daj2116

Hi! Just wanted to say that I've been checking in on this forum occasionally and it's been such a great resource. Really thankful for everyone who has shared their experiences so far. I'm new to the discussion but thought I'd share some coping mechanisms I learned for getting through this oh so painful waiting period. The anxiety around Fulbright is, for me, completely tied to this opportunity being my top choice for a pretty major career switch back to my passion. Linking the career switch to this competitive process, in hindsight, can drive anyone to the brink of insanity. So I did some late night googling and found two really great techniques for shaking the anxiety: 1) Have contingency plans that you are just as excited about. Having backup options that will push you toward the goal that you'd like to accomplish with the grant is important and will help to disconnect the unhealthy mental connection between Fulbright and success in achieving your goals. For me Plan A is Fulbright. Plan B is having an international travel adventure for 2 months and then returning to NYC to work with a nonprofit in the field that I enjoy. Plan C is moving to a new city in the US and finding work related to my dream field. Regardless of how things shake out, I will be accomplishing the goal of quitting my corporate worker bee life in New York and transitioning to work that actually matters to me. 2) Have things you can look forward to in the immediate future. I was having trouble actually looking forward because the next step is so uncertain. So I'm planning a solo weekend trip closeby and putting it on the calendar so that I have something to get excited about while I'm enduring the wait. I've always wanted to travel alone so this is a good way to get my feet wet. This has helped me tremendously, even just over the last few days. Hope it helps some of you as well! PS I'm a semi-finalist for Spain Research. Seems like in the most recent years, Spain has announced in Mid-March. Hopefully no delays