What do you get if you mix over-working, worry and poor self-care?
At best, you’ll end up frustrated, stressed and grouchy. At worse, you’ll have an emotional breakdown.
In either case, it’s important to understand what both prevention and cure looks like.
When it comes to prevention, it pays to develop healthy work habits. I’ve talked in these emails before about the importance of good work-life balance, setting realistic expectations and acknowledging your limitations. This kind of awareness can set you on the path to a healthy relationship with your PhD.
But you’re human and you can’t always strike a great balance. There are times when you slip into unhealthy habits, or where you do overwork and end up on a path to burnout. It’s here that the cure is needed: taking time for yourself.
Whist you want to avoid reaching this stage, if you do notice yourself on the cusp of more unmanageable stress levels or feel completely overwhelmed, that’s when you need to take time out. I know what you’re thinking, I can’t, there’s too much to do. Well, you just kind of have to. Even just a day or two. Take some time, step away from the thesis, lower the stress levels and come back with your batteries at last partially recharged.
If you don’t, you’ll burnout and you may put the entire PhD in jeopardy.
Remember: you’re more important than your PhD.
No sections available in this post.
Every chapter of your thesis, mapped onto a single page.
I asked 250 PhD examiners how they'd structure a thesis if they were starting again. Their answers fit on a single page. Download it free — and stop staring at a blank document wondering where to begin.
You keep coming back. There's a reason for that.
Come write with us live. Join the next Monday Focus Session — 9am UK time this Monday.
What kind of PhD researcher are you?
Learn what’s actually making your PhD hard — and what to do about it.
This free assessment takes four minutes and involves twelve questions. Here's what you'll get:
- Your doctoral profile — personalised to your answers
- A personalised PDF report with a clear explanation of what's making your PhD hard
- Specific recommendations based on where you actually are
Share
Related Blog Posts
What’s the hardest thing about doing a PhD?
PhDs are hard. That's just common sense.In fact, it feels odd to even be saying it. Of course they're hard. They're just about the hardest thing you could ever set...
Welcome to Shit Valley
At some stage every PhD student ends up in Shit Valley. You normally find yourself here around half way through the PhD journey. You'll know you've arrived when everything you...
You’ll have to borrow and steal
'I can't find a theory that's relevant'I hear this all the time. A common misconception amongst PhD students is that there always exists a magical, off the shelf theory or...
Search The PhD Knowledge Base
0 Comments