| When I first sat down to write the materials for the Stress-Free PhD Programme I was motivated by a desire to share everything I myself had learnt about the process of writing a PhD. I had learnt things the hard way, as we often do, but so much of the struggle seemed unnecessary with hindsight. Other PhD researchers must have had the same struggles? Why weren’t people talking about this more? They must have found solutions along the way??
There had always been rumours about how hard it would be to write a PhD, and I even got advice to avoid doing a PhD altogether. In a way I was ‘prepared’.
However nobody seemed to have any sensible advice to share in navigating these difficulties when they indeed arose for me, starting about a year into the PhD.
In my own case, I struggled with some of the ‘usual’ challenges of PhD research, that is: a lengthy process of finding my research topic and question, a change of supervisors, feeling ‘behind’ and ‘having to catch up’, and losing confidence along the way. I knew I was capable, but my output (sorry for that word!) wasn’t reflecting this, and I felt low and stressed, rather than excited about my work, especially when I was thinking about deadlines.
Whenever I tried to address these issues with supervisors or colleagues in a way that might help me figure out what to do about all of this I was met with an uncomfortable silence. Once a colleague offered, by way of advice: ‘Why do women always need their hand held?’
There was no culture of focusing on the PhD process, no attention to the emotional aspects of doing academic work (it is well documented how detrimental to your mental health it can be), and no troubleshooting when you ran into some sort of (common!) obstacle on the PhD path.
I am sure many academics would have considered talking about the actual process of PhD writing and everything that comes with it as ‘spoon-feeding’, but I disagree.
It is one thing to say: academia is relentless, and increasingly so. Deal with it.
In my opinion it’s better to say: academia is relentless, this is how we cope. This is what we do to do produce good work, and stay well, even when we are under pressure.
Why not actually prepare for the circumstances? Isn’t that part of professionalism too?
The culture of competition and silence about professional struggles made no sense to me.
At first I thought maybe other people had it all sorted out? And perhaps some do (especially those whose parents are academics and have someone to turn to for advice – there are quite a few!). But overall, I do not think this is the case. When I started HappyPhD quite a few former colleagues wrote to me to say what a wonderful initiative this was, how needed! They too had struggled in silence, they said, even though they also enjoyed their work.
I have come to the following conclusion: yes, writing a PhD is hard, but it can be easier. My work over the past 13 years has been to show you how it can be easier for you too.
As I have written about before HappyPhD will close at the end of the year. All good things must come to an end. This is your very last chance to join me for 6 weeks of writing a happier, less stressful PhD. Let me show you how.
Last chance to get the Stress-Free PhD Programme at the lowest price since I started running the very first version of the course in 2013. Get it here.
With all my best wishes for the new year, including a happy and successful PhD
Amber
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