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Self-Care: Without You There Is No PhD

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Managing your Mental Health during your PhD

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Abstract

This chapter looks at the foundations of wellbeing, exploring building healthy habits, and how to navigate the complex task of finding time for self-care around a busy PhD schedule.

(Trigger warnings: Eating Disorders, Addiction)

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Meditation really doesn’t work for me (I find my brain is “too loud” for me to relax into it), but this doesn’t mean it is not a valuable and important tool for some to improve wellbeing. Different people find comfort in different self-care practises.

  2. 2.

    This did in fact happen to me, which is part of the reason I am writing this book right now.

  3. 3.

    I am particularly bad for not doing this, as those of you that follow me on Twitter will know. I wanted to comment on this to show that whilst I am giving this advice, implementing it is hard. I am certainly not perfect even though I know what would be best for me.

  4. 4.

    Or like me, some days you might be struggling with your mental health and try as you might you find it difficult if not impossible to get out of bed. On these days I now tend to work from my bed, snuggled in my duvet (it makes me feel much better) and is a worthwhile trade-off for me when it comes to sleep hygiene versus managing my depression for the day.

  5. 5.

    As a laboratory scientist I can forget to drink for several hours straight which I know is not good for me, and I know this, yet I still forget!

  6. 6.

    Personally, it has taken me about 4 years post-PhD to pick up a novel and actually read it. It was Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey, if you are interested! For a long while I was reading non-fiction to “better myself” rather than reading for actual enjoyment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rugby, UK

    Zoë J. Ayres

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  1. Zoë J. Ayres
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Ayres, Z.J. (2022). Self-Care: Without You There Is No PhD. In: Managing your Mental Health during your PhD. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14194-2_4

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