My day yesterday started and ended in two VERY different places.
I woke up and decided to get my run done rather than have it hanging over my head while I tried to get my work done all day. The plan was to do 3.5 miles on the Capital Crescent Trail. I expected to walk a few times because this would be the longest distance I had ever run, not to mention my body had just felt fatigued all week.
Much to my surprise, I kept going... and going... and going.
I ran the WHOLE 3.5 miles, with a pace right around 9 min/mi. I felt awesome! I thought that my run would be a good omen for the day. I was wrong!
Unfortunately my work this week has not been as engaging as it was last week, and it has been a real struggle to complete. There's also a lot of it. And some of my assignments are wide-open to interpretation or damn near impossible. Add the facts (1) that I need to come up with three independent research projects in the near future, (2) that my best friend is getting married next weekend, and (3) that searching for jobs (for both me and my boyfriend) has become another full-time commitment, and you get one very stressed out and emotional Nina.
I'm really glad that I've prioritized my physical health so far during grad school, but I think it's time to take stock of what I can do to stay emotionally healthy as well. I'm not sure what else I can do on that front; I try to stay positive, give myself a lot of breaks, and do a lot of "fun," non-school related stuff , but somehow, I've had a few of these mini-breakdowns already and it's something that I don't really think is sustainable in the long run. Not to mention that it costs me a ton of time.
Any advice you all have on staying emotionally healthy during high stress would be greatly appreciated!
Lastly, here are my meals from yesterday:
See you later today for your regularly scheduled Mark Down Monday!
I woke up and decided to get my run done rather than have it hanging over my head while I tried to get my work done all day. The plan was to do 3.5 miles on the Capital Crescent Trail. I expected to walk a few times because this would be the longest distance I had ever run, not to mention my body had just felt fatigued all week.
Much to my surprise, I kept going... and going... and going.
I ran the WHOLE 3.5 miles, with a pace right around 9 min/mi. I felt awesome! I thought that my run would be a good omen for the day. I was wrong!
Unfortunately my work this week has not been as engaging as it was last week, and it has been a real struggle to complete. There's also a lot of it. And some of my assignments are wide-open to interpretation or damn near impossible. Add the facts (1) that I need to come up with three independent research projects in the near future, (2) that my best friend is getting married next weekend, and (3) that searching for jobs (for both me and my boyfriend) has become another full-time commitment, and you get one very stressed out and emotional Nina.
I'm really glad that I've prioritized my physical health so far during grad school, but I think it's time to take stock of what I can do to stay emotionally healthy as well. I'm not sure what else I can do on that front; I try to stay positive, give myself a lot of breaks, and do a lot of "fun," non-school related stuff , but somehow, I've had a few of these mini-breakdowns already and it's something that I don't really think is sustainable in the long run. Not to mention that it costs me a ton of time.
Any advice you all have on staying emotionally healthy during high stress would be greatly appreciated!
Lastly, here are my meals from yesterday:
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| Eating my egg and cheese sandwich of VICTORY post-run! |
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| Lunch was breakfasty: more leftover pear pancakes and yogurt, Kashi, and RAISINS! |
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| Dinner was a plain pita pizza, a spinach and cuke salad with a light red wine vinaigrette (homemade) and some parmesan cheese, and my reading. I wish I could eat those books and imbibe their knowledge. |
You're so cute with that sandwich!!
ReplyDeleteI agree-- staying mentally and emotionally healthy is JUST as important, if not even more important than staying physically healthy in grad school. There are a number of ways you can ensure your emotional health: prioritize sleep and healthy habits (probably already doing this), focus on some stress relieving activities (yoga/meditation/desperate housewives), consider attending a counseling session or just venting with fellow grad students over beer (about the same in effectiveness), and have a plan for how you're going to tackle each day. Sure, it looks overwhelming when one of the things on your list is "find a job" but you can break it down into "send out 5 resumes today" or "contact grad office about assistanceship opportunities."
keep your head up!!