The waters are rising in my area. Two feet of accumulated snow is melting quickly, and it is raining. All of that wet has to go somewhere. It pools in fields and forms rivulets at the edges of dirt roads, filling little streams. With time, that flow enters a larger stream (which also is beset by melt and rain) and so on, until the river must accept it all. Once it starts rising, it will continue from the upstream force, and very, very little can be done to stop the process. The moving water has tremendous power and can do great damage.
A problem (or 5) will beset you during your graduate training. It may be a minor trickle or it may be a rushing stream. It could be difficulty in a course, a bad grade, not meeting a deadline, a professional betrayal, a mistake, a mental or physical illness, or a personal situation that is severely impacting your studies. It could be a crisis of confidence or fear. Don’t let yourself get washed out or submerged in the flood. Catch your problem in the early stages by being aware and respectful of yourself. And then own it and take responsibility.
Prepare yourself now with the following perspectives before you are submerged: 1) Everyone has problems. 2) Having a problem is not shameful. 3) How you deal with your problem is the only thing that is now in your control. 4) Being pro-active and acting early will help you solve the problem more quickly and more easilly, and will be seen by others as taking full responsibility for your own success. 5) Reaching out to others is part of being pro-active and responsible.
Trust yourself that you can manage this balance, that you will know when to reach out, and that you will get through this.