Full Time Job, Full Time Grad Student!!

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Well friends, Its official I have started drinking coffee!! Not just any coffee , straight black caffeinated coffee, no cream and no sugar!! My green tea fix to keep me up during the day and at night was just not cutting it anymore!

I am deep into my second semester of grad school and we are already over half way done. Midterms and projects are coming up in all FOUR courses: Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy, Applied Research in Nutrition Science, Advanced Food Systems Management, and Community Interventions for Healthy Life. I am going to strive for some type of balance during these next couple of months, but most days I am on auto pilot and I still have not found that life/school/work balance.

How am I doing it?

Honestly most days I have no idea. Sometimes I would be so mentally exhausted after I get home from work that I would sit on my couch just to breath for a second, to wake up 3 hours later and study like I set out to do once I got home from work and not go back to sleep util 3 AM and then wake up at 5:30 AM to start getting ready for work. Some weeks I think I am ahead and then I look at my schedule to see that there is ALWAYS something due! A quiz to get done, or a group meeting to discuss a project or a case study, a discussion post, just always something. You guys it is tough, but in the end the reward will be GREAT! Here is a glimpse of what my schedule looks like Monday-Friday:

Monday: Work- 6:30 am-3:30 pm, Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy & Community Interventions

Tuesday: Work 6:30 am- 3:30 pm, Advanced Food Systems Management & Applied Research

Wednesday: 10:30 am-7:30 pm, Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy & Community Interventions

Thursday: Work 6:30 am- 3:30 pm, Advanced Food Systems Management & Applied Research

Friday: Work 6:30 am- 3:30 pm, I do a review of them all

So as you can see I pair a hard class with an easier class so that I do not get too overwhelmed. I pretty much just alternate days. I also fit the gym in there sometimes :)

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With all that I have going on I still manage to make time for family, friends and my boo because lets be honest you can’t forget about those that support you the most while you are on your journey! It has gotten to the point where I have to turn my phone on DO NOT DISTURB when getting school stuff done, when I don’t I find myself every 10 minutes picking it up and looking at social media. It was becoming ridiculous! However, I have to be very careful when I turn my phone on DO NOT DISTURB because last time this happened:

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My girl was worried about me, if I don’t answer the phone for a couple hours she is worried and she was not the only one my best friend did the same thing she almost popped up on me! I appreciate them both for checking on me because something may have really been wrong, I almost always answer phone calls and texts. Not going to tell you guys what they said to me when I finally called them back…..

WAYS TO STAY STRESS FREE

It is so important to stay stress free during this time and here are some ways I achieve this:

  1. Taking the time to meditate and talk to God. Sometimes just sitting and breathing helps so much when i start to feel overwhelmed.

  2. I cry it out, and I mean I cry at least twice a week! This may make it seem like I’m a punk, but I’m not, sometimes I just have to literally cry out all of my frustration!

  3. I always try and make time for the gym even if it’s just one day a week.

  4. Any and every opportunity I get I would watch TV, if you don’t know me well I am here to tell you that i absolutely LOVE watching TV, it is my best form of stress relief.

  5. I try to spend at least 30 minutes outside when it is sunny, you know for Vitamin D purposes. Unfortunately Nashville has gotten some pretty sorry weather here lately.

  6. No more than 1 cup of coffee a day, if I do more than that my anxiety increases and right now I can’t and will not have that. (listen to your body!)

  7. Listening to the latest new album while dancing and talking to myself about my goals always helps me push forward.

  8. Reducing the amount of time I spend on social media!

  9. Remember WHY I started. I will be a Registered Dietitian! #RD2be

    Notes to self: 

    • Stick to my healthy eating regimen, everything in moderation, cheat on the holidays and eat alllllll the CARBS, the good ones of course (they are good for you) !!!

    • Thus far this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire adult life, all the late nights, not being able to travel right now, and missing out on certain things with friends, just understand it will all be worth it!

    • DON'T STRESS. IF IT IS GOD’S WILL, IT WILL BE DONE. YOU WILL LEARN EVERYTHING. YOU’VE DONE IT PLENTY OF TIMES BEFORE.

    I just wanted to share a quick snap shot of what my reality is right now. Hopefully you can get a better understanding of what it’s like to have a full time job and be a full time grad student if you aren’t already!!

Leave a comment below on ways you stay stress free or what your current journey looks like. I would love to see if I can incorporate some of those things in my daily routine.

XO Kayla