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The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health

PhDs are renowned for being stressful and when you add a global pandemic into the mix it’s no surprise that many students are struggling with their mental health. Unfortunately this can often lead to PhD fatigue which may eventually lead to burnout.

In this post we’ll explore what academic burnout is and how it comes about, then discuss some tips I picked up for managing mental health during my own PhD.

Please note that I am by no means an expert in this area. I’ve worked in seven different labs before, during and after my PhD so I have a fair idea of research stress but even so, I don’t have all the answers.

If you’re feeling burnt out or depressed and finding the pressure too much, please reach out to friends and family or give the Samaritans a call to talk things through.

Note – This post, and its follow on about maintaining PhD motivation were inspired by a reader who asked for recommendations on dealing with PhD fatigue. I love hearing from all of you, so if you have any ideas for topics which you, or others, could find useful please do let me know either in the comments section below or by getting in contact . Or just pop me a message to say hi. 🙂

This post is part of my PhD mindset series, you can check out the full series below:

PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health (this part!)
PhD Motivation: How to Stay Driven From Cover Letter to Completion
How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Studying

What is PhD Burnout?

Whenever I’ve gone anywhere near social media relating to PhDs I see overwhelmed PhD students who are some combination of overwhelmed, de-energised or depressed.

Specifically I often see Americans talking about the importance of talking through their PhD difficulties with a therapist, which I find a little alarming. It’s great to seek help but even better to avoid the need in the first place.

Sadly, none of this is unusual. As this survey shows, depression is common for PhD students and of note: at higher levels than for working professionals.

All of these feelings can be connected to academic burnout.

The World Health Organisation classifies burnout as a syndrome with symptoms of:

– Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; – Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; – Reduced professional efficacy. Symptoms of burnout as classified by the WHO. Source .

This often leads to students falling completely out of love with the topic they decided to spend years of their life researching!

The pandemic has added extra pressures and constraints which can make it even more difficult to have a well balanced and positive PhD experience. Therefore it is more important than ever to take care of yourself, so that not only can you continue to make progress in your project but also ensure you stay healthy.

What are the Stages of Burnout?

Psychologists Herbert Freudenberger and Gail North developed a 12 stage model of burnout. The following graphic by The Present Psychologist does a great job at conveying each of these.

I don’t know about you, but I can personally identify with several of the stages and it’s scary to see how they can potentially lead down a path to complete mental and physical burnout. I also think it’s interesting that neglecting needs (stage 3) happens so early on. If you check in with yourself regularly you can hopefully halt your burnout journey at that point.

PhDs can be tough but burnout isn’t an inevitability. Here are a few suggestions for how you can look after your mental health and avoid academic burnout.

Overcoming PhD Burnout

Manage your energy levels, maintaining energy levels day to day.

Eat well and eat regularly. Try to avoid nutritionless high sugar foods which can play havoc with your energy levels. Instead aim for low GI food . Maybe I’m just getting old but I really do recommend eating some fruit and veg. My favourite book of 2021, How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reduce Disease , is well worth a read. Not a fan of veggies? Either disguise them or at least eat some fruit such as apples and bananas. Sliced apple with some peanut butter is a delicious and nutritious low GI snack. Check out my series of posts on cooking nutritious meals on a budget.
Get enough sleep. It doesn’t take PhD-level research to realise that you need to rest properly if you want to avoid becoming exhausted! How much sleep someone needs to feel well-rested varies person to person, so I won’t prescribe that you get a specific amount, but 6-9 hours is the range typically recommended. Personally, I take getting enough sleep very seriously and try to get a minimum of 8 hours.

A side note on caffeine consumption: Do PhD students need caffeine to survive?

In a word, no!

Although a culture of caffeine consumption goes hand in hand with intense work, PhD students certainly don’t need caffeine to survive. How do I know? I didn’t have any at all during my own PhD. In fact, I wrote a whole post about it .

By all means consume as much caffeine as you want, just know that it doesn’t have to be a prerequisite for successfully completing a PhD.

Maintaining energy throughout your whole PhD

Pace yourself. As I mention later in the post I strongly recommend treating your PhD like a normal full-time job. This means only working 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday. Doing so could help realign your stress, anxiety and depression levels with comparatively less-depressed professional workers . There will of course be times when this isn’t possible and you’ll need to work longer hours to make a certain deadline. But working long hours should not be the norm. It’s good to try and balance the workload as best you can across the whole of your PhD. For instance, I often encourage people to start writing papers earlier than they think as these can later become chapters in your thesis. It’s things like this that can help you avoid excess stress in your final year.
Take time off to recharge. All work and no play makes for an exhausted PhD student! Make the most of opportunities to get involved with extracurricular activities (often at a discount!). I wrote a whole post about making the most of opportunities during your PhD . PhD students should have time for a social life, again I’ve written about that . Also give yourself permission to take time-off day to day for self care, whether that’s to go for a walk in nature, meet friends or binge-watch a show on Netflix. Even within a single working day I often find I’m far more efficient when I break up my work into chunks and allow myself to take time off in-between. This is also a good way to avoid procrastination!

Reduce Stress and Anxiety

During your PhD there will inevitably be times of stress. Your experiments may not be going as planned, deadlines may be coming up fast or you may find yourself pushed too far outside of your comfort zone. But if you manage your response well you’ll hopefully be able to avoid PhD burnout. I’ll say it again: stress does not need to lead to burnout!

Everyone is unique in terms of what works for them so I’d recommend writing down a list of what you find helpful when you feel stressed, anxious or sad and then you can refer to it when you next experience that feeling.

I’ve created a mental health reminders print-out to refer to when times get tough. It’s available now in the resources library (subscribe for free to get the password!).

Below are a few general suggestions to avoid PhD burnout which work for me and you may find helpful.

Exercise. When you’re feeling down it can be tough to motivate yourself to go and exercise but I always feel much better for it afterwards. When we exercise it helps our body to adapt at dealing with stress, so getting into a good habit can work wonders for both your mental and physical health. Why not see if your uni has any unusual sports or activities you could try? I tried scuba diving and surfing while at Imperial! But remember, exercise doesn’t need to be difficult. It could just involve going for a walk around the block at lunch or taking the stairs rather than the lift.
Cook / Bake. I appreciate that for many people cooking can be anything but relaxing, so if you don’t enjoy the pressure of cooking an actual meal perhaps give baking a go. Personally I really enjoy putting a podcast on and making food. Pinterest and Youtube can be great visual places to find new recipes.
Let your mind relax. Switching off is a skill and I’ve found meditation a great way to help clear my mind. It’s amazing how noticeably different I can feel afterwards, having not previously been aware of how many thoughts were buzzing around! Yoga can also be another good way to relax and be present in the moment. My partner and I have been working our way through 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene on Youtube and I’d recommend it as a good way to ease yourself in. As well as being great for your mind, yoga also ticks the box for exercise!
Read a book. I’ve previously written about the benefits of reading fiction * and I still believe it’s one of the best ways to relax. Reading allows you to immerse yourself in a different world and it’s a great way to entertain yourself during a commute.

* Wondering how I got something published in Science ? Read my guide here .

Talk It Through

Meet with your supervisor. Don’t suffer in silence, if you’re finding yourself struggling or burned out raise this with your supervisor and they should be able to work with you to find ways to reduce the pressure. This may involve you taking some time off, delegating some of your workload, suggesting an alternative course of action or signposting you to services your university offers.

Also remember that facing PhD-related challenges can be common. I wrote a whole post about mine in case you want to cheer yourself up! We can’t control everything we encounter, but we can control our response.

A free self-care checklist is also now available in the resources library , providing ideas to stay healthy and avoid PhD burnout.

Top Tips for Avoiding PhD Burnout

On top of everything we’ve covered in the sections above, here are a few overarching tips which I think could help you to avoid PhD burnout:

Work sensible hours . You shouldn’t feel under pressure from your supervisor or anyone else to be pulling crazy hours on a regular basis. Even if you adore your project it isn’t healthy to be forfeiting other aspects of your life such as food, sleep and friends. As a starting point I suggest treating your PhD as a 9-5 job. About a year into my PhD I shared how many hours I was working .
Reduce your use of social media. If you feel like social media could be having a negative impact on your mental health, why not try having a break from it?
Do things outside of your PhD . Bonus points if this includes spending time outdoors, getting exercise or spending time with friends. Basically, make sure the PhD isn’t the only thing occupying both your mental and physical ife.
Regularly check in on how you’re feeling. If you wait until you’re truly burnt out before seeking help, it is likely to take you a long time to recover and you may even feel that dropping out is your only option. While that can be a completely valid choice I would strongly suggest to check in with yourself on a regular basis and speak to someone early on (be that your supervisor, or a friend or family member) if you find yourself struggling.

I really hope that this post has been useful for you. Nothing is more important than your mental health and PhD burnout can really disrupt that. If you’ve got any comments or suggestions which you think other PhD scholars could find useful please feel free to share them in the comments section below.

You can subscribe for more content here:

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PhD Burnout (and How to Avoid It)

Hannah completed her PhD this year and is a Senior Content Writer here at FindAPhD. Her research focused on Early Modern English seafarers. Having finished a PhD, Hannah has a strong grasp on the student experiencve and the multiple academic and time pressures faced by PhD students

As a fourth year PhD student, I am well acquainted with burnout. No energy, self-doubt and, worst of all, feeling numb. Unfortunately, many postgraduate students will push themselves to this point. While I can’t say I’m any different, my few years around the block have taught me that it’s never necessary and can often do more harm than good.

It’s time to put your feet up. Whether you’re currently studying a PhD, applying, or in the middle of another postgraduate programme, it’s time for a break. And I’m going to teach you how.

Schedule it

Probably the most obvious piece of advice is to schedule when your break will begin. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your work. You think tweaking your research proposal won’t hurt or why not get ahead on some reading. But if you’re thinking about work you’re not taking a break.

How you schedule your break will depend on you. I personally like to set myself work deadlines. Once I’ve finished this chapter, I’m on holiday even if I finish it early. For others, the super workaholics, decide a day when you’ll close all the tabs and rest for a week or two.

Plan distracting treats

While putting down the pens sounds simple enough, switching off your brain is a whole other game. You’re going to have to rest tactically. It’s you against the enemy. Luckily, the enemy is yourself (or rather the work goblin inhabiting your brain).

Plan things you want to do. The less effort the better. Play that 60-hour video game you’ve been eyeing, read that 1,300-page fantasy novel or even splash some paint on a canvas. The treats need to be distracting but not too much effort. Put aside the chores and indulge yourself guilt free! The point is to just exist and not worry about being productive.

Taking care of your mental health as a PhD student

Life as a postgraduate student can be stressful. We've put together some tips to tackle stress and take care of yourself!

Be willing to say no

If you’ve been working like a horse then you might have become a little antisocial. That’s ok and it’s also ok to stay that way a little longer if need be. The holidays are a popular time for people to travel and meet up with friends and family that don’t live nearby. If all that sounds exhausting to you, be open to saying no.

Of course, don’t become a full hermit – that’s never healthy. Instead, manage your load wisely. Maybe people could come to you this year, or you could meet halfway. Only go to one meetup instead of two or three. Just don’t break your back travelling if you know it will tire you out. The goal is to come back from your rest refreshed, not more exhausted. While this might mean missing out on some things, there’s always next year.

Do not check your emails

My final piece of advice is to not check your emails. If you’ve successfully managed to do all the above steps, you’ll probably get the itch to do some work before your break is over. You might think that replying to an email or two won't do any harm. Well you’re wrong.

The itch is a good thing. It means you’ve managed to rest and are ready to start work again. But that doesn’t mean you should when you still have holiday left. Take your university emails off your phone and enjoy the break for as long as possible. If you start to struggle maybe it’s time for another distracting and indulgent treat. Don’t let the work goblin take back control!

I hope these tips will help you get some much deserved rest. Ultimately, you’re the one who knows what you need and when, so listen to yourself.

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Grad School Burnout is Real – Here are the Symptoms

by Meagan Layton, PhD | Aug 25, 2021 | Self-Care , Student & Intern Resources | 1 comment

A frazzled female graduate student experiencing burnout sitting at a desk with piles of paper.

At times, graduate school seems synonymous with burnout – it is a multi-year, grueling process of hurdle after hurdle.

There is often a mentality in graduate programs that this suffering is a rite of passage of sorts, an initiation that all therapists before us endured and overcame before entering the profession.

However, the reality is that these expectations and this laissez-faire attitude, when left unchecked, can produce burnout that is of detriment to not only the physical and mental health of graduate students, but also to their productivity and quality of work. Unfortunately, for many in the psychology field, this experience does not end with graduate school.

The Additional Demands of a Therapist in Training

As humans, we all face personal, social, and environmental stressors throughout our life that can lead to emotional and physical distress.

However, as therapists in training, we are faced with the additional demands of a profession that is filled with chronic stress, with the stress coming from such things as working with challenging clients , managing paperwork, dealing with finances, and, most importantly, bearing witness to the suffering of others.

As a result, therapists in training are particularly prone to experience burnout . In a national survey of 562 licensed psychologists, over 60% reported moderate to high levels of emotional exhaustion. [2]

Higher rates of burnout were associated with being younger, having a lower income, feeling a lack of mastery or being over-involved with clients, and working in the public sector. On the other hand, the number of clients seen and social support outside of the workplace were not found to be related to burnout.

Surprisingly, despite the emotional demands of their jobs, less than 5% of the psychologists reported experiencing a lack of personal accomplishment, and over 75% reported that they would still stay in psychology if they could live their lives over again.

Being a therapist is a rewarding profession, and most of us love what we do. However, some large stressors are inherent in this field, and care should be taken to avoid burnout.

What Does Burnout Look Like?

According to Maslach and colleagues [3], there are three dimensions of burnout. These dimensions often overlap, but it is also possible only to experience one or two at any given time.

