Doing a PhD can be mentally and physically exhausting. This feeling of exhaustion can have a negative impact on your health. During the past fortnight, I have been very unwell. After several trips to the doctors, tearful phone calls home, and a few days off work, it has finally hit me that I need to slow down.
If I’m being completely honest, it isn’t my PhD that is causing me to be unwell, but my inability to organise my time effectively. I have always been ambitious and hard-working, which is probably one of the reasons I got onto the PhD in the first place. While these traits have served me well in the past, they have also left me overworked due to my inability to say no to my involvement extracurricular activities, resulting in me taking on new projects that I can realistically complete.
I have not allowed my work-load to impact my social life, which is also part of the problem. As my Mum would say, I have been burning the candle at both ends. The combination of a demanding PhD, being involved in a number of extracurricular activities, and maintaining a hectic social life have left me both mentally and physically exhausted with no time for myself.
Although engaging in extracurricular activities as a PhD student is necessary because it sets you apart from other candidates when applying for post-doctoral positions, you should only take on work that you can realistically be involved in without detracting from your PhD. I do not think these activities have detracted from my PhD work, but instead I have tried to keep all of the plates spinning which has impacted my health. I am usually very good at keeping the plates spinning, but the plates have started to drop and unless I slow down it is only a matter of time before they all begin to crash down. It is unfortunate that it has gotten to this stage for me to realise that I need to start taking better care of myself, but I have realised that I need to learn to say no, make time for personal time, and learn to be still.
Lessons learnt:
- Say no to additional work which you do not realistically have the time to complete.
- Make health a priority (both physical and mental).
- Make time to be on your own and engage in self-care
Catherine Talbot 