Looking after your mental health during your PhD

Eloise explores the struggles that accompany postgraduate studies, sharing her ways to look after yourself and your mental well-being whilst making the most of your degree.

- Eloise Stark

Studying for a PhD is seen as the pinnacle of education. Over three or four years you become the world�s leading expert in your particular �niche�. Yes, not many people might be interested in knowing which can jump higher: the dog flea or the cat flea, whether woodpeckers get headaches, or the cultural significance of Lady Gaga. But if they ever need an expert on Women�s Hour, you would be their number one choice.

This academic prowess does not come without its costs, however. According to research, 32% of PhD students are at risk of having or developing a psychiatric disorder such as depression. This may even be a conservative estimate, as a 2014 UC Berkeley report found that 43-46% of graduate students in the biosciences reported that they were depressed. Doctoral students face considerable stress, whether internally or externally generated, and this can lead to depression, eating disorders, chronic insomnia, and even suicidal thoughts.

My own experience of graduate study corroborates this. Being hugely ambitious, I pushed myself to breaking point, and subsequently had to take a two-year break to focus on my mental health and wellbeing. I learnt the hard way, but by sharing my experience, I hope that you will not become one of those statistics.

Isolation

Given that you will probably be studying something so niche that it takes you half an hour to explain it properly at dinner parties, it is easy to feel isolated. The start of a PhD often involves a comprehensive literature search, culminating in a flawless understanding of your area and any preceding research. This can be a lonely pursuit, reading dozens of articles a day and making meticulous notes.

I am lucky to be studying a scientific subject, so my research group has our own office, that we endearingly call �the lab.� On weekdays, we can treat our studies like a job, turning up from 9 to 5 and furnishing our desks with motivational postcards and our most trusty academic tomes. My humanities friends, however, do not often get dedicated desk space and the support of a group. Libraries tend to become their main working environment, which can quickly become oppressive when spending your day sitting in silence surrounded by strangers.

My advice would therefore be to try and create a community � ask people on your course or from your department if they want to work together in the library, take shared lunch breaks and coffee runs. There are even workspaces which you can hire to simulate an office environment. Try to socialise at least once per day so that you don�t spend your whole day in silence. There are bound to be lots of people just like you who crave company and solidarity. Scientists: make use of your academic community, suggest joint lunch breaks, a daily midday walk, or Friday evening drinks.

Supervision

The key to a happy PhD is a good supervisor. To some extent you are taking a risk when you sign up to do your doctorate with a certain academic, so it makes sense to scope them out beforehand, and if possible contact existing PhD students under their supervision for their opinions. Having co-supervisors has been really helpful for me, as they offer different perspectives (one is a Neuroscientist, the other a Psychiatrist).

Supervisors often have many, many plates spinning at one time, so it can be difficult to regularly secure their attention. Try to make an agreement about how often you will meet, and set interim goals between meetings. Be accountable for your own progress, and be assertive if you�re not getting what you need. Supervisors are often exceptional academics, but they are not mind readers. Tell them what you need � they will be grateful.

�Publish or Perish�

The maxim �publish or perish� is a mainstay of academic pressures. During your PhD, but usually more towards the end, you will be under pressure to produce papers that demonstrate your academic prowess. Academia is a bit like a funnel � the higher you get the more competitive it is and the fewer the opportunities. If you choose to stay in academia and pursue a sought-after postdoctoral position, your publications will undoubtedly count towards your job prospects. If you take this into account early enough, you can forward plan to prepare chapters for your thesis, but also mould them into publishable contributions to a journal. However, keep in mind that quality always trumps quantity. Rejections are common, so don�t take it to heart. Do your best � no one can be perfect and I like to think that we naturally find our own way in the end.

