Well, my dietetic internship diploma came in the mail this week. Yup, I'm done with my internship. I thought this would bring me relief and a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, those feelings have been smothered by anxiety and a personal sense of urgency to find a job and pass the RD exam almost simultaneously. Therefore, I have resorted to a schedule that mostly consists of waking up, job hunting, job applying, and studying the enthralling Inman's review in my uniform of stretchy pants and a messy bun. (I decided to compromise with "messy" because in my head I envision a Pinterest-worthy ballet bun while the mirror shows a cross between Miss Frizzle and an Asian warrior.)
I think what it comes down to is now that my internship and assignments are done, the last leg of the journey to RD is up to me.
In an effort to stay away from whining (and wining* for that matter), I've come up with some methods to bring some balance and gratitude to this time.
- Gratitude- instead of focusing on studying and job hunting as stressful, I am going to be grateful. I think back to myself when I started this blog and dreamt for a dietetic internship. That girl would have given both her arms and legs to be where I am. I think back to the hard work I put in during my internship, and the hard work and energy spent on me by teachers and preceptors. So when I want to put my head down, the notecards away, and the Netflix** on, I take a second to remind myself not to take this time for granted.
- Marathon, not a sprint- I get so overwhelmed on studying, passing the exam, finding a job, applying to jobs and I want to do it all at once. This is not effective. I remind myself that this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. I may be on the last leg of this journey, but there is no need to rush. I cannot expect myself to complete a month or week's amount of work in a morning or a day.
- Breathe, enjoy-as long as I feel my list is, I need to remember to breathe and enjoy this time. As bad as I want to find a job, I can see my future employed self missing these stretchy pant/messy bun times that offer flexibility to attend 10 AM classes at the gym or take a day trip or wear yoga pants 7 days a week.
So here I am. This time also allows me to blog topics I will be studying for the RD exam, as well as any job/interview tips and experiences. Can't wait to see where it takes me!
* I recently saw a neurologist for a bizarre migraine I had and learned wine can cause migraines. As well as nuts, cheese, chocolate, and MSG. I obviously stay away from MSG for obvious reasons but wine, cheese, nuts, chocolate?? If I could make my own version of MyPlate or the food pyramid based on foods I love, those would be it! Anyways, I have to go easy on these things. For now, wine is only for special occasions. The neuro was pretty funny, told me people with migraines tend to eat a lot of cheddar cheese. I fall into that group plus I never fail to have a baggie of almonds with me at all times. Sigh.
** Mad Men and House of Cards...that's all I have to say.
Images from http://femmepiricalevidence.blogspot.com/2013/04/take-chances-make-mistakes-get-messy.html
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/mulan/picks/results/245553/what-style-like-mulans-hair
http://designed-for-life.tumblr.com/post/72959129953
