Coronavirus isolation, updates, and a new project about mental health for PhDs
It’s been a very long time since I’ve written for this blog. Very quick update: It’s been a little over 2 years since I officially got my PhD and I’m now paid full-time to write! That was a big step in my life. I’m still in New York, and I’m still living with friends. I do have a cat now! (See above.) And in the post I’ll also get into why I’m thinking about mental health for PhD students.
Life updates
Now that I’ve been in isolation for nearly 4 weeks, I’ve had more time to think about what I want to write about here on my blog. I’ve written a coronavirus blog post on Medium about my thoughts on that.
I started as a health writer for Changing America, a new section of The Hill, in October 2019. Six months later, I do feel productive being able to write about coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic for work. But I think I need to do more.
But I’ve also been thinking about how I can help people. That leads me to a new project I’ve been thinking about on and off for a few years. I want to create a space for PhD students to share their stories anonymously.
PhD Woes: Mental Health for PhDs
I’ve be thinking back periodically about my time as a PhD student because I have a friend here in New York who is in the middle of a program. I remember the strife I went through, and try to be a good listener for her when she needs it. She’s recently decided to look for a job and quit the PhD, mostly because her supervisor is a jerk.
Talking to my friend week after week leading up to this decision, I can see that she’s struggled to come to this point. It is difficult to end something before it’s done. No one likes that feeling. But in some cases, it’s the best choice for the person, and others looking in from the outside should try not to judge them for it.
I think it’s important for people who are struggling in their PhD programs, because most are, to find stories from other people who are having similar struggles. No one will have the same exact problem, but we can all commiserate on how much doing a PhD can suck.
Graduate students have mental health issues in part because they don’t feel like they can talk about their problems. Or they don’t feel like they have anyone that would relate to them. They feel like they are suffering alone. Yes, part of doing a PhD is that you do suffer alone, but that should be suffering in the name of doing the work, not suffering because of a dick lab mate or abusive supervisor.
Mental health for PhD students is especially important because they often don’t know how long it’s going to take to complete their work and the work feels never-ending. There’s a lot of uncertainty and very little control in some cases.
So if you are reading this and concerned about your mental health for PhD life and would like to share your story anonymously, or if you’d like to share advice or a story about a specific incident, get in touch with me! I’m calling the project PhD Woes for now, but more details are to come.