Dimension #1: Exhaustion

Exhaustion is explicitly stated in the definition of burnout, and it is a telltale sign that you may be experiencing burnout. It can come in multiple forms, and you may experience one or multiple of the following types of exhaustion (with symptoms listed below):

Physical Exhaustion

“If I close my eyes just for a second I will fall asleep.”

Difficulty sleeping
Changes to appetite
Persistent fatigue
Increased frequency of illness or other physical symptoms (e.g., headaches)

Emotional Exhaustion

“If one more bad thing happens today I am going to cry.”

Symptoms of anxiety
Symptoms of depression

Mental Exhaustion

“My brain feels like mush and I cannot think myself out of a paper bag.”

Reduced concentration
Memory problems
Poor attention

Dimension #2: Depersonalization

Depersonalization occurs when you try to detach or distance yourself from your clients so as not to see them as human beings, but rather as just part of the job.

This results in cynicism and a feeling of indifference for the people you work with. Although some boundaries are important in preventing burnout, depersonalization may reflect that you are disconnecting from your clients, which can drastically damage the therapeutic alliance and thus the clients’ outcomes.

Be on the lookout for:

Not being “present” with the client in the room (e.g., zoning out)
Getting reactions from the client that suggest you are not on the same page or you do not understand them
Being less diligent with responding to clients (e.g., returning calls or emails)
Experiencing greater impatience or less understanding with the people you interact with

Also, be aware that this can spill over into your personal life (e.g., isolating yourself from others).

Dimension #3: Lack of Personal Accomplishment

Burnout can result in feeling ineffective in the workplace and can appear in a number of different ways:

Feeling Useless

In your role as a therapist, you may feel hopeless about your ability to help your clients. You might hear yourself saying “Why do I even bother?” or “What is the use?” This may result from being emotionally drained or detached from your work but can lead to less fulfillment in your job.

Poor Productivity or Performance

If the quality and/or quantity of your work has decreased, this may be a sign that you are experiencing burnout. This may also present itself in acts of avoiding work, such as coming in late, leaving early, calling in sick, or even leaving a job altogether.

Poor Job Satisfaction

It makes sense that someone may be less satisfied by their job if they do not feel personal achievements at work. Although it may be difficult to identify whether we are doing a “good” or a “bad” job, it is much easier to for us to say “Am I enjoying this?” Therefore, loss of enjoyment in your work may be a first clue that burnout is present.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, it is important that you take note immediately and begin to address how you can approach your job so as to reduce the impact of burnout.

The next article in this series will discuss strategies that you can use to prevent burnout before it occurs and treat burnout if it does happen to you.

This  article was originally published on July 1, 2018.

[1] Freudenberger, H. J. (1975). The staff burn-out syndrome in alternative institutions. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 12, 73-82.

[2] Ackerley, G. D., Burnell, J., Holder, D. C., and Kurdek, L. A. (1988). Burnout among licensed psychologists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 19 (6), 624-631.

Recent Posts

Grad School Burnout is Real – Here are the Symptoms - August 25, 2021
Yes, You Can Overcome Grad School Burnout – Here’s How - September 12, 2016

Great article source to read. Thank you for sharing this.

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How to cope with life changes and burnout after PhD thesis submission? [closed]

The last year has been ridiculously difficult. I can easily say it has been 90h weeks 12 months in a row, with the hours taken of rest being vastly overshadowed by intense guilt (over not using that time to work) and inadequacy. I produced a lot of research, published 5 new papers, and produced a thesis which is now submitted for evaluation. On the day I submitted it (about a month ago), I couldn't even read a single sentence and maintain focus - that's how severe my burnout was. My sense of not being good enough permeated every aspect of my being.

I'm finding myself now getting better, slowly and surely. But the brain fog is ridiculously severe. I don't think I have lost intelligence, but the lack of care I feel for my current position as a research assistant eclipses all output I know I'm otherwise capable of producing (or used to be, anyway). On top of that, I feel more tired than usual. I easily need 1-2 more sleep in a day. Normally, I'd be exceptionally motivated to work out, and now I really could not care less. I adopted this "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." attitude, in hopes to be kinder and gentler to myself as opposed to the whoo-tshh (whipping sounds) dictator I had employed to stay on track in my madness PhD.

I cannot fathom a job in this field anymore, I cannot stand the endless thinking up of made-up projects to pursue research grants. I want out of academia, and this both excites and terrifies me. I feel largely inadequate as a computer scientist joining industry post-PhD because I just spent 3 years of my life not getting industry experience.

I feel lost. Like there's a daily existential crisis. I don't know what to do with my life, and what's worse, I don't even know if I'll recover from this. I mean, what even is this? PTSD? Burnout? Needing a break after excruciating intense labour and emotional distress?

How can I deal with the life changes and the drop in motivation after having submitted my PhD? How do I deal with the remaining burnout?

21 Are you seeing a counselor, or similar professional? – Nate Eldredge Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 11:48
3 Nope. It's hard to afford that when my life is in complete flux with needing to choose where to go next (job, country). I suppose I can speak to my PhD counselor, if that is still an option. Why do you suggest this? – User293727 Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 11:50
9 I said these issues are "not un common", i.e. they are pretty common. – Nate Eldredge Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 12:12
12 I don't find a question here, just a plea. But, let me, at least, give some perspective. You've just won a marathon. It was especially difficult at the end but you pushed through to success. Your body gave out after you passed the finish and you collapsed, hopefully into the arms of loved-ones. At the moment, you don't even want to think about ever running, or even moving, again. Your coach and medical advisors will help you back into a normal state in which you can plan your next steps. But it is too early to think of that now. You just need to recover. Life isn't always like that last mile. – Buffy Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 12:52
2 Continuing my analogy, I have a friend who blew out his knees running marathons. He now rides a bicycle and does much better with the more measured and less punishing pace it affords. You don't need to give up everything or move into a cave. Find some professional help to help you decompress, as others have suggested. – Buffy Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 13:13

7 Answers 7

The first thing to do is to get rid of the 90 hour weeks, and resolve never to get back into that trap. There is a lot of experience suggesting that the maximum weekly output for intellectual jobs is produced at around 40 hours a week. Going beyond that reduces actual production, because of more mistakes and less creative thought. Your mileage may vary, but it would be very unusual for 90 hours to be optimal.

You need to accept that sleep, exercise, relaxation, and social life are all essential to achieving maximum productivity when working, and to general mental and physical health. If you feel intense guilt when not working, and cannot change that by yourself, you may need some sort of counseling to help you get a healthier attitude.

The mental issues you describe could just be because you got into a bad habit of working too long and relaxing too little. On the other hand, there could be an underlying problem that needs a professional. I am not qualified to evaluate that, and agree with the suggestion in comments that you should consider counseling.

18 @User293727 So you've had two weeks of rest after a stressful year of working 225% time and you wonder why you haven't recharged yet? I admit I'm not sure how long it's "supposed" to take, but two weeks of holiday (no, work doesn't really count) sounds awfully short compared to what you've put yourself through. – Anyon Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 12:57
4 @Anyon you know, when you put it in perspective like that, it does seem silly of me to expect such rapid improvements... I suppose I was hoping to exert the same discipline and willpower onto recovery. But alas, seems I've run out of it. – User293727 Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 13:08
3 Personally I can recommend hiking in the mountains for a week or two. It eliminates the feeling of being guilty of not working (enough), because one simply CANNOT work or actively prepare your „life after PhD“ while doing this, while presenting a different rewarding challenge at the same time. Good for your mind. – jvb Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 14:38
2 Discipline and willpower are not what one needs for effective relaxation. You need to turn them off, and just relax. If you enjoy hiking, go hike. If there is some TV show you like that you have not had time to watch, binge watch... – Patricia Shanahan Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 15:32
1 @User293727 After I finished all my classes and thesis defense for my master's degree, I didn't start working or work on any research for more than 3 months. I am very glad I took my sweet time finding a job and resting up. – Kevin Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 22:39

First of all: congratulations on submitting your thesis and on publishing 5 papers! That's a tremendous effort!

I was in a somewhat similar situation to you in that the last 9 months or so of my PhD involved ridiculous hours and a lot of uncertainty around getting results and having access to equipment etc. It can be hugely stressful, and for months one builds up this expectation that with submitting the thesis all of this stress will just magically disappear and be replaced by elation, happiness, and fulfillment. Unfortunately in reality submitting my thesis (and later passing my viva) were two hugely anti-climactic experiences.

I was suddenly without a purpose, and without a plan (with respect to my career). Ever since I was a child I wanted to be a scientist, and later this had morphed into more tangible goals like "getting a PhD" and "working in academia". After my PhD I had achieved the first goal, but I didn't really want to work in "the real" academia anymore.

After my viva I soon wanted to get back into reading non-scientific books, as that's something that was very much on the back-burner during the PhD, but I found my attention span to be extremely short and my motivation to keep reading was very low. It took me about 3 months before my hunger for reading and new knowledge came back.

Figuring out what I wanted to do career-wise took a lot longer for me, and involved many hours of often somewhat circular conversations with friends and family (plus probably hundreds of hours of soul-searching on my own) over many months.

I realise that none of this really answers your questions, but I think they're also going to be fairly individual answers for everyone. However, I found the following to be hugely helpful:

If you can, take some time off from academia/work to spend time with friends/family and/or do something you love but you had to compromise on a lot during the PhD (for me that was travelling and spending time in the outdoors).
Without putting too much pressure on yourself with regards to timeframes and the like, start doing some research into options that could be attractive to you (through reading interesting books, lots of long articles, etc on a huge variety of topics I stumbled across a lot of interesting options, started following interesting companies, joined FB groups, observed, thought about what it would really be like to work in these areas, etc.). I went through lots of iterations of wildly different career paths before I arrived where I am today (actually surprisingly close to my PhD, but in industry).
Regarding the lack of industry experience: everyone was in the same boat once. I think this is about finding a company that values the experience and the knowledge you gained throughout your PhD and is willing to invest in you as a person (intelligent, educated, hard-working, willing to learn, quick at grasping new concepts, self-sufficient but able to work in a team, able to achieve long-term goals, etc.) rather than hiring an employee who can hit the ground running (i.e. a company worth investing your time and effort into). In my experience there's companies who are looking for people like us, and they're great, and there's companies that are looking for something else, and they'd probably not be a good match for us either.

Probably a bit of a rambly post, but maybe the two big take home messages from this should be:

You're definitely not the only one who feels like this!
It will work out! It'll take different amounts of time for everyone, but there are lots of options and lots of different paths!

Although a mental health professional may certainly be able to help, a time-honored cure for your problem, that I think is almost guaranteed to be of some help, is to take a vacation . Two-three weeks in a nice, relaxed setting, preferably in a warm, exotic locale, will do wonders for your state of mind and help you look at your situation more clearly and think about your future, which, by the sound of it, is much rosier than you seem to think it is.

Congratulations on handing in your CS dissertation. It’s a fantastic achievement that would make most people (including those who spent the last three years in industry, I assure you) green with envy.

OP mentioned in a comment that they have already taken two weeks of vacation. – Nate Eldredge Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 22:03
4 @NateEldredge then I’d suggest taking more vacation, since the first time clearly wasn’t enough to recover from the period of overwork. – Dan Romik Commented Sep 4, 2019 at 22:57

I adopted this " You don't have to do anything you don't want to do ." attitude, in hopes to be kinder and gentler to myself...

So it was all worthwhile then. The value of an experience isn't always what you expect it to be.

I want out of academia, and this both excites and terrifies me. I feel largely inadequate as a computer scientist joining industry post-PhD because I just spent 3 years of my life not getting industry experience.

You had your experience, and learned something from it, and now you'll try something new with the benefit of that knowledge. This is life.

If "computer science" and "industry" are in reference to programming, then you can get some more experience based on your own interests by finding an open-source project to contribute to at your own pace.

I don't know what to do with my life...

Instead of struggling to find something to do with your life (for something new), you can focus on maintenance and preparedness. Do you have a bunch of junk to get rid of? Is your non-junk well organized? Do you have any health issues you need to address? Is your bathroom clean?

Are you prepared to receive what you only dare to dream of?

it sounds like you're depressed. I've felt very much like this. In my case it was triggered by reaching a point where I thought I had achieved my major life goals, and had no new goals to work towards. You'll get better but it may take some time and some help from a medical professional.

I suggest you explore opportunities for new creative or artistic endeavours, spend time with friends, make new friends etc. In my case I took up music (writing, learning, performing, playing in a band). You may not even have to make any big professional/academic changes, but it could help to do something fresh or different professionally for a while.

I'm finding myself now getting better, slowly and surely.

Well, from your description - not quite. That is, not surely, and in some respects you're now experiencing the repercussions of working yourself to the bone.

the lack of care I feel for my current position as a research assistant eclipses all

After you come back from your vacation , see if you still feel the same. If you do, it's time to remind yourself, or perhaps ask yourself "Why did I do this in the first place?" - and then re-assess whether you've achieved that goal; whether you want to continue following it ( not in 90h work-weeks, nor in 50h work-weeks either); whether you want to try something else (for now or permanently).

Remember, though! You've not "lost" or "wasted" anything - except your peace-of-mind and physical health perhaps.

output I know I'm otherwise capable of producing (or used to be, anyway).

You're not a paper mill, you're a person. Stop thinking about imaginary theoretically-producible "output".

On top of that, I feel more tired than usual. I easily need 1-2 more sleep in a day.

When you're stressed out, in an anxiety spell, and/or depressed - your sleep suffers too. You don't sleep as well. That's why you feel you need more sleep, and at the same time - even that sleep is not enough. Consult your physician. He may or may not prescribe some sort of super-mild anti-anxiety medication if your sleep trouble is serious. In parallel, consider an appropriate physical/meditative activity; I have found Yoga to be helpful, but YMMV.

Normally, I'd be exceptionally motivated to work out, and now I really could not care less.

"work out" sounds like something very intensive and not very relaxing, which gets your adrenaline pumping. Like I said above, perhaps something with less "grrr!"

