A Letter to My Fellow PhDs
Dear fellow PhDs,
Please, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take a break when you feel you need to.
There are days when I am so fired up to write an article, read a couple of articles, do more reading on chapters of a book, and so on and so forth. In other words, there are days when I feel that pressure is good. I enjoy it! These days remind me of what many psychologists said that stress is a positive thing as long as we can manage it well. Stress pumps our heart and motivates us to find a way out, to get it over.
But, there are also days when I am not particularly keen on doing anything related to my PhD. When I feel the pressure is overbearing, too much, and I don't like it. When I feel I can't manage the stress, and I need a break.
Is it normal?
Totally!
Yeah, I do feel guilty a little bit because I don't read or write as much as I wanted. But, I tend to see it as a highly deserved break. Everyone needs a break, PhD students are not an exception. Oftentimes I guess people tend to over-pressure themselves, including PhD students.
Well, fellow PhD students, I would also remind you and myself that you are what you think you are.
I am truly aware that PhD has often been associated with negative statements, such as Permanent Head Damage, Permanent Head Ache, and so on and so forth.
Please, do not fall victim into those statements, no matter how true they are for some people at some point in their PhD life.
PhD is just another phase in our life. It is not the end of everything, nor the beginning of a new life. It is part of our life.
Please, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take a break when you feel you need to.
There are days when I am so fired up to write an article, read a couple of articles, do more reading on chapters of a book, and so on and so forth. In other words, there are days when I feel that pressure is good. I enjoy it! These days remind me of what many psychologists said that stress is a positive thing as long as we can manage it well. Stress pumps our heart and motivates us to find a way out, to get it over.
But, there are also days when I am not particularly keen on doing anything related to my PhD. When I feel the pressure is overbearing, too much, and I don't like it. When I feel I can't manage the stress, and I need a break.
Is it normal?
Totally!
Yeah, I do feel guilty a little bit because I don't read or write as much as I wanted. But, I tend to see it as a highly deserved break. Everyone needs a break, PhD students are not an exception. Oftentimes I guess people tend to over-pressure themselves, including PhD students.
Well, fellow PhD students, I would also remind you and myself that you are what you think you are.
I am truly aware that PhD has often been associated with negative statements, such as Permanent Head Damage, Permanent Head Ache, and so on and so forth.
Please, do not fall victim into those statements, no matter how true they are for some people at some point in their PhD life.
PhD is just another phase in our life. It is not the end of everything, nor the beginning of a new life. It is part of our life.
Tasmania, 14 December 2019
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