The Tang Dynasty poet Yuan Shu said in "Wen Lotte Grants Sima of Jiangzhou": "Sitting up in a dying illness, the dark wind and rain enter the cold window." "Almost everyone who has gone through a PhD goes through a period of stress. Stress doesn't always mean it's a bad thing, moderate stress helps people focus, improve learning and productivity, and discomfort beyond the current limits is often a necessary condition for a PhD.
But stress can also be damaging, especially the kind that suffocating. Instead of helping you focus, it has the opposite effect. Not only will it not help you learn and be productive, it will make it difficult for you to accomplish the simplest things. In academia, though, there is a culture that sees stress as part of the job. Every adult has experienced stress, so it's normal, so go ahead. Sometimes, though, stress is a warning sign for the body that something is going terribly wrong.
Signs that PhD students should not ignore:
Always feel like you're not trying hard enough
Overwhelmed by the workload
Feel like you're not really capable
Inability to concentrate
Feel that nothing you can do can have an impact that is conducive to the improvement of things, and the future is uncontrollable
I feel that even simple things have become difficult
Persistent fear of failure
Feeling that you are simply unable to study for a PhD, a lack of self-confidence that you are worried about your excesses (imposter syndrome)
Physically and mentally exhausted
If you feel this, then just working harder, or trying to be more organized, won't help you in any way. You have to solve the root cause of the problem, and when you don't know what to do, you can at least try to slow down your rhythm.
Of course, the above view is not someone's imagination, but a study published in nature biotechnology by the University of Texas San Antonio Health Science Center
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The paper is based on a questionnaire in which researchers post clinically validated scales of anxiety and depression to students via email and social media. The 2279 respondents in the survey were mostly PhD students (90%), representing 26 countries and 234 institutions. About 56 percent of students major in the humanities or social sciences, 38 percent study biological and physical sciences, 2 percent are engineering students, and 4 percent are students in other fields. About 39 percent of respondents scored in the moderate to major depressive range, compared with 6 percent of the general population previously measured using the same scale. That said, graduate students (mainly PhD students) are 6 times more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the average person.
The prevalence of anxiety and depression in the graduate student population is expressed in the paper. (a) Overall prevalence (prevalence of anxiety and depression). (b) Prevalence of anxiety and depression by sex. (c) Psychological problems affected by work-life imbalances. (d) Psychological problems affected by the relationship with the mentor.
Then, pursuing a PhD is an extremely difficult task. Usually, it takes at least 3 years (for science and engineering students, deferred graduation is commonplace). After starting a research project and writing a dissertation, PhD students are sure to face some unprecedented challenges. Let's take a look at some of the biggest (and most common) problems PhD students encounter.
If you are considering a PhD, or are pursuing a PhD, if you happen to be facing these problems, then a deep understanding of these pressures may help you overcome these pressures, although some problems can be found to find some countermeasures, but some problems may not be too good to solve at the moment.
Don't worry, stress is always coming, and you don't avoid these problems just because you know there will be them (we just pray for good luck and good fortune), but when we know these things and make ourselves feel a little experienced, it may bring you some comfort. Well, let's start talking about the problem that most PhD students can't get around.
1. Isolation
One of the most common problems for PhD students is loneliness. PhD students sometimes need to work alone, such as writing a dissertation, which is very personal, and there is little or no other person involved in their work. Predictably, when this happens, it will lead to feelings of loneliness and lack of motivation, as well as a fear of no one understanding.
In order to solve this problem, it is best to make efforts to contact other classmates or teachers and students. There are many ways to do this, for example, through graduate interest groups, non-academic conferences, or exchanges in the same group network community. Engaging with other PhD students will allow you to find empathy, and talking, complaining, and complaining can all help alleviate these destructive negative emotions. Simply breaking the routine of studying and working can also bring you new feelings and benefits.
2. Stress
Stress can be always on, and when it comes to things that are closely related to one's future and destiny, such as looming deadlines – whether it's the time for a research project or a minor journal paper to be reworked, or a critical time point for a phD dissertation, it can be extremely stressful. In fact, all the pressure is on you, basically only you bear it. As the Evidence for a mental health crisis in graduate education study found, PhD students suffer from high levels of mental disorders, which may be related to the high-intensity stress they have to endure.
For this reason, one must find healthy ways to reduce stress, whether through exercise, meditation, art, or anything else. Any university worthy of the name offers mental health services to students, and if the situation becomes particularly difficult, such counseling services can be sought. No matter how bad you feel, it's always helpful to talk to someone. There are no psychological problems that are small problems, and many big problems start with seemingly small problems or accumulate from many small problems.
3. Clash with the mentor
Another common problem during PhD students is the problem between Doctoral students and their supervisors. Mentors are both bosses and teachers, and occasionally become friends. It's a strange combination, but sometimes it's hard to keep the balance.
When disagreement arises—and of course, for three years or more, it's natural—some students consciously listen to the wishes of more senior, experienced mentors, though sometimes with deep reluctance. How to successfully carry out psychological construction can help graduate students (especially doctoral students) cope with these challenges.
