Literally! Today is the second day of fall.
To be completely honest, I feel like I have not been in the best place mentally for the past two months or so. Completing a dietetic internship is a lot more demanding than I ever thought it would be. Every rotation is like the first day at a new job when you don’t know anyone and aren’t sure what you’re supposed to be doing. It makes me a little anxious. Unlike undergrad, I do not have that network of peers here with me to commiserate with on a regular basis. The work load is cumbersome and I have spent much of my weekends working on papers, projects, etc. I also thought I would be able to handle my internship work while still being able to keep up with what’s going on at my job but that has definitely not been the case.
I also have not been able to take any vacations since my internship started. Even when I’m doing something ‘fun’, like going to a football game, I don’t even enjoy it because I’m thinking about how much school work I have left to do. Not that vacations and social events are my number one priority in life but it would be nice to just be able to relax a little bit every once in a while.
Here are some ways I’m trying to turn this frown upside down….
- Recognizing that being matched with an internship when the match rate is less than 50% is an amazing opportunity that should not be taking for granted
- Staying on top of my school work. Procrastination = stress
- Finding some family time, even if it is just for 30 minutes every day
- Exercising and eating well
- Getting plenty of sleep
- Counting down every day :)
Today is a new day, the beginning of fall (my fav season) and the beginning of a new rotation. So I’m trying to have a better outlook on things. I only have 9 weeks left of my internship and although I know it will be hectic because I’m completing 3 rotations, the end is near. I’m not planning on working at my job at all so I can just focus on internship stuff.
I started my Long Term Care rotation today. I have been dreading it because it’s out of town, so I’m not going to see my husband or our dogs for 2 weeks. But I can already see from day 1 that I’m going to have an amazing experience. So that has made me feel 10x better already!!
Sorry to sound like such a downer in this post… I promise to return later this week with a much better attitude. I wanted to write about this because I know lots of other dietetic interns are reading this… if you are feeling like your life is crazy right now then please know that you are not alone! It is only temporary and you have to just try to stay positive.
Happy Fall!
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