I adopted this "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do."

... but it seems like you're beating yourself up about it. Remember this is not a binary thing; and it's not permanent. So: "For a while, you don't have to do all those things you don't want to."

Also, I'm guessing this doesn't help with the fact that you're not really sure what it is that you want.

I cannot fathom a job in this field anymore, I cannot stand the endless thinking up of made-up projects to pursue research grants.

... which is why - after your vacation - think of what it is that you actually want to do as an academic. And if there's no such thing - then your job search should probably focus, at least partially, on out-of-academia positions. This is not "failing" - because your goals have changed.

I feel largely inadequate as a computer scientist joining industry post-PhD because I just spent 3 years of my life not getting industry experience.

You're quite adequate - believe you me (and I'm a CSer who entered industry after academia, then back again, then back again).
Most industry experience is bad industry experience.
Industry needs people with academic experience.
If you worked 90h weeks, you got the industry experience of some places in industry...
When you leave academia you'll understand what "inadequate" really means.
Forget about adequacy - and think about finding something interesting to do in industry.

I feel lost.

Many, including myself, have been in your shoes - and worse. Hope this answer helps a bit. Don't try to snap yourself back to full working condition at once. It's a process.

I feel lost. Like there's a daily existential crisis. I don't know what to do with my life, and what's worse, I don't even know if I'll recover from this.

You need to keep in contact with people - not online, but physically. Visit friends and family. You don't have to repeat everything to every one of them, but try to be open to letting them cheer you up a bit about life.

It's post coital tristesse. You shot your wad. Seriously, though. As grim as the battle is, it can be sad when the combat is over. Those 90 hour weeks had a sort of joy of the struggle to them.

Can't help you on academia. There are a lot of twidgety aspects to it. Can't say industry is perfect either, though. But these issues exist whether you are just done with thesis or not.

Take some industry job interviews. Don't even worry (too much) about getting the offer...although that would be nice. But get yourself on the market. It will change your mindset to be going after something. And it will force you to get out of your own head...because of the person on the other end.

Go for some bike rides. Doesn't have to be in "cardio mode". But just get out and move a little and breath the vitamin D-shine.

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Tips for Beating Burnout in Graduate School

Claire Dunphy, MA; Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology, Fordham University

Jennifer mandelbaum, mph; doctoral student in public health, university of south carolina, mary martinelli, ma; doctoral student in clinical psychology, drexel university.

Graduate students in the health field are typically expected to balance many roles and responsibilities involving mentally and often physically taxing work. Therefore, it’s no surprise that so many grad students experience burnout, which usually takes the form of emotional and physical exhaustion in response to chronic work-related stress. While burnout isn’t a new concept, its prevalence in higher education settings is a relatively new area of focus. Therefore, it is very important to stay healthy during graduate school. Here are some quick tips for preventing, recognizing, and addressing burnout in graduate school health programs and beyond:

Tips for preventing burnout:

When it comes to life balance in graduate programs, look for long-term strategies that will have a deep impact on the way you allocate your time.

Say “no” to the culture of overwork

In academia especially, we often view overwork in a positive light and wear it as a badge of honor. At any career stage, though, it’s important to set firm boundaries. If you feel that you are overworking, have an open conversation with your advisor around expectations and priorities. Do you always make yourself available, no matter how full your schedule is? Do you work through the weekend? These habits can fuel burnout. Be wary of overextending yourself, and learn how to say “no” or delegate tasks. Remember, saying “no” to one thing might allow you to say “yes” to something more meaningful.

Consistently prioritize your mental and physical health.

Prioritizing wellbeing allows us to approach our daily tasks with energy, focus, and enthusiasm. Establish healthy habits while you are obtaining your graduate degree so you can carry these habits into your post-grad life. Regular exercise will provide you with increased energy and productivity, as well as help you get a good night’s sleep. Eating a healthy diet low in sugar, refined carbs, and caffeine can also improve your energy levels. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and other relaxation techniques can reduce the impact of stress on your body. Above all, don’t wait until you feel overwhelmed to make time for self-care.

Find activities that feed your soul...

...rather than drain your energy. You might embrace your creative side or get back into a favorite hobby. Having outlets that allow you to explore or rediscover interests during your graduate studies can be a powerful motivator and stress-reducer. Slow down and give yourself time to reflect on what’s important to you.

Tips for recognizing burnout:

Check in with yourself mindfully and nonjudgmentally: how are you feeling.

Take frequent inventory of how you’re feeling physically and emotionally. Burnout can take the form of persistent negative feelings which reduce your ability to work efficiently. Look out for feelings of physical or mental exhaustion, loss of motivation, decreased satisfaction, apathy, frustration, resentment, detachment, or cynicism, especially in relation to your work.

Check in with yourself mindfully and nonjudgmentally: what are you doing?

Notice behavioral signs of burnout, which can include reduced productivity, procrastination, withdrawal from others, or frequent mistakes.

Tips for addressing burnout:

Take time off.

When faced with the high demands of being a grad student, you may feel pressure to work long hours without taking time off. However, overworking increases the risk of burnout and may even harm productivity. If you’re struggling with burnout, ask for time off to take a trip somewhere. Even to just take a few days off to “unplug” from work and focus on activities you enjoy is great for your mental health. Another tip is to make changes to your day-to-day work schedule, by setting a time each day when you will stop working and disconnect from email.

Seek social support

While in grad school health programs, one of the best ways to relieve stress and beat burnout is to connect with others. Reach out to a trusted loved one or join a graduate student support group to talk about your experience with burnout. Carve out time in your calendar for social activities (e.g., schedule a weekly phone date with a friend or family member, sign up for group exercise classes).

Talk to a professional

If you are struggling to beat burnout on your own, it may be beneficial to seek treatment with a licensed therapist. They will work with you to make gradual changes and develop strategies for addressing burnout. Check out your university’s counseling center or health services (most schools offer free services to students). Additionally, you could search online for nearby providers in your insurance network or if you are unable to attend face-to-face therapy, consider online therapy options like BetterHelp or Talkspace .

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Half of all PhD students experience psychological distress and a third are at risk of a common psychiatric disorder. Learn how you can get involved at your institution to promote mental health for grad students.

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Tips to help improve your mental and physical health in Graduate School. Staying healthy is hard as a Graduate Student, get the tips you need to say healthy during school.

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May 21st, 2023

Managing your phd without burning out.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Working towards earning your PhD is an engaging venture albeit your progress can be riddled with challenges along the way. Some of these challenges have less to do with answering your research questions and more to do with managing stress, maintaining energy levels, overcoming anxiety, working around constraints, and finding the balance that helps your progress and takes care of your mental health.

The PhD burnout is a very real and yet less talked about phenomenon which can make the experience all the more tough to deal with. The WHO defines burnout as a syndrome that results from excessive stress and is characterised by the following dimensions:

Reduced energy or exhaustion
Negative feelings towards your work
Lowered efficacy.

As a PhD student, you’re essentially working a full-time job and may experience these symptoms. And so, all the concepts we talk about with regards to a healthy work-life balance, maintaining productivity over time, and delivering quality work apply to your PhD life. No doubt PhDs are tough; however, you can overcome burnout by managing the symptoms. Here are some tips:

Improve energy levels

This is a no-brainer and yet can’t be stressed enough – eating well, following good sleep hygiene, and exercising regularly are your three best strategies at enhancing energy levels. Ensure that you eat a healthy diet and at regular intervals. Getting enough sleep is key to feeling well-rested and productive. Regular exercise can improve multiple health-related parameters and also boost your mood and sleep quality.

Maintain energy levels

Establishing a routine provides a better structure to your work and helps you manage your time and workload better without necessarily having to work long hours. There is evidence to support that routines improve creativity and focus. Ensure that you regularly take time off to improve your performance at work. This applies to within a work day where you take regular short breaks and even during the academic year, where you give yourself an extended well-deserved break. Taking walks, watching a show, catching up with a friend are good ideas for short breaks.

Reduce stress and anxiety

It is inevitable that your PhD will be stressful at times but the stress doesn’t have to lead to burnout. For this, the stress needs to be managed well. Journalling, meditation, reading (other than PhD work), listening to music, using laughter are all proven strategies to alleviate stress. Actively taking the time to switch-off from work and invest some time on these activities can go a long way towards managing stress and other negative emotional states and caring for your mental health.

Boost self-efficacy

Self-efficacy is your set of beliefs and personal confidence in your own ability to accomplish goals and is very important for your performance. Improving self-efficacy is not only necessary for avoiding burnout but is also key for good mental health, and personal and professional development. Developing a good support network of friends and peers, building resilience to bounce back from set-backs, reframing your outlook to a more optimistic style of thinking can help enhance your self-efficacy .

The PhD burnout is certainly avoidable and can be overcome with a few lifestyle improvements and mindset training. Your PhD is a project that you’ll be invested in for three to four years. Burning out early on in the journey can affect both your personal and professional life. This can be avoided by simply taking charge of your work life and taking care of yourself. You may want to consider talking to a professional if you need help. LSE has a number of support and well-being resources for PhD students that provide the necessary guidance or point you in the direction of other resources that may be available to you.

Your PhD can be rewarding experience if you take the initiative to shape your own journey.

About the author

I’m Aish, an MPhil/PhD student at the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science. I study the impact that personality characteristics can have on performance at the workplace. When I’m not actively PhD-ing, I spend my time cooking, writing, and hula-hooping.

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Voices of Academia

Improving mental health in academia by giving you a voice., at breaking point: burnout and its consequences post-phd by marissa edwards.

As I leaned against the wall of my apartment, tears running down my face, one thought kept circling around and around in my head: “This shouldn’t be happening.”

Indeed, from all outside appearances, my life was pretty good. I had completed my PhD with no major difficulties, I had a supportive family and a wonderful circle of friends, I had no major health problems, I had a job that I loved and knew I was a strong candidate for a tenure-track position in the near future, and had no significant financial difficulties. I was incredibly privileged and still recognize how lucky I was. So why was I crying so hard, and why couldn’t I leave my apartment?

A Precarious Situation

Looking back, a series of events had brought me to this moment. I am, without question, someone who feels the need to perform to a high standard at work all the time. I am a life-long perfectionist. At this point in my career, the self-imposed pressure and culture of academia meant I was perfectly willing to sacrifice many things that I loved in order to land that elusive tenure-track position. I worked extremely long hours and had been rewarded for it with excellent teaching evaluations, international conference presentations, awards, and had even edited a book while completing my PhD.

It was an additive feedback loop; the more I worked, the more I pushed myself to do more and be more. But the more I ‘succeeded’, the work I worked, and so on. Yet as I found out, pushing yourself to the limit only works for a discrete period of time.

In addition to my excessive work hours, I had faced a series of stressful events in a short period of time that sent me spiralling into uncertainty and fear. I had lost my beloved dog of fourteen years, and the grief was utterly overwhelming. (Anyone who has known and loved a pet will know what this feels like) . Less than a month later, a close friend died by suicide. Again, the grief was all-consuming . It was also the beginning of the teaching semester, and prior to this I had agreed to take on a much higher teaching load than ever before, meaning that collectively I was teaching just under 1000 students in several different courses. (At my institution in Australia, we can have up to 600 or more students enrolled in a single course!). And as a casual (adjunct) employee, I was not eligible for paid bereavement leave, though I doubt I would have taken it. In fact, taking any leave didn’t even cross my mind; instead, I decided to work even harder.

The Slow Slide Down

Unsurprisingly, things started to unravel over the next few months and I began to experience symptoms of burnout . The World Health Organization recently defined burnout as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” It has been studied extensively in the work stress literature, and is characterized by symptoms such as emotional exhaustion, cynicism about one’s job, irritability, and a range of physical ailments. In my case, I believe that my job contributed to my burnout, but the intense losses I experienced compounded the situation.

Almost immediately I stopped sleeping through the night. For me, this was the single worst part of the experience, because it was only when I was sleeping that I felt any respite from the overwhelming fear. Often I would fall asleep and wake up many times during the night; some nights I couldn’t sleep at all. There is compelling evidence that key areas of the brain that help to regulate emotions are sensitive to sleep deprivation , and that missing even one night of sleep can increase anxiety the next day. This went on for months, and soon I was becoming terrified of everything.

Although I was somehow still performing well at work, I was struggling enormously. My menstrual cycle became erratic and after Googling (which is never a good idea) I managed to convince myself I was dying. A series of examinations and blood tests revealed that I wasn’t dying but in fact was experiencing a “flare” of Graves’ Disease , an autoimmune illness associated with insomnia, weight loss and – interestingly – increased anxiety. I had been diagnosed several months earlier and had assumed that it been treated successfully. Clearly not, and there is evidence that stress may play a role in the development and exacerbation of such conditions.

But I knew that my condition wasn’t only due to the Graves’ Disease. Somehow I was still managing to function effectively at work, but I was sick to my stomach, gradually losing weight, in tears almost daily, and not coping.

Receiving Support and Seeking Help

At this point, a few friends took me aside and did the most important thing they could do: listen . One friend took me for regular day trips to the beach, even when I didn’t want to leave my apartment. This taught me the importance of “opposite actions”; sometimes, the thing that is best for us is the very thing we don’t want to do. Another friend often invited me for coffee and simply listened to me talk about the constant insomnia, grief, and fear; just expressing how I felt made me feel so much better (momentarily). Yet another friend came to my apartment unannounced and chatted with me while making me dinner and made sure I was eating properly. These and other friends encouraged me to speak to my GP (primary care doctor), which was the first step in accessing help.

I think it’s important to say here that it took me a long time to admit that I wasn’t coping. It took months of gentle encouragement from others that forced me to (reluctantly) take action. In retrospect, I wish I had sought assistance earlier. I wish that the shame and stigma around mental illness hadn’t prevented me from reaching out for professional help. And I wish that I hadn’t succumbed to the pervasive belief in academia that we are defined by our professional success, and that if we aren’t working constantly, we simply aren’t good enough.