Public engagement is a growing element of all careers in research, so getting involved with local initiatives is a really good idea (we have a public event called �Brain Week� in Oxford including talks, hands-on stands, and museum exhibitions). You can also write for student newspapers or magazines, or for The Conversation, perhaps distilling your own work in a public-oriented catchy way, or summarising recent research in your field. This sort of activity can do a lot for your �reputation� as a good researcher, and should hopefully be enjoyable too.

Strategies for staying well

Before my break from study, I was a perfectionist who demanded top-quality work on all occasions. Since taking time out, I have adjusted my expectations considerably, and implemented several strategies to stay happy but also be productive.

Goal setting is incredibly important. For me, a timeline is helpful � giving each experimental chapter I need for my thesis dedicated time for prior research, data collection, data analysis, and the manuscript write-up. Seeing the whole time you have to finish your PhD spread out, with manageable targets for each sub-project, can reassure you that you�re on track.

I also deviate slightly from my chosen research topic every now and then, to keep my interest piqued in adjoining fields. For instance, my PhD involves the neuroscience of face perception in parent-infant interaction, but I have just published a book chapter on music and wellbeing. I also keep abreast of the recent research in a number of fields that are not directly related to my PhD, by setting up Google Scholar alerts (if you don�t know what this is � it sets up regular emails with the most recent papers published for specific keywords that you input). Lastly, I try to attend a couple of lectures every week on topics that are new to me, or at least unrelated to my area. It is so refreshing to hear and can boost your academic enthusiasm considerably.

Having a support network is invaluable. This will be different for each person, but may include family, friends from home and uni, peer supporters, Junior Deans, your supervisor, your GP, or the local mental health team. Joining a society based on a common interest (I am a proud member of the Oxford Origami Society) can give you a great community of friends and opportunities to socialise. I have been a part of the rowing team since starting my undergraduate degree and have made lifelong friends who I can count on for a cup of tea if I need to vent.

And lastly, if things do go wrong or you are not happy, don�t panic. I have yet to meet a PhD student who has had a smooth ride. The most important thing is to not suffer in silence. Talk to everyone you can. Problem solve and explore options. A PhD is supposed to be challenging but it is not supposed to make you miserable.

�You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.�

? Maya Angelou

Hi, my name is Eloise and I am a second year PhD student at Oxford University, studying at the intersection between Neuroscience and Psychiatry. I am passionate about mental health, reducing stigma and increasing empathy for people experiencing distress.

Body Positivity During Bikini Season

Leah shares her top tips for keeping body positive during the pressures of "bikini season".

- Leah

Summer is approaching and that�s super exciting� until social media starts calling it �bikini season�. While the label may seem perfectly harmless and commonplace, it�s toxic because it suggests that you are obligated to wear a bikini between the hot, sticky months of June to August, which can cause a lot of anxiety. It also means that a lot of people are going to start scary fad diets and unrealistic exercise regimes, focusing on getting skinny rather than improving health and fitness.

As someone who has struggled with disordered eating and body image issues throughout my life, I have felt that as soon as �bikini season� draws nearer, I experience a resurgence of self-doubt and insecurity. The thought of feeling obligated to wear skimpy clothing to the beach and take pictures for Instagram is daunting to say the least. The thought of needing to additionally �fix� my body for this moment, throws my memory right back into my worst days. These thoughts can feel like a huge setback in the progress I�ve made. I can go most of the year oozing confidence and body positivity, and that�s a huge accomplishment for me that�s taken a lot of time and energy. Still, the challenge of remaining steadfast in my own confidence gets much harder as the summer approaches.

Over the years, I have learned that �Bikini Season� is such a narrow way to look at such an exciting, fun period of the year, that really does not require you to wear a bikini at all. What I have learned is that you can pick clothes that make you feel comfy and confident in the summer, in the same way that you do in the winter. If a bikini doesn�t feel right to you, that doesn�t make you less than in anyway. Wear a one piece, board shorts, a wetsuit, or a space suit for all it matters.

