The dormant symptoms of PhD stress we should not ignore

By Posted on Categories PhD Thesis

Often scholars engrossed in their PhD work tend to ignore their stress symptoms. Ignoring or turning a blind eye to these symptoms is not one of the greatest ideas because if there is too much of accumulation of pressure within without identification and a vent out it may result in a harmful outpour. A mature … Continue reading “The dormant symptoms of PhD stress we should not ignore”

Often scholars engrossed in their PhD work tend to ignore their stress symptoms. Ignoring or turning a blind eye to these symptoms is not one of the greatest ideas because if there is too much of accumulation of pressure within without identification and a vent out it may result in a harmful outpour. A mature scholar would not let the symptoms lie but would surface them and handle them. There are certain feelings and   experiences that are often found specifically in PhD scholars. They are:

  1. A perpetual feeling that you don’t have the potential to work hard
  2. An overwhelming feeling with the  work pressure
  3.  A sense  that you are not  constructively exploiting your true potential for your PhD
  4. The lack in focus
  5. A feeling that your efforts are not strong or impactful
  6. A lack of control over actions and outcomes
  7. A feeling that  the easiest of tasks have become challenging
  8. A perpetual sense of fear and uncertainty
  9. Physical and emotional  tiredness
  10.  A negative apprehension that everyone would get exposed to your inability to perform

Often, those who even recognize these underlying symptoms of stress try to be more organised or work harder but these are not the solutions to the problem. The target should be on the root problem. The following approach may be of help in a general way for dealing better with the problem:

  1. Take things slowly: This is the hardest but the most essential thing to do under a lot of work pressure. Slowing down helps to think and simplify the tasks so that they could be handled properly
  2. Self-introspection: Peep into your own schedule and eliminate all the extra things you have been working. It is a good start to prioritize your work and focus on one thing at a time. Break down your tasks into smaller steps and follow the progress step wise.
  3. Observe your reaction when things go wrong: Whenever you are in a problem what is your reaction? Does it come to you as a personal failure or do you involve yourself into the problem and figure out a solution to the same. Small failures are an inevitable part of research and your reaction to the same contributes towards your success
  4. Learn to let go:   Coping up with failing in your PhD may be a tough task, to say simply but certainly it is not the worst thing that could happen to anybody. You should never lose trust in your own capability. Look at the problem holistically and try to find a solution. If no solution is available don’t take quitting as a personal failure.