When we support others with mental illness, it is often the case that they have to come to the realisation themselves that they needed help – this was no different for me. And to do that, I had to acknowledge first that I was deserving of help.

From here, the story gets much better. My GP referred me to a number of different health professionals to help with the insomnia and anxiety, and things started to improve slowly. Again, I recognise that I was very privileged to have the access and financial means to get help relatively quickly. If I hadn’t been in that position, I could have been waiting months for assistance, and I am still grateful. With the help of melatonin and other medication, I began sleeping through the night again. It took around five months for the insomnia to resolve completely, but it was a huge relief and had an immediate impact on my well-being.

The academic year finished, classes ended, and finally I took weeks of recreation leave. For once, I didn’t think about work. I read books. I took naps. Over time, I started to relax and enjoy myself. I went travelling to beautiful places, including the south island of New Zealand. I spent time with friends. Eventually, my family and I rescued a beautiful older dog, Ziggy, who still brings constant joy every day.

Lessons Learnt

In closing, this experience taught me many lessons that I would like to share here:

If you are struggling, please reach out for help. It doesn’t necessarily have to be to a psychologist or psychiatrist, but please try to talk to someone. Talking and getting the emotions off your chest alone can help. And vice versa, if you have a friend or colleague who is struggling, offer to listen to them (if they are willing). Listening and validating their experience is so important.
Just because you are coping successfully at work does not mean that you are okay. I still remind myself of this constantly. It’s important that we check in on our colleagues and their mental health, even those who look like they have it together.
Find a good primary care doctor . They are in the best position to refer you for additional help if needed, which may include medication, therapy, or both. If you don’t like the first doctor you try, keeping looking until you find one you “click” with. A good doctor will also do bloods to rule out any physical issues, such as low iron, low Vitamin D, etc.
Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. These are some of the “building blocks” of wellness and can have a significant impact on your mental health. And exercise doesn’t mean that you have to go the gym! I am not a gym person, but I love taking long walks. If you are out of the house and moving, that’s a good start.
Social support is absolutely crucial to recovery . I will be forever grateful to my friends who were there for me when I was grieving and unwell. Research suggests that having supportive friends can help people deal with life stressors more effectively , and I think that there is some truth to the argument that depression is a disease of loneliness.

Finally, it’s important to remember that your list of publications and other work achievements won’t be there to hold your hand when you are struggling, but chances are some of your family and friends will.

I have to admit that disengaging from work and taking the time to rest is still a constant struggle for me, even now that I am tenured. In academia, there is always another paper to write, a project to start, a grant to apply for, etc. I agree strongly with those who have argued that cultural change is needed in academia. This will take time and will likely be a process of small, incremental changes. In the meantime, there are still steps we can take to look after our mental health.

When we face extremely distressing life events, turning to work as a coping mechanism is unlikely to be effective. Talking to others and reaching out for support are among the best things you can ever do for yourself.

We also have to recognise we are not machines, and physiologically and psychologically we are not designed to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We are human beings, deserving of rest, support and compassion. Ultimately, please be kind to yourself: you are worth it.

Marissa Edwards is an Education-Focused lecturer at the UQ Business School at the University of Queensland. Her major research interests are mental health and mental illness in academia, PhD student well-being, and voice and organisational justice. She is currently lead guest editor of a forthcoming Special Issue of the Journal of Management Education focused on mental health and well-being among management students and educators. In her spare time, Marissa loves travelling, seeing live music and spending time with her rescue dog Ziggy.

Want to avoid grad school burnout? Try these 5 tips

You may experience burnout at some point in your grad school journey. Follow these tips to regain some balance in your life.

While grad school burnout may not be in the medical dictionary, it’s a common ailment that typically affects most grad students at some point in their program. Signs of grad school burnout include a lack of motivation, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even choosing to drop out of school.

Stress is normal for any grad student, but learning ways to manage that stress will help you recover your focus and passion for your work. Here are five tips to help you prevent a serious case of grad school burnout.

1. Schedule breaks for yourself

Yes, your schedule is already jam-packed—but it’s worth it to set aside time every day to take a break from your responsibilities.

It’s impossible to dedicate yourself to classes, reading, papers, practicums, and everything else on your plate 24/7. Inevitably, you’ll end up taking a “quick break” to browse the web or watch a TV show, but oftentimes these don’t feel like real breaks that give your mind and body a rest.

A scheduled break can actually boost your productivity and help you regain your focus and motivation. Play around with what kinds of breaks work best for you. Try attending a regular workout class, making lunchtime a work-free zone, or going to a weekly trivia night with friends.

2. Establish a support network

When you’re starting to get overwhelmed by your grad program, it’s easy to feel isolated and cut off from the world. Taking steps to build a strong support network can alleviate those feelings of loneliness. Need some ideas? Try:

Creating a study group for your classes
Befriending your classmates
Scheduling meetings with your professors or advisers
Talking to your friends and family regularly
Seeing a therapist

Sometimes it can feel like utilizing your support systems is draining your already limited energy. In fact, it can often reenergize you and remind you of all the wonderful people in your life. There’s no need to suffer through stress alone.

3. Break bad habits

A lot of things can cause grad school burnout. You can’t change some elements like your coursework or your class schedule, but you do have control over many other things.

Eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep can seriously make a world of a difference. Yes, we sound like your mother right now—but your mom’s right!

Those all-nighters and meals solely comprised of Red Bull and ramen aren’t doing your mental and physical health any favors. If this sounds like you, then it’s time to break those bad habits.

When you take the time to prepare healthy meals, work out, and get a solid eight hours of sleep every night, you’ll be healthier, more balanced, and better equipped to take on your work.

4. Set clear boundaries

Boundaries can be interpreted in several ways. Here are some tips for setting boundaries with yourself and your work:

Turning off your phone and computer before bed
Not responding to emails after a certain time at night
Doing work in libraries, coffee shops, or other public spaces in an effort to keep your home and personal space a respite
Being OK with saying no to extra projects or responsibilities
Allow yourself breaks and vacations from your work—and actually relax

When it feels like school has taken over your whole life and you never get a break, it’s time to try out some of the tactics above. Whether you set technology boundaries or actual physical boundaries (like no reading textbooks in bed), you’ll regain control over your time and space.

5. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is all about connecting to the present moment and breaking away from dwelling on the past or the future. When you’re frazzled, it’s easy to focus on what went wrong in the past or all the tasks you have to complete in the future. These harmful thoughts don’t serve you; practicing mindfulness is a way to train your mind to let go and live in the now.

Mindfulness can take on many forms. You could try yoga, meditation, or breathing techniques. Play around with different practices to find what suits you best. You can find many free yoga videos online, or you could listen to a meditation app like Headspace or Calm.

Even if you’re not interested in becoming a yogi, try going on a walk outside and focusing on your breath, your steps, and your surroundings. By simply paying attention to your breath and your environment for 15 minutes, you can feel totally recharged.

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Perspect Med Educ
v.10(2); 2021 Mar

Burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine: the BEeP study

Rashmi a. kusurkar.

1 Amsterdam UMC, Research in Education, Faculty of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2 LEARN! Research Institute for Learning and Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Stéphanie M. E. van der Burgt

3 Center for Evidence Based Education, location AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Ulviye Isik

Marianne mak-van der vossen, janneke wilschut.

4 Dutch Institute of Clinical Auditing, Leiden, The Netherlands

Anouk Wouters

Andries s. koster.

5 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

Associated Data

Introduction.

Using a self-determination theory framework, we investigated burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine, and their association with motivation, work-life balance and satisfaction or frustration of their basic psychological needs.

This cross-sectional study was conducted among PhD students at a university medical centre ( n  = 990) using an electronic survey on background characteristics and validated burnout, engagement, motivation and basic psychological needs questionnaires. Cluster analysis was performed on the burnout subscale scores to find subgroups within the sample which had similar profiles on burnout. Structural equation modelling was conducted on a hypothesized model of frustration of basic psychological needs and burnout.

The response rate was 47% ( n  = 464). We found three clusters/subgroups which were composed of PhD students with similar burnout profiles within the cluster and different profiles between the clusters. Cluster 1 ( n  = 199, 47%) had low scores on burnout. Clusters 2 ( n  = 168, 40%) and 3 ( n  = 55, 13%) had moderate and high burnout scores, respectively, and were associated with low engagement scores. Cluster 3, with the highest burnout scores, was associated with the lowest motivational, engagement, needs satisfaction and work-life balance scores. We found a good fit for the “basic psychological needs frustration associated with burnout” model.

The most important variables for burnout among PhD students in medicine were lack of sleep and frustration of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. These add to the factors found in the literature.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s40037-020-00637-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Burnout has been identified as a global problem among medical students, residents and physicians, and is on the rise [ 1 – 4 ]. The percentage of physicians having at least one symptom of burnout in the US increased from 45% to 54% between 2011 and 2014 [ 5 ]. “PhD students in medicine” as a group has been neglected in burnout research. The reason PhD students in medicine (with or without a clinical background) deserve to be treated as a separate group from other PhD students is because this group works in a hospital or clinical setting, may be supervised by physicians with PhDs and may experience elements of the medical culture and hierarchy in ways that may contribute to burnout [ 4 ]. Thus the context is very different from a general university setting. Within PhD students in medicine, PhD students with clinical backgrounds have been reported to have different motivation, financial position and confidence as professionals than those with other scientific backgrounds [ 6 ]. PhD students actively working with patients are also expected to have more workload and conflict in balancing clinical or patient responsibilities along with their PhD research work. The current study therefore aimed to explore burnout and the factors influencing burnout among PhD students in medicine.

“Job burnout is a psychological syndrome that involves a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job” [ 7 ]. The professional consequences of burnout are lower productivity at work, unprofessionalism, increased errors and higher chances of quitting the field of work. In case of health professionals (which would include PhD students in medicine with patient responsibilities), burnout can lead to consequences such as dissatisfied patients, lower patient safety, higher patient mortality and higher cost of inefficiently delivered healthcare [ 8 ].

In this study “PhD students in medicine” are students at a university medical centre who have completed their Master’s degree and are undergoing residency/specialization training, or are completing PhD research concurrently with their residency training or professional practice, or have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and are following an MD-PhD program, or non-medical and/or non-clinical graduates completing their research in a non-clinical or a clinical department.

There are several studies on satisfaction of PhD students, stress and depression, and well-being, but the findings of PhD students in medicine have not been reported separately [ 9 – 11 ]. In a review of the factors influencing PhD students’ well-being, achievement and PhD completion, it is clear that: a) PhD students in medicine have not been identified as a separate group; b) their findings are not reported separately; c) more factors influencing success in PhD have been investigated than well-being; d) only one of the studies focuses on burnout; and e) no specific theoretical framework has been used for studying burnout and engagement [ 11 ]. (See Table A1 in the Electronic Supplementary Material).

Burnout is described as having three dimensions: exhaustion, cynicism and perceived negative efficacy [ 7 ]. Exhaustion means feeling physically and emotionally exhausted, cynicism involves feelings of detachment from one’s work, and perceived negative efficacy involves a feeling of incompetence in work. Generally, cynicism appears first (it also has the highest score), followed by exhaustion; negative personal efficacy may even be absent [ 12 ]. Since one of our research goals was to provide recommendations for supporting these PhD students, we explored not only burnout and factors influencing it, but also engagement in work and motivation (which is an important driver of performance) and the factors enhancing them. Engagement is defined as “a positive, fulfilling, and work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication and absorption” [ 13 ]. We used the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to investigate this phenomenon because it provides a basis for investigating burnout and engagement through frustration or satisfaction of basic psychological needs, respectively [ 14 ]. Thus, this study aimed to investigate burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine, and how these variables are associated with the quality of their academic motivation [ 14 ], work-life balance [ 15 ], quality of sleep [ 16 ], perceived conflict in work-related responsibilities and satisfaction or frustration of their basic psychological needs [ 14 ]. (See Table A2 in the Electronic Supplementary Material for descriptions of these variables).

Self-determination theory framework

Self-determination theory (SDT) [ 14 , 17 ] is a macro-theory of human motivation, which puts the fulfilment of three basic psychological needs—autonomy (feeling of choice), competence (feeling of capability) and relatedness (feeling of belonging)—at the epicentre of an individual being autonomously motivated for learning or work, his/her well-being, happiness, creativity and performance. This theory considers the quality of motivation (the why of motivation) more important than the quantity (how much) and describes the quality of motivation as autonomous or controlled. Autonomous motivation is derived out of genuine interest and/or great personal value for learning or work [ 18 ]. Controlled motivation stands for persuasion of learning or work because of internal or external pressure or in the expectation of a reward [ 18 ]. SDT advocates that the more autonomous the motivation, the better the observed outcomes, namely: deep learning, high academic or work performance, better adjustment and positive well-being [ 14 , 17 ]. Satisfaction of the basic psychological needs can move a student from controlled towards autonomous motivation and is also directly associated with engagement. On the contrary, frustration of these needs can move a student from autonomous towards controlled motivation and is also directly associated with burnout.

Our hypothesized model on basic psychological needs frustration-burnout is depicted in Fig. 1 .

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 40037_2020_637_Fig1_HTML.jpg

Hypothesized model for basic psychological needs frustration and burnout

Our research questions for this study were:

How do PhD students in medicine score on burnout, work engagement, quality of motivation for PhD, work-life balance, conflict in work responsibilities, feeling part of a team and quality of sleep? Can we find patterns in how they score on the burnout subscales?
Are there differences in the burnout scores of males and females, clinical and non-clinical departments, and working with patients, in a lab or in an office?
How do PhD students in medicine score on the satisfaction or frustration of their basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness?
How are burnout, quality of motivation for PhD, work-life balance, quality of sleep, conflict in work responsibilities, feeling part of a team, frustration of their basic psychological needs and background variables associated with each other?