So, here�s my advice, as someone who has put my own bikini body through a lot of criticism and realized there is another way to look at things:

? Do a whole beach day without taking a bikini photo!
Social media can be dangerous, not just because of the photoshopped and unrealistic points of comparison. I often find myself happily and confidently prancing around in a bikini until I see a photo of myself posted. Then I begin to scrutinize, second guess, and panic. I always wish I stayed off of social media and just enjoyed myself in the moment!

? Push your own boundaries a bit.
Push your own boundaries a little bit to wear things that you love but may have not always found yourself fully confident in. This should not be based on what you see worn around you, but what you yourself would like to be in. It gets HOT and no one should be trapped sweating in baggy, uncomfortable clothes all summer. Try to wear something daring even once this summer and you may be endlessly glad that you did.

? Your progress is real and valid.
The thought of putting on a bikini can feel very triggering, and the resurgence of insecurities can seem to invalidate your progress. This is not the case in the long run! The progress you have made is very valid and is a continuous journey on the path to self-acceptance. Talk to yourself as you would a close friend and remind yourself that it is okay to still be working on your self-image.

My name is Leah, I'm an almost-graduate from the University of Toronto. I've been working to find self love and happiness for a long time, and I am excited to be sharing some of what I've learned with students across the globe

You Didn't Fail Anyone

Rachel shares her experience of how even through tough times, mental health difficulties do not have to limit your success. 

- Rachel

I was eleven when my Granddad passed away. 

One conversation with him in those last few months stuck with me. 

At eleven, I had already decided I wanted to be a writer, and when Granddad told me he wanted me to go to Oxford to study English, I informed him that was already a part of My Life Plan.

(I was a cocky, annoying eleven-year-old.)

I never expected to spend time bouncing in and out of doctor�s offices, hospitals, and psychiatric wards, but I did. My focus, grades, and attendance all dropped. 

My Life Plan inevitably collapsed. 

I would later be diagnosed with anxiety, depression and ADHD, which would also add to the development of Emotionally Unstable (or Borderline) Personality Disorder. While I won't go into the details of these disorders, they had a massive effect on my life, particularly in my first year of University.  I barely attended anything in my first term and resigned myself to failure. I didn't submit assignments or make many friends, and mostly just drank alone. I wasn't in Oxford. I didn't have three A-Levels. I didn't have a good relationship with practically anyone. I eventually dropped out of first year entirely. 

I was living the opposite to My Life Plan.

I convinced myself that I was a failure, and that I had no value to anyone. I no longer even thought of the future, as if it wasn't going to be perfect, I believed I wouldn't have one at all. But there isn't a time limit on success. I thought that I had to have everything together by the time I was twenty-five, otherwise I'd failed. I was so full of guilt, I was ready to throw away my whole life. But along with psychiatric help and medication, I slowly began to understand my mental state, and get myself out of it. 

A symptom of EU/BPD is 'black and white thinking', AKA seeing a situation as entirely good or entirely bad. While this can be a symptom of EU/BPD, I believe it's something many people can relate to.

'If I can't be the best at something, why do it at all?'

'If I don't succeed, then I have failed.'

I saw myself as only a failure over that first year after dropping out of university. Ultimately, I learned that even at your absolute worst, you're still capable of good. I forced myself to accept the fact that I had done bad things, but I was still capable of change. My future didn't have to be empty. 

The world isn't goodies vs baddies. You aren't successful or unsuccessful. 

I'm now back in University, breaking for summer after first year. No, I may not be in Oxford. I didn't get all of my A Levels. It's likely that I'll continue to deal with mental health symptoms for a while yet. I've had to defer some of my assignments due to my health this year.

That's okay. 

I'm sure my Granddad would have loved it if I did achieve My Life Plan by twenty-five.

But I bet he wanted me to be kind, hardworking and happy even more.

Hello! I�m Rachel, a 19 year old Creative Writing student originally from Wales, currently studying at DeMontfort in Leicester. I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, ADHD, anxiety and depression. 

