In this final blog post for Mental Health Awareness Month, Alix Gallagher writes about compartmentalisation of the many, varied roles we often find ourselves engaged in while we're conducting PhD research. She looks at some practical ways in which she has been able to divide those roles and prioritise, especially during a part-time PhD. Photo … Continue reading Navigating Hyphenation and Mental Health
What do depression and the PhD process have in common? (This is not a setup for a joke. I’m sorry.) The answer, as I came to discover recently, is their tendency to force our attention towards new questions; questions that are unexpected, overdue, crucial for our development, and illuminating in their own way, even when … Continue reading On questions and questioning
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?
Well, it's nearly time for my tenure as SGSAH blogger to come to an end. It's been great fun reading guest posts, writing about my experiences and lessons as a PGR, and seeing what people think of the blog and the PhD experience in general. It's been a difficult adjustment going from freelance to PGR, … Continue reading Almost done!
I have somehow found myself signed up to the 'Great Scottish Run' Half-Marathon in Glasgow on Sunday. I’m not sure how this happened, but I blame 'PhD brain'. You know that feeling: you’ve been locked away writing for weeks, your social life is a distant memory and doing literally anything else seems like a more … Continue reading How long distance running has changed how I approach my PhD
This week’s thoughts are about getting ill as a PhD student. Not a day had gone by after posting my last blog when I found myself struck down with flu, rendering me all-but-useless for the rest of the week. Perhaps it serves me right for opening on such an optimistic note! I had planned my … Continue reading On dealing with (short-term) illness as a PhD student
Our guest post today comes from Birdie, a part time PhD assistant. Birdie is supposed to be working on creating a healthy but constructive work/life balance, but spends most of her time trying to make the work environment as difficult as possible. When she isn't "working", Birdie's main interests include tennis balls, snacks and shouting … Continue reading How To Look After Your PhD Student
In the first year of my PhD I really struggled to read fiction, or other books unrelated to my PhD subject. This is a common complaint amongst researchers: you either get guilt that you should be reading something work related, or you are so tired from reading all day that you lose the ability to … Continue reading Making Time for Fiction
I usually start every week with a blog post plan: when and where I will write it and what I will focus on. Not only do I want to make sure this blog is enjoyable and useful for others to read, I just really hate working right up to a deadline - I like to get … Continue reading The View from Third Year
Whatever career you choose, there will always be off days. Off days (or weeks or months) are not a unique PhD student phenomenon. I would like, however, to dedicate this blog post to the dreaded 'PhD off day', and the frustrations faced by the hard-working PhD student when it rears its ugly head. So to start, what … Continue reading On Having an Off Day (Or Week, Or Month)
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