For parents who are going through this process

[PsychMamaof2]

Hello fellow parents! How are you handling this process? This is my first go and it is incredibly stressful and exhausting as is, all the while trying to parent and do all the things. Trying to keep positive thoughts during this time, but it sure can be difficult. So many people talk about needing to do self care, but that is so incredibly hard while trying to raise two little humans, homeschool, work and do school. There are already so many talks about applying for next year. I'm not sure how I feel about going through this process again. How are you all doing and feeling about it all?

[SocDevMum]

My kids were older (teens when I applied to Phd), so I realize it's a little different. And the pandemic only exacerbates all your difficulties - this year is unlike any other, so it's a hard comparison.  I applaud everyone who is trying to do this grad school thing with little ones at home - I can't even imagine doing that with my three!

Just my thoughts... when I started thinking about a PhD, my husband and I really had to think hard about what we would have to sacrifice to make it work. We had to move 1200 miles away from home and family to make it happen.  We both walked away from stable jobs - they didn't pay great, but they were stable, even in pandemic, and we knew our budget to the penny. But we decided to go for it anyway. We had to all be all in, or it was just never going to happen.

Do you have support systems that are enabling your journey?  What can you personally let go of so that you can focus more on your program? Then, what do you need to pick up? What can be shifted to a different time, different day, different person?  And what can just be dropped completely - what do you need to eliminate altogether? Because in the end, as crazy as it sounds to add self-care to your already stupid-long list, you need to take care of you. You can't pour from an empty cup, as they say.