If you were to represent a PhD as an emotion, it would likely be anxiety.
PhDs can be hotbeds for it. They’re necessarily hard, they’re full of uncertainty, they’re plagued by competition and imposter syndrome, and they have high stakes.
It’s no wonder anxiety is so prevalent.
But there’s nothing wrong with you for feeling anxious. It’s nothing to worry about.
In fact, it would be more worrisome if you weren’t anxious to some degree.
This isn’t meant to normalise anxiety, because for some it can be a problematic thing. But it is meant to get you thinking about what your anxiety can tell you. It tells you you care, and it is likely to spur you to work that little bit harder and take everything a little more seriously. Without it, you may breed complacency.
Good luck.
p.s. Thanks to an anonymous reader who inspired today’s post.
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