...I'm not really doing my best in grad school.

Hey there, it's Alex here. I've been feeling this weird mix of guilt and self-pity lately, which is pretty typical for a grad student. You know how we're always supposed to be striving for excellence? Well, the truth is...I haven't exactly been giving it my all these past few weeks. I've taken to exaggerating about my research progress to friends and family, telling them I'm on track and making breakthroughs when really, I'm just barely holding things together. Part of me feels terrible for lying; part of me is like, 'You deserve a break after working your butt off all semester.' It's funny how the more you feel bad about something, the harder it becomes to tell the truth. And so here I am...still fibbing and trying not to think too hard about what this means for my future. ...