Lowering Stress

Lauren shares tips to lowering your stress levels when it all gets a bit too much.

- Lauren

Stress seems like quite a normal emotion, doesn�t it? Everyone can be a little stressed, whether it�s in their personal or professional lives, or possibly even both. But what happens when stress becomes so great that it is no longer manageable? Stress can have a negative impact on our mental health states, leading to illnesses like depression and anxiety. Here are the following steps I would recommend in taking to help manage it�

1.       If you notice yourself becoming too overwhelmed, take some time out to relax. Do something which will ease your mind of its worries. It could be an activity that you enjoy. There are mindfulness colouring books, which are designed to help people with stress, anxiety or depression. Or perhaps a bubble bath will help you to switch off.

2.       Talk to other people, it�s very easy when you are feeling stressed to shut others out, not wanting to burden them with your own worries and concerns. But talking to friends and family can help you to unload any issues or problems you may be having. There may also be someone feeling the exact same way that you are.

3.       Try learning some breathing techniques, through meditation or mindfulness, so that you can try and relieve yourself from some of the physical symptoms associated with stress. Controlling your breathing can also help you to clear your mind from anxiety ridden thought patterns.

4.       Exercising can be a great stress reliever, as it increases the endorphins in your body, which are responsible for your levels of happiness. I personally find this an immense help when dealing with periods of great stress and anxiety. Yoga is a form of exercise which can also help to teach you to control your breathing and be aware of your surroundings.

These are just a few ways of lowering stress, whilst it is important to note that stress is a normal emotion. When it becomes overwhelming to the point of affecting your own mental wellbeing, it is important to seek help and support to help aid recovery.

Hi, I'm Lauren, I am a first year student studying Social Work. I suffer from Depression, OCD and anxiety, I am writing for Student Minds to try and help others.

It�s Easier to Run

Michael discusses how he uses running to as a way to cope with depression and anxiety.

-Michael

For a long time I struggled with depression and social anxiety and my two ways of coping with these feelings, avoidance and distraction. Now, having learned how unhelpful these behaviours are for my mental health, I have developed a new way of coping, running, which has been massively beneficial for my wellbeing. Here, I recall the destructive impact of psychologically running away from my feelings through avoidance and distraction, and the benefit of physically running for my mental health.

Firstly, avoidance. I would run away from social contact. I was convinced that people would see me as I saw myself, and whilst I had become numb to my own pain, I found that, around others, I felt an expectation (real or imagined) that I could only disappoint, an intensified self-consciousness and humiliation, and a heightened sense of vulnerability and misplacement. I distanced and isolated myself, pushing away and shutting down anyone that tried to reach out to me.

Second, distraction. I would run through life as fast as I could to try and distract myself from how I was feeling: I was running away from myself. In my desire to distract myself, I became unhealthily occupied by my University studies. For me, study was simultaneously a manifestation, an excuse and a comfort for my isolation; a psychological space to channel my self-dissatisfaction as perfectionism, whilst at the same time being one where I didn�t have to face anyone and where I could pretend to myself and others that my isolation was a choice that I was in control of.

Clearly then, these safety behaviours were destructive. They exacerbated the very feelings and insecurities that I was running away from. I lost both confidence and practice in social situations which simply reinforced my beliefs of inadequacy and misplacement. It�s like the harder I ran away from my feelings, the bigger the shadow that I was running from became and the harder it became to face. It had become a cycle that felt impossible to break out of. Not only this, but in running away from myself and others, I ended up shutting down any opportunity to get help or support. Just as I felt I couldn�t run anymore, I reached the finish line: the line in my life were I was finished. I was finished running and I knew that I had to, with some help, make some changes.

