Question for those who moved for internship

[PsychologyToday1984]

I am across the country from my significant other, friends, and family. I know that I'm only here for one year, but I still feel overwhelmed in this new city. I just wanted to see if anyone is feeling that same way, or has any advice. I've always focused on getting into internship, but now that I'm here, I'm having a hard time dealing with the lack of social support that I am used to.

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[Psychwomen]

Yes!! Thanks so much for posting this... I have been feeling the exact same way! I am also across the country from friends and family and I feel super lonely and isolated. I wish I had been better prepared for this transition or least known it would be difficult. The adjustment to a new city along with adjustment to being an intern and the intensive evaluation and supervision, make it really hard to enjoy this whole process. It also feels like it's negatively impacting my clinical work because I am so overwhelmed with everything. I find myself counting down the months until internship is over. I think with the internship shortage we put so much time and effort into becoming the "perfect" applicant, that we never stop to think about the emotional impact of moving away from our support system if/when we do match. I think being geographically flexible helped in regards to getting an internship, but I envy my classmates who stayed within driving distance of the city we went to school in. It's helped me to reach out to trusted mentors to discuss my feelings and get advice from them. It's also been great to touch base with my fellow classmates on internship and hear about their experience. They seem to be counting down the months as well! Have you talked to anyone else in your internship cohort? They may have similar feelings...

 

[sms06h]

Although I am not currently an intern (applying this year), I can relate to this post quite a bit, as I moved 2500 miles away from home to join AmeriCorps after undergrad. It was very hard at first and found myself missing my social support network. However, I tried really hard to meet new people in the area and build on those relationships to increase my local social support, which really ended up helping me. Additionally, I found it helpful to plan a trip home, so I had something to look for and felt that it was a "light at the end of the tunnel." Skype and FaceTime can also be helpful. You may already be doing these things, but thought I'd weigh in on what was helpful for me during a time when I felt similarly.

 

[PhDToBe]

I agree with the above poster. I have really tried to stay busy by working out, and meeting new people. I'm also using the time without my friends/family/significant other to focus on my paramours: my dissertation and post-doc apps. 😉

 

[PsychologyToday1984]

Yes!! Thanks so much for posting this... I have been feeling the exact same way! I am also across the country from friends and family and I feel super lonely and isolated. I wish I had been better prepared for this transition or least known it would be difficult. The adjustment to a new city along with adjustment to being an intern and the intensive evaluation and supervision, make it really hard to enjoy this whole process. It also feels like it's negatively impacting my clinical work because I am so overwhelmed with everything. I find myself counting down the months until internship is over. I think with the internship shortage we put so much time and effort into becoming the "perfect" applicant, that we never stop to think about the emotional impact of moving away from our support system if/when we do match. I think being geographically flexible helped in regards to getting an internship, but I envy my classmates who stayed within driving distance of the city we went to school in. It's helped me to reach out to trusted mentors to discuss my feelings and get advice from them. It's also been great to touch base with my fellow classmates on internship and hear about their experience. They seem to be counting down the months as well! Have you talked to anyone else in your internship cohort? They may have similar feelings...

I can really relate to what you wrote, Psychowomen! I too find myself counting down the months, and I also worry that my feelings may impact my clinical work. I have reached out to a few colleagues who feel the same way that I do! It's so interesting to me because I always focused on getting in, yet I never thought about how I would adjust to life in the city. I wish you the best and hope that things improve.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Try to get involved socially in different things going on in your area (bonus if the other interns are folks you enjoy hanging out with). Schedule a trip or two back home so you'll have that to look forward to as a "release valve." And hey, if you end up moving again for a job or postdoc, this'll be good practice. I think the build up to internship and the excitement of matching can make actually starting the position feel like a bit of a let down at times, but there can be plenty of things about internship to value and enjoy.

 

[eremitestar]

I moved across the country for internship last year to an area where I didn't know anyone. It was really lonely for the first couple months, but then around mid-October I started arranging times to meet up with other interns at my site to work on post-doc applications at local coffee shops. It was nice to share the stress of that time with someone else, and to have others around to bounce ideas off of (and proofread each others' cover letters). By the time post-doc apps were done, we were good friends, and kept meeting on the weekends just to hang out. Now that my internship cohort has scattered for post-doc, I miss them!!

 

[erg923]

I admitted was married (and spouse with me) during all of this, but we had a blast becoming rabid fans of the local college football team, tailgating, exploring food establishments, and becoming involved with a local church.

 

[President_LeslieKnope]

My partner was able to move with me for internship; however we were in a long-distance relationship the first three years of my graduate school. I was a loooooong way from my family and friends so I can certainly empathize. What really helped me with loneliness is getting into yoga. Not just for the stress-relief/exercise but also the social comradery. I joined a local studio and it was so nice to go into the studio, have people know your name and feel like a part of a nice little community outside of work/school. I also ended up doing a lot of volunteer work with the local humane society during my free time. It was so nice to engage with people in the community that were not in the psychology department. I made a lot of friends, established some good connections with the humane society, and most importantly helped save animals' lives 🙂

These might not be your thing, or maybe you're doing these already but I know they were helpful for me during those 3 long years!

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

I say get a cat!!! Cats are good companions for loneliness and dont really require tons of care (like a dog does). Yourll be fine as long as you dont buy too many cats 🙂

 

[Justanothergrad]

I've found that the key to distance moves, like erg mentioned, is to get outside your comfort zone and get involved in way more than you usually would otherwise. I have actually enjoyed the entire moving across the country experience that we 'get to be part of' during training. It was a bit of a cool little adventure.