Dear all, (I seriously don't know why I keep greeting you like this)
This week's topic is something I wanted to leave for further on. Something that I wanted to postpone for as long as I could. However, I won't. This week is "Mental Health Awareness Week" and, therefore, today's topic is going to be Mental Health. Or how to stay sane while pursuing a PhD. There are plenty of data on how there's a high incidence of Mental Illness in Academia, I don't want to quote those (mainly because that'd require me looking it up and I'm fed up of looking stuff up on PubMed (also, yes, "data" is plural, get over it)).
For anyone who knows me, it is clear that I'm not a poster child for Mental Health, in fact, I have extensively talked about my issues with anxiety (here, here, and here) and of late I have also been dealing with some depressive episodes. The kind of episodes that make you wonder if you will ever be able to feel really happy again. The kind of episodes that make you consider if anyone would miss you if you were gone and if people who care for you do it out of pity. The kind of episodes that make you start thinking where could you cut yourself to stop feeling psychological pain and replace it with physical pain. See? I'm all sunshine and unicorns!
Anyway, even if I have made a mess out of managing both my stress and my Mental Health in general, I have some tips for you guys. Tips that may help you stay sane for a bit longer (I'm not saying forever, because, seriously,... you're doing a PhD).
How to be a PhD student and stay Mentally Healthy
1. Plan ahead. Sometimes it is difficult to plan experiments ahead because shit happens all the time. However, it is a good idea to plan as much as you can even if it is just to have short-term goals that are achievable. This will stop the stress from building up.
2. Do something for yourself every day. It can be going to the gym, or for a walk, or play an instrument. Anything you enjoy doing and that will allow you to have some time for yourself. It can even be taking a bath!
3. Find something that makes you instantaneously happy. A song, a picture, a smell. In my case seeing the sea gives me so much peace that I can't be depressed or anxious. I also enjoy music videos where there are goats screaming, videos of goats screaming, the sounds that the turkeys make, silly GIFs, and videos of cats riding Roombas (hey, I never said it had to be deep, also that shit is hilarious).
4. Find an outlet. Anything that allows you to get rid of the negativity and the stress. Something creative, or not. Something that you can do at any time when you feel bottled up. In my case, it is writing short stories, even if the last ones are depressing enough to require a "Trigger Warning" advisory.
5. Rely on your friends. They're there to support you and to hug you when you're down. You'd be there for them, they will also be there for you.
6. Sleep enough. Sometimes sleep is hard to find, I know it, I've battled insomnia for a couple of years, but just try to get as much sleep as you can, you'll feel better after it.
7. Eat healthy. We all have bought a pint of brownie ice cream when we are down. And it's okay, but you also need to eat lots of other things, Mental Health starts by having a healthy body.
8. Cry if you need to. Cry, you might feel better after it. If someone judges you because you cry they're assholes and they don't deserve to be in the Academia.
9. Tell your supervisors. If you feel the pressure is too much and you can't handle it, tell your supervisors. They are probably not aware of the situation you're in, and they are willing to help (if they're not, they're assholes and you should really find a new supervisor).
10. Take breaks. If you can't handle it, and the situation allows it, step away from the problem. If you're overwhelmed and the weekend is close, take the weekend off, stop worrying for a couple of days, you'll see things under another light after it.
This is all the advice I have for you. I do believe it works, it's just a matter of actually doing the things (spoiler alert, I'm pretty crappy at doing some of this stuff). Anyway, have a good week and see you next week if I'm not too tired or lazy to write something up.
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