In addition, in a broader sense, tutors should allow their students to express dissenting opinions. From the perspective of the true spirit of scientific research, it is appropriate to solicit more opinions, and it is even more necessary to encourage it. In exploring the unknown path, who can innately know what is right, and students are not necessarily right, and they are not always wrong.
4. Income issues
Most Doctoral students rely primarily on subsidies to make ends meet during their studies. Unfortunately, this is also a worrying issue. As a student, the subsidy for doctoral students will certainly not be too high, which will put doctoral students in a situation of barely enough to feed, which may bring great financial pressure to ta. At present, it seems that there should be no good solution.
5. Time management
For PhD students, there are too many things to do and too little time to feel. This may also be the mantra of our time. Learning when to seize new opportunities, to work hard, when to turn down additional tasks, and to abandon unnecessary work are essential skills that every scholar should develop to avoid going crazy. This can hone yourself by knowing how to prioritize work. PhD students can clarify some of these questions before doing things: What is the most important thing I have to accomplish today? Is there anything I can postpone until tomorrow?
Setting aside enough time throughout the day to complete these tasks will help with good time management and allow you to say "no, I really don't have time to do that" when necessary. It's clear that careful planning and reasonable rejection can help relieve stress. Remember, doing n things well is a little better than doing n+m things well but not doing them well enough.
6. Work/life balance
Sometimes, PhD students seem to be asked to study and work all the time: they are in the office every weekend and work late every day. "996" is what it is, and the doctoral student's "007" is even more terrifying. But this is certainly not sustainable. In order to reach peak status or maintain high productivity, Doctoral students also need to take time to develop (or find) hobbies, friends, family, and lovers.
Students should always remember that spending time in activities outside of graduate school is critical to long-term success. Healthy social life, regular exercise, and cultural activities will be fun, decompressing, and healing. And, they may make you happier. Even if you may not think about "happiness" when thinking about your learning goals, these beautiful things will definitely get some serendipity from time to time, so as to make your mood happy and make the efficiency of study and work more lasting.
7. Lack of institutional support
In fact, some universities have done a good job in supporting Doctoral students. The best universities have a broader and stronger atmosphere of support, helping them through individual mentoring, workshops and social events, although at some universities students are left to heal their wounds silently on their own.
Graduate schools may sometimes be helpful in this regard, as they are designed to meet the specific needs of graduate students, including PhD students. Try to proactively find out what kind of support your facility can provide – probably more than you think!
8. Lack of support from others
Another challenge for PhD students is how to deal with the lack of personal support. Friends, partners, and family may not understand the value of a PhD or may not support the option of pursuing a PhD. A well-meaning relative who likes to ask when they will finish their PhD and find a truly promising or lucrative job is distressing to many PhD students.
This is another reason to connect and communicate with other PhD groups or social public media (such as platforms like Tobide Academics) who can understand the stress you experience and provide you with the support you need. Sharing these commonalities also helps to trivialize them. Sharing experiences can find friendships and relieve anxiety.
9. Concerns about the future
In addition to worrying about their current projects or papers, many PhD students are also worried about their future. Faced with an uncertain job market and career future, and fierce competition for academic positions, every PhD student cannot guarantee that they will have an ideal job after earning a PhD.
Still, research on the employment of college graduates does show that having a PhD greatly increases their chances of getting a higher salary and higher job satisfaction. Judging from the statistics of the employment quality report over the years, the employment rate of doctors is still good. But to make sure you enjoy all of these benefits, it's wise to start looking for a job early and prepare for career goals.
It's also important to remember that if you feel like you've had enough of academic devastation and plan to leave academia after graduation in search of non-academic positions, you should develop some transferable skills during your PhD studies that can help you find a non-academic job.
10. Motivational issues
The most common problem that doctoral students encounter is the question they should think about before they go to a phD: Why should they go to a phD? Since it usually takes at least three years to earn a PhD, it is difficult for anyone to maintain motivation throughout the PhD stage, and as an ordinary PhD student, there will always be a certain period of slack. Getting bored, bored, or dissatisfied with your work and life is a very common experience!
When the PhD is not going well, and there are difficulties in writing a project and lack of motivation, you should consider taking a break. Leaving your project or paper for a few days or even a week can sometimes be really helpful. After a gap that gets you back to work energized, you may be able to see it from a whole new perspective. Maybe when you come back, you see something new that you didn't understand before? Maybe you'll realize that the work you're doing is actually much better than you thought before, not as stretched as it was before. This kind of slowing down or suspending blank cooling-off period can sometimes re-energize people's fighting spirit. In addition, if nothing works, you at least take a break. You should probably take a break a long time ago, but there's not an excuse for that.
The so-called "everything is predetermined, not predetermined", knowing that although it is not equal to solving, it is better than going with the flow of ignorance! In any case, reading a PhD is a non-short-term struggle process, and Zhang Youchi is the right way.
Author: Morning star, male, from Wuhan, Hubei Province, deputy senior title, Doctor of Science, senior programmer, member of IAMG (International Mathematical Earth Science Association), member of provincial medical artificial intelligence and big data special committee, special researcher of ministerial industry think tank.