This is not a particularly new subject to write about, however it is something I have been thinking about lately. How much of our identity is wrapped up in our identity as a PhD student and as a researcher, and how much remains of who we were before? I, like many of you, am lucky … Continue reading Are we human, or are we researcher?
I recently read a comment about the stress of a PhD, which personally hit me to the core: “If you’re emotionally unstable or vulnerable, it’s not a good idea.” This was me, 3 years ago. Or in fact, 5, 8, or 10 years ago. I’ve lived with depression, anxiety, and OCD for a decade of … Continue reading Starting a PhD with existing mental health problems
There are many struggles you’ll encounter during your PhD experience, two of the major ones being feeling overwhelmed, and feeling completely stuck. Both are things I’ve come up against quite a lot over my 2 and a half years of being a PhD researcher, especially the former due to my depression and anxiety. So, in … Continue reading What to do when you feel like you just can’t do it anymore
I entered my PhD full of determination and expecting to hit the ground running. I knew what I wanted, and I was determined to make the most out of this opportunity. It felt like the clock started ticking the moment I stepped off the train in Dumfries. I was ready to get box ticking out … Continue reading Starting a PhD: 8 Things I wish I had known and Done
As I walk through Kelvingrove Park in this beautiful weather I find myself smiling. It could be at a dog passing, a baby in a pram smiling at me, the sun, the trees, the weather. It could be a memory from walking down other paths, in other places, with other people, whether it be an … Continue reading Walking and Smiling: Dealing with Stress and Anxiety
I walked out of the room with my supervisor. I had dressed up a bit for the occasion, tweed jacket, waist coat, the academic uniform essentially. As we walked out into the surprisingly beautiful Scottish weather my supervisor was chatting a bit, something about me doing well. I was in my own world though and … Continue reading Annual Review: Dealing with the anxiety
This article comes from Steph Weir who is a third year PhD student at Heriot-Watt University’s Orkney Campus. With a Masters in environmental anthropology from Aberdeen, she is now investigating the trends of and attitudes towards enclosure and privatisation at sea, with specific emphasis on the ‘fairness’ of such socio-political movements on coastal communities. She … Continue reading Waving Through a Window
As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I soon have to submit some chapters for my first year upgrade review. In fact, they are due this week, so this may be a shorter post than usual! This week, precipitated by this looming deadline and my accompanying feelings of inadequacy, I want to write about PhD anxiety … Continue reading When the Pomodoro technique doesn’t work …
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