Grad School Update #1: Priorities

Just over six months ago, amid all of the chaos and excitement of acceptance letters and starting grad school less than two months later, a coworker of mine who has a Master's Degree mentioned that I could call her anytime to complain that I'd made the worst mistake of my life.

I made it through spring term without feeling an ounce of regret or wondering what in the world I'd done to myself, and I'm proud to say I also made it nearly a month into my first full semester without feeling that way as well.

But then it all hit.

Hard.

And all at one.

I quickly went from feeling the euphoria of making it into graduate school to wondering how the many SLP's before me have made it through and turned out fine.

I've been through a whirlwind of emotions over the last month and particularly over the last week.

I went through the first stage of having no clue what I'm doing and wondering why anyone would ever trust me to actually work with and treat REAL people (imposter syndrome is a real thing, friends)...

... to stage two of admitting to myself that maybe I do know just the tiniest bit about what I'm doing, but feeling overwhelmed to the point of actually considering quitting...

...and to stage three of having my first emotional breakdown of graduate school, which, if I may say so myself, seems like a definite rite of passage.

I learned this week that sometimes it's okay to admit to yourself that you're overwhelmed, that you took on too much, or that you need help. 

Sometimes it's okay to call your mom for a mid-day therapy session because you're on the verge of an emotional breakdown and you need her reassurance.

Sometimes it's okay to take a step back and make the right choice for you, even if you know it's going to be tough to let a few people down. 

This week I had to step back and realize that I'd bit off a little more than I could chew. 

I had to look at the bigger picture and prioritize.

If I learned one thing this week it's that to make it through challenging and demanding stages in life, whatever they may be, one of the most important things you can do is keep your priorities straight.

For me that means the gospel, my family, exercising, and football (obviously).

I also learned the value of chocolate milk - one of those small things in life that has the power to momentarily make it all better.