Let’s talk about the dark times. The sorrowful soul times. This is a hard reality that many students go through while pursuing their career goals. Burdened by expectations of others and themselves yet they are still required to perform to the highest level. Add trying to juggle work and a seemingly social life on top of that and you get one burnt out individual. There was no work-life balance. Lot’s of tears and disappointments as setbacks after setbacks appeared. Sometimes it was the lack of money that delayed me taking a class or simply no extra time in my schedule due to work commitments.

Personally, I have always struggled with “being in two places at once.” When I’m there everyone knows and feels it and the same is true for when I’m not. It’s noticeable. I love my friends well enough to consider them as family yet I was unable to show up for some of their lifetime events. Not because I didn’t care but because I felt drained. Working and studying late nights just took a toll on me. This post I wrote in 2016 (Drained – Solo Travels with Ber) pretty much sums it up. 

Mental and emotional health are important. I found a love for cruising that allowed my soul to feel free from the burdens of my reality. I never shied away from taking vacations throughout my pursuits because I knew that the next moment may not be promised. I didn’t want to look back and miss out on everything. Thank you to my friends who I have shared time with over a meal, movie nights, or random road trips. Thank you to my Godmother for weekly check ins since 2019. I have learned so much about my family’s past and future possibilities from your wise words. 

 Reflections during this period: 

I encourage you all to check on your loved ones who are students regularly. Having these connections honestly saved my life. Oh and you can be an amazing mother even if you don’t have kids! 

This series is titled 12 Years A Student. I will share my journey to becoming an optometrist throughout several posts. Subscribe to get notifications for the new posts. Graduation gifts are unnecessary but always appreciated. If you would like to send something, then my Cashapp is $missBERbie or PayPal at paypal.me/missberladyTTC.