15. The Great (Recovery) Reckoning: Graduation, Burnout, & The Truth About Transition
On episode 15 of A Chat with Uma, I provide a full recap of the few weeks that I've (unexpectedly) been away from the podcast! This recap serves to fully & honestly reflect my true experiences with navigating graduation, closing out this chapter of my life, and transition - with no filters, whatsoever. I speak with radical honesty about the state of my recovery and well-being throughout this unexpectedly difficult time, and talk through all of the contributing factors that play into my experience. I share openly about my experience with dissociation and maladaptive coping mechanisms - namely excessive busyness - in the name of verbalizing this experience for anyone else navigating this as well. I share reflections, progress updates, opportunities for growth, and how I have attempted to engage in self-compassion. I also speak through the stuck-points and the conundrum of burnout amongst more fully living life and burnout from things that light us up. I close with updates about my life, upcoming experiencs and opportunities for growth, and a reclamation of honesty, self-compassion, and acceptance - for me, and for YOU. Topics Covered + Timestamps: (00:00:00): Introduction: Confessional, gratitude, where I've been & the fear + experience of coming back (00:11:23): Recap of finishing out my semester & labwork (00:20:16): Recap on graduation; The comfort of "sprinting through a marathon," and the fear of finishing (00:25:56): Navigating a parent's cancer treatment, dealing with the distress and overwhelm (00:30:52): Addiction to busyness and overworking as a coping mechanism; The concept of being burnt out from being so lit up (00:43:02): Experience in Miami with Biohaven: glimpses of recovery & presenting as a survivor for the first time (00:54:04): Next steps, what the immediate future looks like, opportunities for growth, what's coming! Connect with me! My website: umarchatterjee.com Instagram: @UmaRChatterjee Twitter: @UmaRChatterjee TikTok: @UmaRChatterjee Email: hello@umarchatterjee.com Have a guest you want on the show? Fill out the Guest Suggestion Form!