This cross-sectional study was conducted at a University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. PhD training in the Netherlands is generally a 4-year program with training in research skills and other non-cognitive skills (such as presenting in English) interspersed between data collection, analysis, interpretation and publication of about four empirical studies which form the PhD thesis. Thus the PhD is not divided into coursework and thesis phases as in some other parts of the world [ 19 ]. Also PhD students are appointed as employees and receive a salary instead of a stipend. Some PhD students who have a medical degree combine their PhD work with their residency training, while others pursue one at a time. Some PhD students have non-medical backgrounds even though they may be pursuing a PhD in a medical department. All PhD students in medicine registered at the different research institutes in this medical centre ( n  = 990) were invited to fill out an electronic survey using Net Questionnaire. The data were collected from September to November 2018 and two reminders were sent. We obtained ethical approval from the Netherlands Association for Medical Education—Ethical Review Board (Folder no. 2018.5.13).

Background variables

We collected anonymous data after written informed consent, participation was voluntary and no incentives were provided. See Tables A2 and A3 in the Electronic Supplementary Material for the details of the survey and demographic characteristics of the participants, respectively.

Data analyses

Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlations for all included variables were computed (research questions 1 and 3). We tested for differences (research question 2) in the variable scores for gender, clinical versus non-clinical departments and work setting using students unpaired t‑tests or ANOVAs, as appropriate. To answer the second part of our research question 1, we performed K‑means cluster analysis using the three burnout subscale scores. We did this because the MBI-SS [ 13 ] does not provide any cut-off scores for classifying burnout as “high”, “moderate” or “low”. Cluster analysis helped us to group PhD students who had similar scores on the three subscales of burnout with each other [ 20 ]. We validated the cluster solution using the random half-splitting method and computing the Cohen’s kappa as a measure of cluster stability. Clustering effectively reduced the within-groups variability of burnout scores by more than 50%, compared with the score variability before clustering. Therefore, clustering was considered effective. Clustering also allowed us to compare the groups with each other for their scores on the dependent variables using multiple analysis of variance (multiple ANOVAs), followed by comparison of group means using Bonferroni adjustments. Cohen’s d was used to characterize the effect size for differences between individual means, whenever statistically significant [ 21 ].

To answer our research question 4, we conducted Structural Equation Modelling analysis using AMOS 18 for testing the hypothesized model depicted in Fig. 1 [ 22 , 23 ]. The indices used for estimating goodness of fit of the model were: Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA <0.05), Comparison of Fit Index (CFI >0.95), Tucker Lewis Index (TLI >0.95), and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR <0.05) [ 22 , 23 ].

The response rate was 47% ( n  = 464). The majority were 25–34 years old, Dutch females ( n  = 371, 80%), married/in a relationship, and childless. Thirty-three percent had a medicine-related degree, 52% were from clinical departments, 56% worked in an office, 27% in a lab and 17% with patients; 68% worked beyond their contract hours. The demographic characteristics and the Pearson’s correlations between all study variables are depicted in Tables A3 and A4 in the Electronic Supplementary Material.

A limited number of statistically significant differences ( p  < 0.05) between genders, departments, or work settings were found. Concerning gender, we found that work-life balance was significantly better (males: 1.92 ± 0.62, females: 2.07 ± 0.57, p  = 0.038, d  = 0.26) and vigour was significantly poorer (males: 2.22 ± 0.74, females: 1.96 ± 0.74, p  = 0.004, d  = 0.35) in females as compared with males. Concerning clinical versus non-clinical departments, autonomy frustration was significantly higher (clinical: 3.89 ± 1.21, non-clinical: 3.58 ± 1.20, p  = 0.013, d  = 0.26) and conflict between work responsibilities was significantly higher (clinical: 5.10 ± 2.59, non-clinical: 4.22 ± 2.32, p  < 0.001, d  = 0.36) among PhD students from clinical departments. Concerning work setting, work-life balance was significantly better among PhD students who worked in an office (2.16 ± 0.60) as compared to those who worked in a lab (1.89 ± 0.54) or with patients (1.90 ± 0.56): p  < 0.001 in both comparisons ( d  = 0.48 and 0.45, respectively). Conflicts with work responsibilities were significantly higher among PhD students who worked with patients (6.14 ± 2.28) than those who worked in an office (4.61 ± 2.50) or a lab (3.99 ± 2.24): p  < 0.001 in both comparisons ( d   = 0.64 and 0.90, respectively).

When we tried to classify PhD students, based on their burnout scores, three clusters were found with increasing scores on the subscales exhaustion, cynicism and perceived negative efficacy (Tab. 1 ).

Cluster analysis on the basis of scores on the burnout subscales (range 1–6)

Cluster	(%)	Exhaustion (mean ± SD)	Cynicism (mean ± SD)	Perceived negative efficacy (mean ± SD)
1 Low scores on burnout	199 (47%)	1.65  0.73	1.45  0.86	1.69  0.67
2 Medium scores on burnout	168 (40%)	3.34  0.82	3.41  1.00	2.19  0.52
3 High scores on burnout	55 (13%)	3.69  0.94	4.59  0.85	3.62  0.61

Cluster

(%)

Exhaustion (mean ± SD)

Cynicism (mean ± SD)

Perceived negative efficacy (mean ± SD)

Low scores on burnout

199

(47%)

1.65  0.73

1.45  0.86

1.69  0.67

Medium scores on burnout

168

(40%)

3.34  0.82

3.41  1.00

2.19  0.52

High scores on burnout

(13%)

3.69  0.94

4.59  0.85

3.62  0.61

Cohen’s kappa for cluster stability = 0.95 (> 0.8 is considered good)

Cluster 1 had low scores on burnout. Clusters 2 and 3 with medium and high scores on burnout were associated with low engagement scores. Cluster 3, with high burnout scores, was associated with the lowest autonomous motivation, engagement, needs satisfaction, perception of being part of a team, and feeling refreshed in the morning and the highest controlled motivation, needs frustration and conflict in work responsibilities (Tab. 2 ). Effect sizes for the differences between clusters 1 and 2, and between clusters 2 and 3, of the engagement and basic psychological needs scores were substantial ( d  > 0.8 in many cases); relatedness scores were relatively less affected (see Tab. 2 , and Figure A1 in the Electronic Supplementary Material).

Comparison of dependent variable scores between clusters (Multiple ANOVAs)

Variable (range of scores)	Cluster 1 Low burnout scores	Cluster 2 Medium burnout scores	Cluster 3 High burnout scores	Statistical significance of ANOVA	Difference between Mean 1 and Mean 2	Difference between Mean 2 and Mean 3

Autonomous motivation(1–5)	4.17  ± 0.38	3.90  ± 0.42	3.31  ± 0.83	68.6, 0.256***	0.56	1.21
Controlled motivation (1–5)	1.79  ± 0.53	1.97  ± 0.62	2.37  ± 0.74	37.4, 0.159***	0.31	0.69
Engagement (0–4)
Vigor (0–4)	2.42  ± 0.59	1.82  ± 0.61	1.13  ± 0.61	108.8, 0.372***	1.00	1.14
Dedication (0–4)	2.93  ± 0.45	2.42  ± 0.55	1.74  ± 0.74	114.1, 0.363***	0.95	1.27
Absorption (0–4)	2.52  ± 0.64	2.26  ± 0.58	1.56  ± 0.76	46.7, 0.196***	0.41	1.10
Satisfaction of BPN (1–7)	5.20  ± 0.65	4.47  ± 0.66	3.82  ± 0.85	103.7, 0.361***	1.06	0.95
Autonomy satisfaction (1–7)	4.96  ± 0.79	3.91  ± 0.93	3.36  ± 1.08	97.3, 0.346***	1.17	0.62
Competence satisfaction (1–7)	5.27  ± 0.79	4.66  ± 0.84	3.55  ± 1.15	87.1, 0.318***	0.71	1.29
Relatedness satisfaction (1–7)	5.36  ± 1.03	4.83  ± 1.10	4.54  ± 1.36	16.3, 0.082***	0.48	n. s.
Frustration of BPN (1–7)	2.60  ± 0.77	3.55  ± 0.71	4.24  ± 0.83	130.1, 0.429***	1.26	0.92
Autonomy frustration (1–7)	2.98  ± 0.96	4.27  ± 0.95	4.74  ± 1.06	109.6, 0.377***	1.32	0.48
Competence frustration (1–7)	2.72  ± 1.05	3.62  ± 1.16	4.95  ± 1.23	90.7, 0.347***	0.81	1.19
Relatedness frustration (1–7)	2.11  ± 1.07	2.75  ± 1.17	3.04  ± 1.39	21.0, 0.106***	0.56	n. s.
Work-life balance (1–3)	2.24  ± 0.56	1.82  ± 0. 55	1.93  ± 0.55	28.6, 0.121***	0.76	n. s.
Conflict at work (1–10)	3.91  ± 2.27	5.51  ± 2.40	5.00  ± 2.66	20.7, 0.087***	0.68	n.s
Belong to team (1–6)	4.20  ± 1.40	3.41  ± 1.50	2.61  ± 1.45	31.4, 0.128***	0.55	0.56
Quality of sleep (0–10)	7.41  ± 1.53	6.48  ± 1.85	6.59  ± 1.71	16.2, 0.081***	0.55	n. s.
Feeling refreshed (1–5)	3.60  ± 0.81	2.85  ± 0.91	2.61  ± 0.98	40.6, 0.170***	0.85	0.27

Significance of the ANOVA analyses is indicated by the test value of the between clusters versus within clusters mean square (F) and the overall effect size, expressed as fraction of explained variance (η2). Cluster means with different subscripts differ statistically significant from each other ( p  < 0.01, Bonferroni post-hoc test). Effect sizes for the difference between cluster means (Cohen’s d) were calculated from the difference in means and the pooled standard deviation, derived from the ANOVA analyses

*** p  < 0.001 in all cases; n. s., not significantly different. The means which have different subscripts differ from each other significantly. The means with the same subscript do not differ significantly. BPN basic psychological needs.

Relationships between basic psychological needs and burnout scores for the sampled PhD students as a whole were investigated using structural equation modelling. We did not find a good fit for the hypothesized model (Fig. 1 ). We therefore removed all the non-significant relationships from the model one by one and finally arrived at the model depicted in Fig. 2 , which had a good fit with our data, RMSEA = 0.044 (<0.06), CFI = 0.986 (>0.95), TLI = 0.976 (>0.95), SRMR = 0.041 (<0.05). Quality of sleep was negatively associated with exhaustion. Work-life balance was negatively associated with basic psychological needs frustration, directly and indirectly with exhaustion, and indirectly with cynicism and perceived negative efficacy. Conflict in work responsibilities was negatively associated only with basic psychological needs frustration, and did not have any direct or indirect effects on the burnout subscale scores. Basic psychological needs frustration was associated with exhaustion, cynicism and perceived negative efficacy.

An external file that holds a picture, illustration, etc.
Object name is 40037_2020_637_Fig2_HTML.jpg

Structural equation model of BPN frustration and burnout. Indirect effects: Work Life Balance-Basic Psychological Needs Frustration-Exhaustion (*−0.185); Work Life Balance-Basic Psychological Needs Frustration-Cynicism (*−0.213); Work Life Balance-Basic Psychological Needs Frustration-Perceived Negative Efficacy (*−0.154)

As hypothesized, we found that PhD students from clinical departments had a poorer work-life balance and higher conflict between work responsibilities. They also had higher autonomy frustration, which can be expected due to the conflict. A previous study has investigated differences between the motivation and expectations of PhD students with clinical versus science backgrounds [ 6 ]. PhD students with clinical backgrounds were generally older, and found lab work difficult. Although they started their PhD training perceiving themselves as professionals, they were treated by their departments as students. They perceived this as frustrating [ 6 ]. But this study did not investigate burnout among these students [ 6 ]. PhD students working with patients had a poorer work-life balance and higher conflict with work-related responsibilities than those working in a lab or an office. Clinical residents have been reported to have higher burnout scores in an earlier study owing to high patient load, long working hours and low autonomy [ 1 ]. A national study on Dutch residents has reported a high percentage (21%) of burnout [ 3 ]. If PhD work is conducted on top of these circumstances, much worse outcomes can be expected.

We also found three groups based on PhD students’ scores on the burnout subscales: Low, moderate and high . Contrary to the literature, we did not find gender differences between the three burnout subscale scores [ 24 ]. The “high” group had the worst outcomes for engagement and motivation, and basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration. This finding differs from the study on Dutch residents, in which the authors found that high burnout could be associated with high engagement or low engagement [ 3 ].

We were able to find evidence for a modified model of the relationship between basic psychological needs frustration and burnout than our hypothesized model. Sleep and basic psychological needs frustration have important effects on burnout, while work-life imbalance and conflict in work responsibilities have an important positive effect on basic psychological needs frustration. In addition, work-life balance has an important indirect negative effect on burnout through its effect on basic psychological needs frustration. These findings about basic psychological needs frustration and burnout add to the literature on this topic. Similar results were found in an earlier study among pharmacists, in which basic psychological needs frustration was associated with low vitality [ 25 ]. We could not find evidence for a hypothesized positive relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and engagement using structural equation modelling. A similar lack of evidence for a positive relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and vitality has been reported earlier by Tjin A Tsoi et al. [ 25 ] We suggest that preventing frustration of basic psychological needs is more important for preventing burnout than ensuring satisfaction of basic psychological needs [ 25 ]. This could be due to the relatively high autonomous motivation for pursuing a PhD project in the sampled population. It can be expected that their perception of autonomy and competence is not so easily changed by external influences. On the other hand, frustration of autonomy and competence by conflicting work requirements and/or inadequate support and guidance can easily lead to a sense of frustration and burnout.

Practical applications/recommendations

Using a cluster analysis, which is a person-centred research analysis [ 26 ], for creating groups made of similar characteristics on burnout helped us propose customized recommendations for these different groups. General recommendations, based on Self-Determination Theory, for PhD students, supervisors and organizations, related to the prevention of frustration and support of satisfaction of autonomy, competence and relatedness are summarized in Table A5 in the Electronic Supplementary Material.

