Anxiety Level 8

The Yerkes-Dodson Curve

Anxiety is okay in moderate doses.  Have you ever heard of the Yerkes-Dodson Curve?  (Future psychologist here.)  Basically, what it says is that as anxiety increases, performance increases but only up to a point.  If you get to a certain level of anxiety, your performance will begin to suffer and only become worse as anxiety increases.  So when you feel a little stressed, that's good!  You will likely accomplish more.  But when you're worried all the time, it's crippling.

Recently my anxiety has been more on the crippling side.  This whole graduate school process is really taking a toll.  From September to December 2012 I was stressed about studying for the General GREs, studying for the Psychology Subject GREs, organizing everything for the people who wrote recommendations for me, writing different essays for each school, completing the applications on time, and making sure the schools have received all of the components of the application on time.  Then it was waiting for interview invitations.  Now it's making logistical arrangements for going to the interviews, rearranging my work schedule in order to be available for the interviews, traveling, and preparing for and having the interviews.  Don't get me wrong; I am extremely grateful for having the opportunity to interview and perhaps be accepted at several schools.  But all this stuff is getting stressful!

And I'm not very good at uncertainty.  I like answers to my questions right away.  For example, I got another interview invitation today and I initially called the school to see if I could reschedule because it is on a heavy work day for me, but I think they went home early due to the Blizzard Nemo so I left a message asking about rescheduling.  But since then I have been trying to make arrangements for someone to cover me so I can go on the day they originally stated, but the person I contacted has not gotten back to me.  I know it's the weekend and it doesn't matter when it happens because the school is going to be closed (at least) until Monday, but I want, nay need, answers NOW so I can stop obsessing.  Also, I'm afraid the school is going to interpret my request as a sign that I do not want to go there and then rescind their invitation.  (The invitation says "Should you need to reschedule your appointment, I ask that you please call me."  That means rescheduling is acceptable, right?  Please?)  My anxiety is peaking, and I need certainty to bring it down.  This.

But I do have some good news to report: I have been accepted into a master's program in counseling practitioner psychology!  So at least I know I will be going somewhere next year and will not be stuck working at my job for another year and continuing to postpone my life.