This is why I decided to run the Edinburgh Marathon for Student Minds. I am running, but this time I am running as an enabling and empowering physical activity, not as a destructive psychological defence mechanism. In doing so, I hope both to raise funds for Student Minds and to raise awareness of student mental health issues and the support available. I am still running but now, with the direction and support provided by Student Minds, I am moving forward. Increasing my physical activity has massively benefitted my mental health: I am eating better, sleeping better and have so much more energy to cope with life�s pressures. Sometimes, it�s easier to run.

If you would like to donate, you can do here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/michaelpriestley2

Hi, I'm Michael. I'm currently a PhD student at Durham University and wanted to write for Student Minds about my own experiences of depression, anxiety and university life.

Coping with Stress

Tazmin shares her experience of stress at University and her tips for coping with it.

- Tazmin

Stress is a part of life, but when felt to an extreme level it can have life-damaging effects.

During and post-university you are going to be met with stress, but I believe part of the reason students become so stressed is because they�re surprised by how much pressure they�re feeling. You�re going to have moments in university where stress consumes you and if you already suffer with an anxiety disorder then the levels of stress, for you, may feel more extreme however, the ways you can deal with this are all the same.

Stress affects us all via our bodily responses, our thoughts and our behaviour. When recognising these symptoms, we can get a head start in learning how to recognise and manage them effectively.

Firstly, when you are feeling high stress every day, it can have an impact on your immune system, meaning you�re more likely to become ill and this illness will prolong itself � I�ve had a cough/cold for 6 weeks due to this fact � when I usually recover from them within 4-5 days at most.

Secondly, when we are feeling stressed, our mood will inevitably change, and we may feel high anxiety, fidgety and restless, overwhelmed, easily irritable or low and maybe even depressed. These changes in our mood then affect our behaviour, including changing the way we eat, causing bursts of anger, and causing us to use other substances more frequently, such as drugs and alcohol. We may also withdraw ourselves socially and naturally this can have effects on your personal relationships.

The effects of stress can be damaging and can prolong themselves in a way that impacts your mental and physical health. Therefore, there are a few things that must be said to attempt to prevent long withstanding stress levels - such as:

1. Don�t leave your work to the last minute, this should go without saying, but we�ve all done it and we�ve all felt the stress and pressure from doing so. It�s easy to say, �oh I�ve got plenty of time� and then BAM it�s May and you�re like �oh no I�ve got no time�

2. Get an academic diary and USE IT! It will help you feel more in control and know what�s what.

3. If you�re a relatively free-spirited individual who would benefit from a little structure, make a realistic timetable including all the current modules, coursework and exams to be completed.  Give a reasonable amount of time per item and stick to it! If it�s not working for you, be realistic and change it.

4. Have time for yourself as overworking yourself doesn�t help your immune system either. Sometimes people stress about not doing anything and feel guilty � but we need time to recuperate and relax. Let�s say you�ve just handed in your dissertation but have an exam next week you need to revise for. Take a night off, then get back into it. You�re allowed time for yourself.

5. Be active, don�t just wake up and go to the library everyday � get yourself a gym membership, or just go for a long walk every now and then. Do something active to get those endorphins pumping and your mind distracted.

Now, these few things may contribute to preventing stress but you�re still going to feel stressed � it�s university and it�s a big deal! You�re paying a lot of money and you may feel swamped with work. I mean, I was often referred to as a �stress head� during university and I did a lot of group work on my course and that energy can be infectious. If everyone around you is in the same boat and are talking non-stop about university and their work load, it can become overwhelming and you may feel like you need to take time out.

Be with you; watch your favourite show, go for a walk without your phone, take yourself away from the energy and know that with hard work � all will be ok.

To finish off, I have recently learnt a little Buddhist meditation practice that helps me when my mind starts going too fast with anxiety and wanted to share it. So, take a moment when you feel the stress taking over you, stop and look around you. Without judgement, in your head, or written down on paper think of:

5 things you can see
4 things you can hear
3 things you can touch or reach out to touch
2 things you can smell
1 deep breath

And remember, you got this. Don�t let stress tell you otherwise � okay?