Specific recommendations for the three clusters

The low burnout scores cluster seems to have favourable scores on all factors except the three subscales of engagement: vigour, dedication and absorption. We recommend training for the students in this cluster on how to become more engaged in their PhD work. The students in the moderate burnout scores cluster seem to have unfavourable scores on autonomy satisfaction and frustration, engagement—vigour, work-life balance, conflict in work responsibilities, feeling of belongingness to a team and feeling refreshed on waking up. For students in this cluster, we recommend that the supervision team engages in discussion with their students about how to maintain autonomy in work, about reducing the conflict in work responsibilities, and perpetuating team spirit, while the student gets help with organizing his/her schedule, work-life balance and sleep. The high burnout cluster students seem to have low autonomous motivation, very low engagement, low autonomy and competence satisfaction, high autonomy frustration, poor feelings of belongingness to a team, conflict in work responsibilities and do not feel refreshed on waking up. We recommend that research institutes and human resources departments provide training for the students in this cluster on structuring their work, personal and leisure activities, and resolution of problems related to poor supervision and basic psychological needs frustration.

Further research questions

Which other variables are important for burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine? Can our results be replicated in other countries in similar contexts? In addition, we think that in-depth qualitative research to get more detailed information about the stressors and energizers experienced by students in their PhD work would add to the existing literature.

Limitations

Our study has several limitations. First of all we used self-report measures, which does not give an indication of actual burnout among the PhD students. But this is true for most burnout studies in the literature, and in spite of this we think this study adds important insights to the literature. The cross-sectional design is also a limitation and a longitudinal design would definitely benefit such research. We had a response rate of 47%, which could have created a response bias. We believe this low response rate to be random as we collected data anonymously. In spite of a relatively low response rate, we believe that our results add to the literature on burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine. We wanted to investigate PhD students particularly with clinical responsibilities, but our sample contained only a small percentage (17%) of such students. We did find evidence that clinical responsibilities can interfere with PhD work. We recommend a similar study with a bigger sample size of PhD students with clinical duties to further explore the differences. Also, this study was conducted at a single medical centre. We recommend multicentre studies in the future in the interest of generalizability. We could have missed important variables influencing burnout and engagement outside of SDT, as we collected data and conducted the analysis using the variables included in the SDT framework. But we expect to have covered all the variables important from the SDT perspective and thus have a strong theoretical foundation for our work. In future studies, more variables beyond the ones in our study could be included.

The most important variables, found in this study, for burnout among PhD students in medicine students are lack of sleep and frustration of the basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. Work-life imbalance and conflict in work responsibilities are associated with basic psychological needs frustration. The model of basic psychological needs frustration being associated with burnout adds to the literature.

Caption Electronic Supplementary Material

Acknowledgements.

We are indebted to the many people who have made this research possible. A full list is available online.

This research study was funded by all 8 Amsterdam UMC Research Institutes (Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam Gastroenterology & Metabolism, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam Reproduction and Development, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity, Amsterdam Public Health, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam Movement Sciences) and the Human Resources Department of Amsterdam UMC.

Conflict of interest

R.A. Kusurkar, S.M.E. van der Burgt, U. Isik, M. Mak-van der Vossen, J. Wilschut, A. Wouters and A.S. Koster declare that they have no competing interests.

Olympic Breakdancer Raygun Has PhD in Breakdancing?

Rachael gunn earned a zero in breakdancing at the paris 2024 olympic games., aleksandra wrona, published aug. 13, 2024.

About this rating

Gunn's Ph.D. thesis, titled "Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: a B-girl's Experience of B-boying," did cover the topic of breakdancing. However ...

... Gunn earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies. Moreover, a "PhD in breakdancing" does not exist as an academic discipline.

On Aug. 10, 2024, a rumor spread on social media that Rachael Gunn (also known as "Raygun"), an Australian breakdancer who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, had a Ph.D. in breakdancing. "This australian breakdancer has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture and was a ballroom dancer before taking up breaking. I don't even know what to say," one X post on the topic read .

"Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael Gunn has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture," one X user wrote , while another asked, "Who did we send? Raygun, a 36-year-old full-time lecturer at Sydney's Macquarie University, completed a PhD in breaking culture and is a lecturer in media, creative arts, literature and language," another X user wrote .

The claim also spread on other social media platforms, such as Reddit and Instagram .

"Is she the best break dancer? No. But I have so much respect for going on an international stage to do something you love even if you're not very skilled at it," one Instagram user commented , adding that, "And, I'm pretty sure she's using this as a research endeavor and will be writing about all our reactions to her performance. Can't wait to read it!"

In short, Gunn's Ph.D. thesis, titled "Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying," indeed focused on the topic of breakdancing. However, Gunn earned her Ph.D. in cultural studies, not in breakdancing. Furthermore, it's important to note that a "PhD in breakdancing" does not exist as an academic discipline.

Since Gunn's research focused on the breakdancing community, but her degree is actually in the broader field of cultural studies, we have rated this claim as a "Mixture" of truths.

Gunn "secured Australia's first ever Olympic spot in the B-Girl competition at Paris 2024 by winning the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney, NSW, Australia," the Olympics official website informed .

Gunn earned a zero in breakdancing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and clips of her routine went viral on social media, with numerous users creating memes or mocking dancer's moves. "As well as criticising her attire, social media users mocked the Australian's routine as she bounced around on stage like a kangaroo and stood on her head at times," BBC article on the topic read .

The website of the Macquarie University informed Gunn "is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking" and holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies, as well as a bachelor of arts degree (Hons) in contemporary music:

Rachael Gunn is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies (2017) and a BA (Hons) in Contemporary Music (2009) from Macquarie University. Her work draws on cultural theory, dance studies, popular music studies, media, and ethnography. Rachael is a practising breaker and goes by the name of 'Raygun'. She was the Australian Breaking Association top ranked bgirl in 2020 and 2021, and represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in Paris in 2021, in Seoul in 2022, and in Leuven (Belgium) in 2023. She won the Oceania Breaking Championships in 2023.

Gunn's biography further revealed that she is a member of the Macquarie University Performance and Expertise Reasearch Centre, and has a range of teaching experience at undergraduate and postgraduate levels "across the areas of media, creative industries, music, dance, cultural studies, and work-integrated learning."

Moreover, it informed her research interests included, "Breaking, street dance, and hip-hop culture; youth cultures/scenes; constructions of the dancing body; politics of gender and gender performance; ethnography; the methodological dynamics between theory and practice."

Gunn earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Media, Music, Communications, and Cultural Studies within the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University. Below, you can find the abstract of her paper, shared by the official website of Macquarie University:

This thesis critically interrogates how masculinist practices of breakdancing offers a site for the transgression of gendered norms. Drawing on my own experiences as a female within the male-dominated breakdancing scene in Sydney, first as a spectator, then as an active crew member, this thesis questions why so few female participants engage in this creative space, and how breakdancing might be the space to displace and deterritorialise gender. I use analytic autoetthnography and interviews with scene members in collaboration with theoretical frameworks offered by Deleuze and Guttari, Butler, Bourdieu and other feminist and post-structuralist philosophers, to critically examine how the capacities of bodies are constituted and shaped in Sydney's breakdancing scene, and to also locate the potentiality for moments of transgression. In other words, I conceptualize the breaking body as not a 'body' constituted through regulations and assumptions, but as an assemblage open to new rhizomatic connections. Breaking is a space that embraces difference, whereby the rituals of the dance not only augment its capacity to deterritorialize the body, but also facilitate new possibilities for performativities beyond the confines of dominant modes of thought and normative gender construction. Consequently, this thesis attempts to contribute to what I perceive as a significant gap in scholarship on hip-hop, breakdancing, and autoethnographic explorations of Deleuze-Guattarian theory.

In a response to online criticism of her Olympics performance, Gunn wrote on her Instagram profile: "Don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you":

We have recently investigated other 2024 Paris Olympics' -related rumors, such as:

Lifeguards Are Present at Olympic Swimming Competitions?
Hobby Lobby Pulled $50M in Ads from 2024 Paris Olympics?
2024 Paris Olympics Are 'Lowest-Rated' Games in Modern History?

Gunn, Rachael Louise. Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-Girl's Experience of B-Boying. 2022. Macquarie University, thesis. figshare.mq.edu.au, https://doi.org/10.25949/19433291.v1.

---. Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-Girl's Experience of B-Boying. 2022. Macquarie University, thesis. figshare.mq.edu.au, https://doi.org/10.25949/19433291.v1.

Ibrahim, Nur. "Lifeguards Are Present at Olympic Swimming Competitions?" Snopes, 8 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/lifeguards-paris-olympics-swimming/.

"Olympic Breaking: Criticism of Viral Breakdancer Rachael Gunn - Raygun - Condemned by Australia Team." BBC Sport, 10 Aug. 2024, https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/articles/c2dgxp5n3rlo.

ORCID. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1069-4021. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

Paris 2024. https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/-raygun_1940107. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

Saunders, Grant Leigh, and Rachael Gunn. "Australia." Global Hip Hop Studies, vol. 3, no. 1–2, Dec. 2023, pp. 23–32. Macquarie University, https://doi.org/10.1386/ghhs_00060_1.

Wazer, Caroline. "2024 Paris Olympics Are 'Lowest-Rated' Games in Modern History?" Snopes, 1 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/paris-olympics-lowest-rated-games/.

---. "Hobby Lobby Pulled $50M in Ads from 2024 Paris Olympics?" Snopes, 8 Aug. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/olympics-hobby-lobby-ads/.

By Aleksandra Wrona

Aleksandra Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw, Poland, area.

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Psychology [Psy.D. / Ph.D.]

Has anyone ever regretted getting a PhD in clinical psych?

Thread starter AnonymousClinicalPsych
Start date Oct 20, 2021

AnonymousClinicalPsych

Full member.

Oct 20, 2021

Board Certified in Clinical Neuropsychology

I don't have any big regrets. I enjoy what I do, and I have a lot of leeway to change focus if I wanted to do so. Also, I make pretty good money for the time spent working, though doing IME work helps in this.

WisNeuro said: I don't have any big regrets. I enjoy what I do, and I have a lot of leeway to change focus if I wanted to do so. Also, I make pretty good money for the time spent working, though doing IME work helps in this. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Thanks for your response! Could you clarify what IME is? I’m not familiar with that acronym. I also see that you are a neuropsychologist. How different that is from a clinical psychologist? I assume that you primarily focus on assessment? Do you do therapy at all? Click to expand...

deleted106747

I've regretted it from time to time, and liked it at others. I didn't really like it completely until I went into hospital mental health administration, so I do think you eventually can find your niche.

Board-certified psychologist

I never regretted it and like most of my job, but I would have probably gone into contract law if I’d known that existed when I was in undergrad.

AbnormalPsych

Board certified psychologist.

I have regretted it at times and would do it all over again others. I have peers who feel the same. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I guess I would just ask you what would you be happier doing and if you have a clear answer, that might be worth pursuing exploration of. A PhD can certainly open a lot of doors.

Psychologist

Regret is just another way of learning. It’s the same thing as reinforcement and punishment. You can regret what you have done. You can regret what you haven’t done. If you learn from it, regret is a positive thing. There are many other professional activities you can do. There are likely many more undiscovered things. $100k is lowball. Learn how billing works. Do the math.

PsyDr said: Regret is just another way of learning. It’s the same thing as reinforcement and punishment. You can regret what you have done. You can regret what you haven’t done. If you learn from it, regret is a positive thing. There are many other professional activities you can do. There are likely many more undiscovered things. $100k is lowball. Learn how billing works. Do the math. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: If $100k is lowball then how much is reasonable? I’m genuinely asking. How do you “learn how billing works” and “do the math”? If you have more info that you feel comfortable sharing please do. It’s interesting how people are still very vague about money even when it’s anonymous. Click to expand...

AbnormalPsych said: I have regretted it at times and would do it all over again others. I have peers who feel the same. Sorry I can't be more helpful. I guess I would just ask you what would you be happier doing and if you have a clear answer, that might be worth pursuing exploration of. A PhD can certainly open a lot of doors. Click to expand...

PsyDr said: 1). Reasonable? As much as you can earn. Telling won’t help you. What will is getting you to look up the professional surveys on income. Someone is the max on that. So… between $60k-$900k. Outside of me, there are people on SDN who make less than $40k/yr, and some that can make $40k in 2 weeks. 2) Learn the CPT codes used in psychology. This is easily found on APA sites via google. Usually laziness is the barrier to this step. 3) look up CMS’ fee schedule tool. Again: google. 4) look up the expected percentage of billable hours for hours worked. Both attorneys and physicians have easily accessible numbers on this via the google. 5) multiply those numbers. Maybe search for the number of hours worked per year, less vacation and sick days. Or multiply 40hrs/wk*50weeks/yr. 6) accept that the industry is: hourly rate X billable hours worked. The options are to work longer hours, make more per hour, or find a way to multiply your hours per day. But you’re in NYC, so you can’t use technicians. And books don’t work. TL;DR: if you hustle, you’ll want to learn the business of it all. That process will teach you 50% of the business. If you can’t be bothered to teach yourself, you can’t be bothered fo earn. That’s not a knock on you or anyone else. But Wallstreet isn’t based on pikers. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Thank you! It is a good question, but I don’t know if it’s useful to think about it at this point of my life. It’s not like I can just quit my program and change career now if I figure out what I’m truly passionate about. I can’t imagine giving up all the things I’ve learned and starting from scratch. I guess I’d be happier if I know I can at least make a decent amount of money after getting this ridiculously-hard-to-get degree, even if I have to do something that I don’t like that much. Click to expand...

