Week 1: Stress in Academia

Welcome to the first week of the course. I’m thrilled to have you here!

This week we’re going to be talking about stress in academia: why is writing a PhD so stressful and why may you feel like you’re underperforming? We’ll be talking about the structural features that make academia a stressful environment to work in, and we’ll be discussing why this is a big deal, and shouldn’t be treated as a ‘minor’ or simply ‘personal’ issue. I’ll also be sharing my own story.

We’ll also get started with some self-care habits: twenty minutes of meditation every day, and a minimum of twenty minutes of relatively intense exercise three times a week. That’s the template, but as with everything it is important to reflect on whether it works for you. Connect with yourself: what is it I need right now? This connection tends to get lost when we are stressed. Committing to this connection with ourselves, to regularly pause and actually feel what is going on with us, is powerful and will help you make better decisions. The more in tune you are, the less confusion you will feel (it includes a reduction of PhD worries!).

One note on meditation: it can be so boring in the beginning. It takes some time to get used to. I advise to stick with it. Give it some time. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy meditating after a couple of weeks, and if not the meditating itself, the sense of calm and clarity that results (some of the time…)

Good luck this week,

Amber