The inspiring Tara Birch made this post on LinkedIn before Christmas and it really resonated with me. I knew that I didn’t want to make a standard January post, but instead make some promises to myself, using words which will help keep me on track linked to my aims, values, and passions.
My words for 2026 are Creative. Brave. Redefined.
Creative – as I want to still be writing, writing blogs here, writing to support others, and writing for another project. Science is also a creative endeavour, and it can be hard to be truly creative when tired or overwhelmed. I’m putting things in place to ensure that I can flex my science muscles and re-fill that particular creative cup to allow 2026 to be a launch pad for new scientific projects
Brave – because I want to continue to speak and be heard, whether the message I have is digestible to others or not. Being visible will always come with critics and commentary. Despite the challenges of that I want to maintain being brave enough to stand up and be counted, and hopefully walk even a little taller when owning my space
Re-defined – it is all too easy to let other define us, or for others to speak their truth and get swept up in it. It is also easy to lose sight of who we are in the rapid, challenging, and responsive world we live in. To drift rather than standing firm and looking inside because we are too scared to see ourselves for all we are. I both love and have hope for myself, and I am surrounded by people who see me for all I am and love me anyway. In 2026 I want to use these positive motivations to ensure I can continue to move forward, growing into my future self, rather than a 2019 echo
One aspiration to keep me focused
The NHS, the world, and science in general, is going through a difficult time right now, so I’ve been thinking what it is that I can do about it. It is easy to feel powerless, but I really do believe we have more power than we acknowledge.
Large scale systematic change is happening all around us, which can be unsettling, and lead to destabilisation of how we feel, as well as the system we sit within. Even if we are not directly impacted, we see how this impacts friends, colleagues, and family. It can make us want to keep our heads down and just keep going. The thing about this kind of change however, is that it is also an opportunity. If we are brave enough the system itself can emerged changed, but hopefully better. If we don’t engage however, the change will lead to the new system looking surprising similar to the old system, and a lot of the discomfort experienced will therefore have had limited value. This is the time, no matter how it feels, to engage rather than withdraw if you can face it, to make all of the disruption worth while.
The rise of science denialism is also everywhere I look. For instance, the impact of the US administration on organisations I’ve liaised with all of my working life, such as the CDC, have made it very clear that none of us can stand by and not challenge this type of commentary when we encounter it. When I say ‘challenge’ I mean it in the sense of questioning, trying to understand drivers, and building of bridges, rather than trolling people on the internet or engaging in insult slinging. I’m talking about getting out there and sharing evidence, and tackling mis-information when it comes in front of you. I acknowledge that there can be a lot of ‘why me’ and ‘surely someone else can do it’. People who are paid science communicators. People who have more time. People who have more strategic power. I feel you, and I’m not saying we should take this on like it’s our full time roll. The thing is, science deniers often have high visibility. They are easy to find. It is often not so easy to find a friendly scientist who will provide the counter position. So this year I will try to be more visible, to be the science ‘phone a friend’ for people who find it helpful. Most of all I will not make myself small for the comfort of others, especially for those who wish there was less diversity in science. Now is the time to stand up and be seen.
A manifestation to work towards
So………I mentioned I had my first book come out in 2025, and despite the fact that it may have been madness to commit to getting a book out in 4 months I’ve rather caught the bug. I have plans to have another book out early October, launching before Halloween. It’s called ‘Don’t Open that Door: A microbiologists’ guide to infection in movies and TV’.
It contains a whole lot of chapters on infection prevention and control, alongside 23 chapters based on a different films or TV series where infection is key to the core theme of the work, split into sections on viruses, fungi, parasites, and bacteria (and other causes). Most of the end of last year was about getting the list of options down from 136 to 23, although I could still do with 2 more fungal examples if any exist, so give me a shout if you have any ideas. It has been so much fun so far, but now the work really begins. I’m really excited about this one, and Mr Girlymicro and I are planning to pick up the mics and also do some podcasting as we go along, so keep an eye out and maybe subscribe to the Girlymicro podcast so you are the first to hear.
A gratitude to end on
One of the things that is always a feature of the Girlymicro community is how grateful I am for all of your support. I feel braver and more creative because I know you all support my endeavours. Everything that I, and this blog, accomplish is because you take the time to read it. In 2026 I am looking for more ways for us to support each other. If you have ideas how please let me know. Whether that is writing me a blog post on something you are passionate about, having a catch up at a conference or event, or that you are starting a new project that you would like support with and you think I can help. Let’s enter 2026 with an ambition to connect and support each other even more than we did in 2026.
For all of you still struggling with the pressure and darkness of January I leave you with this:
All opinions in this blog are my own
Girlymicro 