PsychPhDone

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and would like to get people's opinions on questions I don't feel comfortable asking people I know. I'm currently half way through a partially-funded PhD program in clinical psych, and starting to feel regretful for getting this degree. I'm not saying that I want to switch career now, that would be a reckless decision given how much I've already invested at this point. I just want to see if anyone feels the same way or differently. The main reason for my regret is that I don't enjoy doing therapy (my program is much more clinical than researchy, even though it's a PhD program) as much as I thought. Maybe that's my own fault for not figuring this out beforehand, but I feel it's really hard to know what doing therapy is really about and feels like until you actually get trained and do it. In this country at least you really don't have much opportunity to get exposed to that unless you are in a doctoral program or a license track master's program. I'm also just tired of the endless work and the amount of effort that you have to devote into getting this degree. I did prepare myself for it before going into it, but it just became so much harder after you realize that you don't actually like it AND feel disappointed by your program's quality (this is a very subjective opinion of mine). I feel like I've exhausted my will power muscle at this point. Also, by the time I can start make actual money (i.e.after completing internship, post-doc, licensure) I'll be in my early thirties, with peers who have already worked at least 7 or 8 years, probably advanced to a mid-level position in their field, and make more money than I do. In fact, I don't even know how much does an entry-level psychologist make. No one talks about that in school and I haven't been able to find a way to ask that question in a way that's not awkward or rude. Any one knows? I know it depends on a lot of different factors and the setting, but just generally speaking, how much would you be able to take home if you are in private practice or a hospital in NYC? I'm guessing around $100K?? I feel that just doesn't justify the effort required for this degree. Call me shallow or superficial, but I think money is an important thing in the end. If you just need to have a job to make a living, why not choose one that requires less education and effort but may give you the same payout. The good thing is that I don't have any debt, just because I'm lucky enough to have parents who are willing to pay for the tuition and expenses. But even with that, I question whether this is all worth it. Please share your thoughts. Thank you. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I do appreciate the info you provided. But it feels that you are very quick to judge that people are just dumb and lazy. I’d appreciate your help even more if it wasn’t delivered in such a condescending manner ) Click to expand...

Sanman said: What's a decent amount of money? Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I guess I'd be fine with a $100K starting salary and the potential to earn up to $150k-200k as the years go by, given that I live in NYC where everything is more expansive than the rest of the country. I have friends with a masters degree in another field who earn roughly $100k after 2 years of experience and those with a PhD in another field have a starting salary of $140K. I guess what I'm asking is not ridiculous? Click to expand...

Sanman said: That's because no one is laying out a free step by step playbook on how you can compete with them. We have all spent years figuring this out. There are a lot of ways to make money. Many tips are all around these boards on old threads. Do some reading. Figure out how you want to make money. If you want the medical school $300k job offer from a random hospital upon graduation. That is not going to happen. Click to expand...

PsyDr said: I can understand the perception. Information is insufficient to earn money. You’d think it’s condescending for me to say, “go to Harvard law, get a federal judge clerkship in finance, work for Brewster, and earn 7 figures”. That advice does nothing to help you earn. Earning money is NOT only about information, or even ability. It requires effort, and a lot of humility. If you’re not willing to put that effort in, there’s nothing that can help you. It’s like me. I spent time trying to help you. But since my effort is met with negativity, I regret giving you any information. Click to expand...

Clinical PhD Student

I'd also think about money/hours worked or money/stress when looking at other industries, especially since you're in NYC. I used to live there and work at a hedge fund, and I can promise you that most people there who made obscene amounts of money 1. were miserable and 2. had next to no time to spend their money because they were always working. Totally agree that money is a valid concern, but the dollar value itself isn't the whole picture.

Dazen said: I'd also think about money/hours worked or money/stress when looking at other industries, especially since you're in NYC. I used to live there and work at a hedge fund, and I can promise you that most people there who made obscene amounts of money 1. were miserable and 2. had next to no time to spend their money because they were always working. Totally agree that money is a valid concern, but the dollar value itself isn't the whole picture. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I feel that we are talking about a different thing now. I might have misunderstood your previous post, but that doesn't matter now. "Regret is just another way of learning."--PsyDr Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: It’s not like I can just quit my program and change career now if I figure out what I’m truly passionate about. I can’t imagine giving up all the things I’ve learned and starting from scratch. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I was asking if people have information on the general salary that an entry-level psychologist make in NYC. I did do some reading on old threads but that specific information is hard to find/search on internet Click to expand...

singasongofjoy

Try looking up vocation, salary by region on Occupational Network (Google O*Net) if you want some numbers.

AbnormalPsych said: Yes. You can. People do it. I've seen it. Also the reverse, with people in their 40s quitting prior careers and coming into PhD programs to start a new journey. Just cause you have difficulty imagining it doesn't mean anything. This information is on the APA website. In fancy colorful charts and graphs too. It is a couple years old at least since I last looked at it. I would be surprised if they took it down. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: lol thank you for your optimism. Yes I can. In theory I can do anything I want. But the question is whether it is realistic. I can go to an acting academy and be an actor and potentially earn millions of dollars. But that's not a realistic plan for life. I'm really not considering to have all those years and money spent in my education wasted and do something else, which may take even more time and cost more money, when I'm not 15 years old. Please don't take it the wrong way. I'm not trying to bash you, I just want to be realistic. My original intention was to see if people feel the same way, so that I can get some validation and feel less unhappy. Or if people feel differently, what their point of view is so maybe I can learn from that. Click to expand...

Oct 21, 2021

I ended up changing directions after finishing my PhD. I was always more research focused than clinically focused. I don't so much regret the decision to pursue a PhD, but the career lost a lot of luster during postdoc and I figured my skills would be more lucrative in the business world. I also wanted to have a more normal schedule and have time to spend with my partner, raise a family, and engage in other hobbies. At the end, psychology was just a job, one that didn't pay all that well as a post-doc/early career psychologist, and I could imagine doing a lot of other things with my skills. After internship and two post-docs I pivoted to becoming a business analyst. My background in stats, research methods, and clinical skills have been an asset for researching business processes, gathering requirements for projects, project management, people management, etc. I still do a lot of data analysis, which I love, and do a lot of problem solving as I am housed in an IT department. All that being said, I still miss psychology and some of what I used to study, the writing, and sometimes the clinical issues, which is why I still lurk here...haha. There are good things and bad things with every job, you just have to decide if you want your time, values and skills going towards something in psychology or something else. A PhD prepares you well for other paths, and having a PhD on your resume can quickly give you a leg up regardless of what you do.

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I was asking if people have information on the general salary that an entry-level psychologist make in NYC. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I feel what I'm asking is reasonable giving the effort that's required for the degree. Click to expand...

cotn_psych said: I ended up changing directions after finishing my PhD. I was always more research focused than clinically focused. I don't so much regret the decision to pursue a PhD, but the career lost a lot of luster during postdoc and I figured my skills would be more lucrative in the business world. I also wanted to have a more normal schedule and have time to spend with my partner, raise a family, and engage in other hobbies. At the end, psychology was just a job, one that didn't pay all that well as a post-doc/early career psychologist, and I could imagine doing a lot of other things with my skills. After internship and two post-docs I pivoted to becoming a business analyst. My background in stats, research methods, and clinical skills have been an asset for researching business processes, gathering requirements for projects, project management, people management, etc. I still do a lot of data analysis, which I love, and do a lot of problem solving as I am housed in an IT department. All that being said, I still miss psychology and some of what I used to study, the writing, and sometimes the clinical issues, which is why I still lurk here...haha. There are good things and bad things with every job, you just have to decide if you want your time, values and skills going towards something in psychology or something else. A PhD prepares you well for other paths, and having a PhD on your resume can quickly give you a leg up regardless of what you do. Click to expand...

Psycycle said: I've regretted it from time to time, and liked it at others. I didn't really like it completely until I went into hospital mental health administration, so I do think you eventually can find your niche. Click to expand...

MCParent said: I never regretted it and like most of my job, but I would have probably gone into contract law if I’d known that existed when I was in undergrad. Click to expand...

AbnormalPsych said: This information is on the APA website. In fancy colorful charts and graphs too. It is a couple years old at least since I last looked at it. I would be surprised if they took it down. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Do you mind telling me why you would have gone into contract law? Click to expand...

MCParent said: I’m doing an MBA right now and the business law class I took was amazing. Contract law combines my passions for being petty and punishing people for not attending to details. Seriously though it is super fascinating to me and there are ways to help people from getting screwed over by predatory contracts. Click to expand...

WisNeuro said: Like 50/50 reimbursement splits and overly broad/unenforceable non-compete clauses? Click to expand...

Sanman said: That's why I plan to offer prospective employees a 30/70 split. 50/50 seems much too generous. Click to expand...

WisNeuro said: I plan to forgo expensive and unnecessary health insurance plans and instead offer them a sit/stand desk instead. Click to expand...

Therapist4Chnge

Neuropsych ninja.

I regret going to a poorly funded program. My mentors were all older and out of touch w. the application process (this was pre-SDN), so I had no idea there were balanced Ph.D. programs...they all went to hardcore research programs in the midwest. I found the grad school book for clinical psych at a bookstore, but I didn't really understand all of the other things I should have considered. I made the most of it and I generally enjoy what I do, but it took a lot of time and sacrifice to get here. If I could do it again, I'd either do behavioral neurology or skip healthcare all together and work in finance / stock market. I'd be on my 2nd vacation home by now like some friends and family.

Therapist4Chnge said: I regret going to a poorly funded program. My mentors were all older and out of touch w. the application process (this was pre-SDN), so I had no idea there were balanced Ph.D. programs...they all went to hardcore research programs in the midwest. I found the grad school book for clinical psych at a bookstore, but I didn't really understand all of the other things I should have considered. I made the most of it and I generally enjoy what I do, but it took a lot of time and sacrifice to get here. If I could do it again, I'd either do behavioral neurology or skip healthcare all together and work in finance / stock market. I'd be on my 2nd vacation home by now like some friends and family. Click to expand...

borne_before

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and would like to get people's opinions on questions I don't feel comfortable asking people I know. I'm currently half way through a partially-funded PhD program in clinical psych, and starting to feel regretful for getting this degree. I'm not saying that I want to switch career now, that would be a reckless decision given how much I've already invested at this point. I just want to see if anyone feels the same way or differently. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: The main reason for my regret is that I don't enjoy doing therapy (my program is much more clinical than researchy, even though it's a PhD program) as much as I thought. Maybe that's my own fault for not figuring this out beforehand, but I feel it's really hard to know what doing therapy is really about and feels like until you actually get trained and do it. In this country at least you really don't have much opportunity to get exposed to that unless you are in a doctoral program or a license track master's program. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: I'm also just tired of the endless work and the amount of effort that you have to devote into getting this degree . I did prepare myself for it before going into it, but it just became so much harder after you realize that you don't actually like it AND feel disappointed by your program's quality (this is a very subjective opinion of mine) . I feel like I've exhausted my will power muscle at this point. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Also, by the time I can start make actual money (i.e.after completing internship, post-doc, licensure) I'll be in my early thirties, with peers who have already worked at least 7 or 8 years, probably advanced to a mid-level position in their field, and make more money than I do. Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: In fact, I don't even know how much does an entry-level psychologist make. No one talks about that in school and I haven't been able to find a way to ask that question in a way that's not awkward or rude. Any one knows? I know it depends on a lot of different factors and the setting, but just generally speaking, how much would you be able to take home if you are in private practice or a hospital in NYC? I'm guessing around $100K?? I feel that just doesn't justify the effort required for this degree. Call me shallow or superficial, but I think money is an important thing in the end. If you just need to have a job to make a living, why not choose one that requires less education and effort but may give you the same payout. Click to expand...

borne_before said: Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy! But, I suspect there is something else going on here... What don't you like about therapy? Are you hella self-conscious? Are you doing therapy that just isn't a great fit for your style? What are your placements? Are you taking therapy too seriously? Are you not vibing with your supervisors. There are many psychologists who just don't like doing therapy. It's often not my favorite thing, either. So I focus more on assessment of the neurodevelopmental disorders and behavioral consultation with parents (aka parent management training, aka sticker charts and time out 101). Or you can just be a dirty academic, all smug up in the ivory tower, doing research or just teaching. There is nothing wrong with that route. But, you might want to start building that side of it. This feeling is called burnout! I think it's very normal midway through your doc program. I'm also wondering if maybe some depression has snuck up on you. COVID has sucked... Did you move from your support system? Are you the first grad student in your family? Do you ever get some damn sunshine on your skin? Are you exercising regularly? Do you live on hoth and the short cold days are getting to you? Also, slow down bro. You don't have to have everything figured out and mapped perfectly. Set short term goals. Like just focus on getting to Christmas. Is there anyway to increase your involvement in the program so you feel more connected to it? I had this same feeling. I was 32 when I got licensed. I talked with my dad about it and he said, "are you gonna be 32, either way?" BTW - my parents were like yours, I never took loans, they helped me a ton. Money is important. I currently make more than anyone in my graduating class. But no one really gets wealthy by doing therapy. They get wealthy by making smart financial decisions, minimizing expenses, and finding other routes to income. For instance, you could run a private practice or start an ABA clinic or something. Don't worry about the money too much. The degree, if it doesn't kill your soul, will be the best investment you'll ever make. Grad school is supposed to suck. Its part of the experience. But, I'm wondering if maybe, the old black dog hasn't crept up on you and maybe a little good ole fashioned Prozac and therapy will help Click to expand...

borne_before said: Don't fall for the sunk cost fallacy! But, I suspect there is something else going on here... What don't you like about therapy? Are you hella self-conscious? Are you doing therapy that just isn't a great fit for your style? What are your placements? Are you taking therapy too seriously? Are you not vibing with your supervisors. There are many psychologists who just don't like doing therapy. It's often not my favorite thing, either. So I focus more on assessment of the neurodevelopmental disorders and behavioral consultation with parents (aka parent management training, aka sticker charts and time out 101). Or you can just be a dirty academic, all smug up in the ivory tower, doing research or just teaching. There is nothing wrong with that route. But, you might want to start building that side of it. This feeling is called burnout! I think it's very normal midway through your doc program. I'm also wondering if maybe some depression has snuck up on you. COVID has sucked... Did you move from your support system? Are you the first grad student in your family? Do you ever get some damn sunshine on your skin? Are you exercising regularly? Do you live on hoth and the short cold days are getting to you? Also, slow down bro. You don't have to have everything figured out and mapped perfectly. Set short term goals. Like just focus on getting to Christmas. Is there anyway to increase your involvement in the program so you feel more connected to it? I had this same feeling. I was 32 when I got licensed. I talked with my dad about it and he said, "are you gonna be 32, either way?" BTW - my parents were like yours, I never took loans, they helped me a ton. Money is important. I currently make more than anyone in my graduating class. But no one really gets wealthy by doing therapy. They get wealthy by making smart financial decisions, minimizing expenses, and finding other routes to income. For instance, you could run a private practice or start an ABA clinic or something. Don't worry about the money too much. The degree, if it doesn't kill your soul, will be the best investment you'll ever make. Grad school is supposed to suck. Its part of the experience. But, I'm wondering if maybe, the old black dog hasn't crept up on you and maybe a little good ole fashioned Prozac and therapy will help. Click to expand...

