The Waiting Game and Mental Stability

[bgt28]

My mental stability ebbs and flows. At first it was just anxiety of making sure all of my stuff was in. Now it's completelyout of my control and I vacillate between normality, crying and venting anger (especially as more people hear back). Haha me and my therapist have a Lot to talk about on Friday...haha

I cannot wait to resume therapy as soon as I'm back in the US; thank you so much for your reply...it means a lot

[sharksrjawesome]

I've just been watching Frozen on repeat with my cats when I'm not working if that tells you anything...that's where my mental stability is.

[FantasticalDevPsych]

The waiting game has started to drive me mad even though it's still early... I have my email and phone with me everywhere just in case I hear anything and have obsessively been checking the results page.

Otherwise I've been reading for fun (a lot), I've started to run again, and oddly I've been reading journal articles in my field and discussing them with a friend (a current grad student in my area). Thankfully I have one semester of undergrad left as I'll then have something to focus on but it hasn't started back yet!

Strangely the suggestion to read hasn't been a bad one and their justification was it gives you a little bit of perceived control even when this process (and the wait specifically) takes away so much control.

Still anxiously waiting... Hope we hear soon!

[jujubea]

Jeez... this thread is making me anxious just reading it!

 

It will all be OK everybody! It will all be OK!!!

[GeoMex]

Jeez... this thread is making me anxious just reading it!

 

It will all be OK everybody! It will all be OK!!!

 

I think some people here need a new vision of things... or maybe grad school is really that important to them. When I was younger (I'm still am I think) I was a little like this, to this day I still am sometimes, and it's not because I don't trust my skills or that I'm actually worried, is just that I need information to know what to do, if I get in, that's excellent, if I don't, well then I can do other things I'm planning to do after grad school.

Anyway, I too get anxious sometimes, but I gain nothing from it and it just interferes with my job.

Working, excercising, reading, playing video games, watching series or movies, hang out with friends or SO, it all can help to those of you that are very anxious.

[1Q84]

The constant checking and re-checking... ugh. I need one of these on my keyboard:

 

[yolk]

Focus your energies on whatever you were doing before the application season. You've submitted, it's time to relax! Before you know it you'll be getting interview invites.

[jhefflol]

Focus your energies on whatever you were doing before the application season. You've submitted, it's time to relax! Before you know it you'll be getting interview invites.

 

Part of me is glad that my field doesn't tend to conduct interviews, but part of me wishes that interviews were the norm. I am such a people person and all of my years of acting and public speaking make me a great interviewee, so I know if I had one, my chances of acceptance would increase. Also, it would be nice to know which programs were actually interested in me sooner, rather than waiting until mid-late February and March to hear anything. On the other hand, the added anxiety over yet ANOTHER facet of the application process isn't something I think I would want to face. 

 

I'm curious how those who have to go through an interview as part of the admissions process feel about the procedure?

[FinallyAccepted]

I'm curious how those who have to go through an interview as part of the admissions process feel about the procedure?

 

I haven't actually interviewed yet, but next month when I go for the interview weekend (the only one I've heard about so far), it'll be nice from the standpoint that I can visit the campus and meet the other graduate students.  Does it make me nervous?  Am I shy and introverted and worried about how I come across?  Yep.  Yep.  But ultimately, I think it'll be good.

 

It's the hypothetical phone or Skype interview that I'm more worried about.  No benefit of seeing the campus, but all the nervousness of how I come across to the POI.  I'm less excited about that prospect, to be honest.

[Tez92]

I shared this in another forum and think it will be very relevant to this discussion. 

 

Anxiety and worrying are very normal experiences for most people regarding the application process. You are not alone. As much as we want to act like it's not there, it is. It does have the potential to be unhealthy, but it can be chanelled into other arenas. During this period of waiting, I challenge you to find a hobby, read a few books, hit the gym, set a short term goal, ect. Do something to preoccupy yourself while you wait. The only catch is to have a short term goal attached to it. Set the goal to be met around the time you expect to receive communication from the grad programs. Do your best to meet the goal. Once the goal is met you have something you will be proud of. Regardless of the institutions' decisions you will know that you can achieve what you set your mind to. So if you are denied (I pray you are not) you can look back and say, I was able to meet this goal I can meet another one.  

[Tez92]

Part of me is glad that my field doesn't tend to conduct interviews, but part of me wishes that interviews were the norm. I am such a people person and all of my years of acting and public speaking make me a great interviewee, so I know if I had one, my chances of acceptance would increase. Also, it would be nice to know which programs were actually interested in me sooner, rather than waiting until mid-late February and March to hear anything. On the other hand, the added anxiety over yet ANOTHER facet of the application process isn't something I think I would want to face. 

 

I'm curious how those who have to go through an interview as part of the admissions process feel about the procedure?

WOW, 15 schools? Sometimes I wish I had applied to more than the 5 I did. 

[bgt28]

I feel myself falling into a pit of anxiety, depression, crippling nausea, and blinding headaches. Oy. Bad bad day, ending with:

Dad: What are these? 

Me: Oh, they're my antidepressants.

Dad: Why are you still taking them? 

Me: Ummmm

Dad: Grumbles something about my mental constitution and the shadow it casts upon graduate school and walks out. 

 

I need alcohol now. 

[jhefflol]

I shared this in another forum and think it will be very relevant to this discussion. 

 

Anxiety and worrying are very normal experiences for most people regarding the application process. You are not alone. As much as we want to act like it's not there, it is. It does have the potential to be unhealthy, but it can be chanelled into other arenas. During this period of waiting, I challenge you to find a hobby, read a few books, hit the gym, set a short term goal, ect. Do something to preoccupy yourself while you wait. The only catch is to have a short term goal attached to it. Set the goal to be met around the time you expect to receive communication from the grad programs. Do your best to meet the goal. Once the goal is met you have something you will be proud of. Regardless of the institutions' decisions you will know that you can achieve what you set your mind to. So if you are denied (I pray you are not) you can look back and say, I was able to meet this goal I can meet another one.  

 

This is excellent advice! I'm going to start brainstorming short-term goals now...thanks!

 

WOW, 15 schools? Sometimes I wish I had applied to more than the 5 I did. 

 

Yeah, 15! And that was whittled down from a list of 20 schools that I had at the start of the season. Sometimes I still wish I had applied to more though.