Module 1 Reflection

Stress...Coping, and Adaptation

As this program continues, my roles remain the same.  I have added a new role status for myself, which is an MSW candidate.  As I worked through the exercise of role mapping, I realized that the addition of this one status role has affected every other status that I work to maintain, however not necessarily in a negative way.  I have experienced role entry as an MSW student, however sans any sort of role exit.  The addition of MSW student to my role statuses did not replace anything, it simply added to it.  The positive spin on this is that with the addition of another role status, I find myself more productively busy in the time that I used to spend idly.

Next fall, I foresee experiencing great stress and will need to develop healthy coping mechanisms in order to adapt to a new schedule.  I will add a role to my status as an MSW student, the role of intern.  This minor addition will change my current roles and responsibilities because it will take away 15 hours per week from my already full schedule.  I have already made the decision that I will have to forego one of my role statuses, as a private tutor, in order to make room for the internship and the hefty responsibility that it will entail.  Truthfully, I am concerned that this addition of the role of intern will negatively affect my role statuses in other areas such as “teacher”.

 In order to alleviate some stressors come fall, I tried to be proactive and problem solve by writing an email to the director of the internships, Ms. Corcoran, and explain how it would be extremely valuable for me to begin work on my internship during the summer, when I do not have as many responsibilities.  I added that I was concerned that taking on a new and time-consuming role as an intern would take away from my current career, as a teacher, in terms of the energy that I will have (or not) to put forth for the students.  She was gracious and understood, but was regretful that she could not help me in this instance.  As I ponder this situation now, the reasons that I have for wanting to start the internship during the summer come from a place of stress and anxiety within. 

Like I said, I can see now that my roles are shifting and I am concerned about the future role strain (between time for reading, coursework, and internship) as well as role conflict (between my ever growing role status as an MSW student and my other role statuses).  I simply did not have the vocabulary to affirm my stress.

I have many resources to help me adapt to the stressors that will be.  I have supportive family and friends, I also have support groups, as well as this cohort.  Most importantly, I will have my friend, Cara Donahue, whom I work with and value as a close friend.  Cara is now a part of this cohort and we are advocating for ourselves to be in the same internship together.  We feel that the benefit would not be mutually exclusive.  Cara and I work together at the same school, share spare time together as friends, and hope to share an internship together in order to be support for each other during a stressful time.