LCSW, private practice

Oct 22, 2021

I can't answer your questions about regret because I don't have a Ph.D., but just as one data point about private practice income, I'm an LCSW in NYC in and my net income is around $12,500 a month and climbing. I currently see about 23-25 clients a week after cancellations. I also write and consult, but that doesn't usually bring in more than an additional $10K or so a year (so I guess about $160K total). That said, I have some niche skills, am licensed in two states, and have built a great referral network in the year I've been practicing privately. My therapist friends whose fees are lower, who don't have sought-after specialties, or who don't have a knack for self-promotion seem to make less. Also, I like what I do. I don't think I'd stay in the field if I didn't. The stress of running a solo practice is manageable, but the stress of doing that and disliking the work would make my life a living hell. Think about that as you consider alternative career paths. It might be worth shaving a bit off your income to, y'know, be happy.

Qwerk said: I can't answer your questions about regret because I don't have a Ph.D., but just as one data point about private practice income, I'm an LCSW in NYC in and my net income is around $12,500 a month and climbing. I currently see about 23-25 clients a week after cancellations. I also write and consult, but that doesn't usually bring in more than an additional $10K or so a year (so I guess about $160K total). That said, I have some niche skills, am licensed in two states, and have built a great referral network in the year I've been practicing privately. My therapist friends whose fees are lower, who don't have sought-after specialties, or who don't have a knack for self-promotion seem to make less. Also, I like what I do. I don't think I'd stay in the field if I didn't. The stress of running a solo practice is manageable, but the stress of doing that and disliking the work would make my life a living hell. Think about that as you consider alternative career paths. It might be worth shaving a bit off your income to, y'know, be happy. Click to expand...

Sanman said: We should post this for everyone who says an LCSW can't make any money and they need a third rate doctorate. Publicly funded MSW FTW! Click to expand...

WisNeuro said: But...but, I really want to be a Dr! Click to expand...

AnonymousClinicalPsych said: Haha you are not a real doctor if you don't have an MD. Not my opinion. Most people in this country tend to think that. Click to expand...

Sanman said: MSW + $10 in color printing charges at Kinkos for doctoral diploma PDF downloaded of the internet+$40 frame? Click to expand...

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A breaking hero emerges: Meet Australia's Raygun

An australian professor had some breaking moves, and people had thoughts., by nbc staff • published august 9, 2024 • updated on august 9, 2024 at 3:19 pm.

As Dr. Rachel Gunn, she's a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Australia . She holds a PhD in cultural science. She researches and lectures on the cultural politics of breaking .

As Raygun, she's an Olympian breaker, competing for Australia.

Raygun lost all three of her matches, against B-Girls named Nicka, Syssy and Logistx. Yes, that sentence is accurate.

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But Raygun had some moves. And people had some thoughts.

What my nephew does after telling all of us to “watch this” pic.twitter.com/366LjIRl4j — Liz Charboneau (@lizchar) August 9, 2024

There has not been an Olympic performance this dominant since Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint at Beijing in 2008. Honestly, the moment Raygun broke out her Kangaroo move this competition was over! Give her the #breakdancing gold 🥇 pic.twitter.com/6q8qAft1BX — Trapper Haskins (@TrapperHaskins) August 9, 2024

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All I can think about when I see this is the hip hop dance teacher from Bob’s Burgers but if instead she was from Australia and was a 36 year old woman named Raygun https://t.co/nUwYVLnrms pic.twitter.com/Wl5FResHw7 — Shereef Sakr (@ShereefKeef) August 9, 2024

Paris 2024 Summer Olympics

Watch all the action from the Paris Olympics live on NBC

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Steph Curry's dominance has McDonald's France pondering sauce removal

when Raygun hit the kangaroo jawn I couldn't see the screen I was crying so hard pic.twitter.com/jcICfTu11d — Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) August 9, 2024

I think I found the source of inspiration for the Raygun breakdance at the Olympics. https://t.co/t94Iyu1dPZ pic.twitter.com/a7DL9etwRz — Noodson (@noodson) August 9, 2024

Raygun was like pic.twitter.com/KvXVPVGScx — Charles J. Moore (@charles270) August 9, 2024

Raygun did THE SPRINKLER at this breakdance thing, this is the worst thing Australia has ever done. — Luis Paez-Pumar (@lppny) August 9, 2024

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A subreddit dedicated to PhDs.

PhD Burnout

I finished my PhD six months ago, and can’t write anything anymore. I have quit drinking, exercise regularly, meditate, but still—-nothing. And it’s not for lack of trying or continuous work—believe me.

Teaching, on the other hand, just gives me massive anxiety these days, where I constantly feel unprepared and brain dead.

The problem is, I need to do both activities regularly, as they are my only source of bread and butter. How do I overcome (or just survive) this burn-out?

What do I do?

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IMAGES

PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health
Effective strategy to avoid burnout as PHD student : PhDStress
How to Deal with Burnout as a PhD Student
PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health
How To Overcome PhD Burnout?
PhD Student Burnout: Why Do PhDs Get Burnout And What To Do About It ( PhD Stress And Anxiety )

COMMENTS

Burnout and finishing : r/PhD
Burnout and finishing. Dissertation. I've been killing myself for the past 5 years to finish this PhD. There's been a lot of up-hill battles including advisor and publishing issues. I've basically run myself into the ground over the years and I am trying to finish soon. The combination of burnout and working from home during COVID has killed a ...
Coping with burnout after a PhD. Burnout or wrong career? : r/PhD
Finished PhD, took some time off, moved country to start a new job that was supposed to be my dream career. However, I'm constantly tired and don't want to grind anymore. If you feel it's due to symptoms of a burnout I'd advise talking to a psychologist or a reputable coach depending on your symptoms and needs.
How long will post-PhD burnout last? : r/PhD
zehnzaehne. • 2 yr. ago. Burnout lasts 3 to 5 years. In those years everything will be harder and more draining and you need to be gentle with yourself if you can't achieve what used to be simple for you. It will get better though. It gets a lot better. 3.
PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health
The World Health Organisation classifies burnout as a syndrome with symptoms of: - Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; - Increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; - Reduced professional efficacy. Symptoms of burnout as classified by the WHO. Source.
Overcoming PhD Burnout: My Journey and Lessons Learned
Burnout is a sign that something needs to change, and acknowledging it is the first step towards finding a sustainable way forward. To all my fellow PhD candidates out there: You're not alone.
PhD Burnout (and How to Avoid It)
Hannah completed her PhD this year and is a Senior Content Writer here at FindAPhD. Her research focused on Early Modern English seafarers. Having finished a PhD, Hannah has a strong grasp on the student experiencve and the multiple academic and time pressures faced by PhD students. As a fourth year PhD student, I am well acquainted with burnout.
phd
For a true burnout you will need to stop working, rest, and seek counseling/medical help. You need to lower your expectations of yourself and virtually eliminate what others expect from you. Ultimately, because work is about expectations (either self-imposed or set by others), I doubt that you can continue working and recover from a burnout.
Grad School Burnout is Real
Burnout is believed to be coined by the psychologist Dr. Herbert Freudenberger, who defined it as "failing, wearing out, or becoming exhausted through excessive demands on energy, strength, or resources." [1] At times, graduate school seems synonymous with burnout - it is a multi-year, grueling process of hurdle after hurdle.
How to cope with life changes and burnout after PhD thesis submission
3. Personally I can recommend hiking in the mountains for a week or two. It eliminates the feeling of being guilty of not working (enough), because one simply CANNOT work or actively prepare your „life after PhD" while doing this, while presenting a different rewarding challenge at the same time. Good for your mind.
Tips for Beating Burnout in Graduate School
While in grad school health programs, one of the best ways to relieve stress and beat burnout is to connect with others. Reach out to a trusted loved one or join a graduate student support group to talk about your experience with burnout. Carve out time in your calendar for social activities (e.g., schedule a weekly phone date with a friend or ...
PhD years burnout
This is me complaining and looking for company in my misery: I'm tired. Tired of writing. Tired of abstracts. Tired of mice (to which I think I've become allergic). Tired of revising. Help? Suggestions? Motivating tidbits? On the up side - i'll finish this spring and go back to M3 in June.
PhD burnout
Edit: Just wanted to also mention that a study conducted at Berkeley in 2015 found that 50% of all PhD students are clinically depressed and 10% suicidal. If you manage to get through this you'll come out stronger! 4 years into my Phd in epidemiology in London, finishing my last chapter, and holy shit am I burnt out.
Managing your PhD without burning out
The PhD burnout is certainly avoidable and can be overcome with a few lifestyle improvements and mindset training. Your PhD is a project that you'll be invested in for three to four years. Burning out early on in the journey can affect both your personal and professional life. This can be avoided by simply taking charge of your work life and ...
At Breaking Point: Burnout and its Consequences Post-PhD by Marissa
At Breaking Point: Burnout and its Consequences Post-PhD by Marissa Edwards. October 10, 2020March 28, 2023 ADMIN. As I leaned against the wall of my apartment, tears running down my face, one thought kept circling around and around in my head: "This shouldn't be happening.". Indeed, from all outside appearances, my life was pretty good.
This lab asked depressed Ph.D. students what's hardest—and ...
When a 2018 study revealed that Ph.D. students suffer from depression at rates far higher than the general population, it sparked a landslide of concern about graduate student mental health, with some calling it a mental health crisis.The study highlighted a need to understand what aspects of graduate school affect depression, says Katelyn Cooper, an assistant professor at Arizona State ...
Want to avoid grad school burnout? Try these 5 tips
3. Break bad habits. A lot of things can cause grad school burnout. You can't change some elements like your coursework or your class schedule, but you do have control over many other things. Eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep can seriously make a world of a difference.
Burnout and engagement among PhD students in medicine: the BEeP study
Introduction. Burnout has been identified as a global problem among medical students, residents and physicians, and is on the rise [1-4].The percentage of physicians having at least one symptom of burnout in the US increased from 45% to 54% between 2011 and 2014 [].]. "PhD students in medicine" as a group has been neglected in burnout research.
Olympic Breakdancer Raygun Has PhD in Breakdancing?
Raygun, a 36-year-old full-time lecturer at Sydney's Macquarie University, completed a PhD in breaking culture and is a lecturer in media, creative arts, literature and language," another X user ...
Has anyone ever regretted getting a PhD in clinical psych?
What will is getting you to look up the professional surveys on income. Someone is the max on that. So… between $60k-$900k. Outside of me, there are people on SDN who make less than $40k/yr, and some that can make $40k in 2 weeks. 2) Learn the CPT codes used in psychology. This is easily found on APA sites via google.
Life after PhD burnout....how to proceed? : r/PhD
It doesn't help that I am an international student with no knowledge of the local language (I did my PhD and postdoc in 2 different countries). Anyway, the burnout will last anyway from 3 months to a year with an average length of 8 months based on the experience of our fellow colleagues that posted on this sub. So take it easy.
Burnout and Mental Health Problems in Doctoral Students (CBE-Life
We discovered high levels of burnout, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, we identi ed that burnout was signicantly associated with thoughts related to dropping out, subjective appraisal of employment opportunities, functional impairment due to a mental health problem, and having at least one current psychiatric disorder.
Burnout Culture. How the quest for a PhD led me to crash ...
Burnout cannot simply be described as exhaustion from overwork. Normal exhaustion from hard work is meant to be satisfying. Consider the bone deep fatigue you feel after a particularly hard work out.
A breaking hero emerges: Meet Australia's Raygun
As Dr. Rachel Gunn, she's a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Australia. She holds a PhD in cultural science. She researches and lectures on the cultural politics of breaking. As ...
Symptoms of PhD burnout? : r/PhD
My rule of thumb is if you're asking for symptoms of burnout, that's a symptom of burnout. As someone who quit Ph.D. due to depression/burnout many years ago just to come back and try again, I concur with u/scrappypizza that if you are asking for the symptoms of burnout, you are most likely burned out.
Australian Breakdancer Raygun Reacts to Breakdancing Not Returning for
An Olympic legend was born last week as Australian B-girl Raygun took centerstage in Paris. But she won't be back in 2028, with breaking not among the sports returning for the 2028 Summer Games in ...
PhD Burnout : r/PhD
PhD Burnout. Post-PhD. I finished my PhD six months ago, and can't write anything anymore. I have quit drinking, exercise regularly, meditate, but still—-nothing. And it's not for lack of trying or continuous work—believe me. Teaching, on the other hand, just gives me massive anxiety these days, where I constantly feel unprepared and ...
Raygun: Australian breaker earns mixed reviews, praised for 'courage
Rachael Gunn arrived in Paris as a competitive breaker excited to make her Olympic debut. She leaves an internet sensation, her performances viewed by million across social media.