Hey everyone, I�m Taz. My journey suffering with depression and anxiety has been and can continue to be a difficult one; but I would not be who I am today had I not accepted my illness and work hard to get better. I have recently graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a First in Film and Media Production. I�ve been writing my blog Awareness for over two years and it has been truly rewarding for me. I write about the things many people fear talking about � our wonderfully complex minds. I wish to encourage anyone suffering through university and offer them a helping hand. Happy reading. http://www.thehappyhead.co.uk/

How to prevent stress overflow: the stress bucket

Emma shares a useful analogy about stress to help students manage their stressors. 

- Emma Pratt

Stress is something that most of us feel the weight of regularly in our lives. From trying to juggle multiple deadlines, to revision, to trying to maintain a social life outside of university. However, there is a way to reduce it, and it only takes a few minutes of writing and planning (perhaps a task to do in your revision break!). Trust me, the stress this will save you is more than worth the effort it takes to do.

Recently, I learned that (and bear with me here) we can all be thought of as buckets for collecting stress � our stress being represented by the level of liquid within the bucket. We may have multiple taps pouring (stress) into our bucket; these can be anything from deadlines, to finding time for relationships, to noisy neighbours, but they usually fall into four categories:

� Academic � something that we as students are all too aware of

� Intrapersonal � stuff that affects us as individuals (e.g. eating a balanced diet)

� Interpersonal � anything to do with other people (e.g. a strained friendship)

� Environmental � things in the space around us (broken fridge, messy room etc.)

Eventually, these taps will pour so much stress into our bucket that it will overflow and we can be left feeling overwhelmed, down and de-motivated. 

There is a way out though! At the bottom of each of our buckets are more taps. These are the helpful kind as they can release some of the stress in our buckets, creating a buffer and reducing the risk of stress overflow. These taps are our coping mechanisms.

We have two main types of coping mechanism: problem-focused and emotion-focused. They involve either looking at our situation and engaging in behaviours to actively reduce stress levels � for example delegating tasks if your group-work is becoming overwhelming (problem-focused) or having a nice warm bath at the end of the day as you know this relaxes you (emotion focused). Both are helpful, so it may be useful to take some time to write a small list of behaviours you can engage in which include a mixture of coping strategies. By doing this, you�ve given yourself a tool to refer to when you feel stress overflow beginning to creep in.

Steps to prevent your bucket from overflowing:

1. Identify the source(s) of your stress.
2. Look at any unhelpful behaviours you engage in which may decrease stress in the short term, but only serve to recycle your stress and add to it in the long run (procrastination does count here, sorry!).
3. Think about ways you can counteract the source of your stress (problem-focused strategies) and start doing them! For example, if your financial situation is stressing you out, counteract this by creating a budgeting plan or setting up a meeting with your bank.
4. Consider some strategies to ease some of the negative emotions associated with stress, things that make you feel good � maybe an activity that relaxes you or spending time with people you love.

Some times of year are more stressful than others, and some people are more prone to suffering from the effects of stress, so it is important to be mindful of where your own stress levels are at. 

The key to remember is that you are the master of your own stress levels and you control the taps. If you take a few minutes to think how you can increase the number of stress-relieving taps, and minimise the stress-receiving ones in your own life, you may be surprised by the benefits!

You can find a video summary of this analogy, as well as some techniques to promote relaxation and wellbeing, at the mindwell website.

Hi everyone! I�m Emma and I study Psychology at King�s College London. I�m currently on a placement year working in the NHS � so (hopefully!) I can combine what I�ve learnt on placement with my experience as a student in my writing. I haven�t got much of a background in blogging/writing but I look forward to sharing my take on mental health and student life. I�m really excited to be able to contribute to the Student Minds blog as mental wellbeing is a topic I love to talk about and should never be overlooked!