Hello lovely readers! It seems like yesterday that I wrote my last blog post. It is crazy how time flies. It seems that this semester only has one speed: breakneck. One moment ago it was Thanksgiving break and now final exams are only about one month away.
Time passes so quickly and the days can get kind of monotonous. Every week always kind of looks the same. It’s always a combination of reading, writing, (snack break) working, more reading (eating), more reading, working, sleeping (but not nearly enough). Amidst the madness of graduate student life it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and get stuck in a loop. I think it’s so easy to get caught in the anxieties of everyday life as well as in the anxieties about the future but it’s much harder to appreciate the little moments and successes life has to offer.
In fact, I continue to struggle with this. I know I keep worrying too much about, well, everything. I worry about getting all my work done, I worry about PhD applications, I worry about scholarship applications, and I usually find plenty of other things to worry about on a daily basis. I know that I do not really have to worry about some of those things and there is no point in worrying about some of the other things because I cannot control them at all but I still do. I cannot help it.
I know that worrying so much really affects my mental health but it’s hard to stop once you’re caught in an endless loop of worries and anxieties. I have been really trying to break that vicious cycle and rather than thinking about what the future may bring, just enjoy each moment of my now counted days at Memorial. I am trying more to celebrate each small victory and appreciate the little moments. Thanks to a kind suggestion by a friend I have also started getting into meditation. There are many free apps out there that teach you the basics of meditation (e.g. Headspace). I have only been doing my little meditation lessons for a little while but I can already see some improvements to my mental health. I now know some ways of calming myself down when I start freaking out about one thing or another. It’s difficult sometimes to take the time to do the daily meditation sessions mainly because I can’t always focus on the lesson and stop my mind from wandering. I guess meditating needs practice and patience.
Anyways, what I’m trying to say is sometimes it’s difficult to stop thinking about work and research and focus on yourself. However it is important to step back sometimes, appreciate how far you have come, and do some self-care. Do whatever helps you to unwind and then start over your routine with a fresh mind. Grad life is tough enough as it is, we don’t have to make it any harder by mentally and physically exhausting ourselves. So take care of yourselves and until next time!