Call number:
9783031141942 (e-book)
Description / Table of Contents:
This book explores the PhD experience as never before and provides a “survival guide” for current and prospective PhD students. The book investigates why mental health issues are so common among the postgraduate population, going beyond the statistics, looking at lived experience of both the author and as well as current PhD students, who have found balancing mental wellness with the PhD endeavour challenging.
The author discusses tips and tricks she wished she had known at the start of her PhD process for managing mental health, such as managing imposter feelings, prioritising workload, and self-care strategies to help others throughout their own journey.
The book goes beyond typical mental health discussions (where the focus for improving mental health is placed on PhD students to become “more resilient”) and explores some of the often unspoken environmental factors that can impact mental health. These include the PhD student-supervisor relationship, the pressure to publish, and deep systemic problems in academia, such as racism, bullying and harassment.
Finally, the book is a call to action, providing tangible improvements from the author’s perspective that university institutions can make to ensure that academia is a place for all to thrive.
Type of Medium:
12
Pages:
1 Online-Ressource (XIX, 199 Seiten)
ISBN:
9783031141942
,
978-3-031-14194-2
URL:
Fulltext @ Ebook Central (AWI only)
Language:
English
Note:
Contents
Part I Defining the Problem
1 Introduction
1.1 A Comment on the Guide
1.2 If You Are Studying for a PhD
1.3 If You Are a PhD Supervisor or PhD Course Coordinator
1.4 If You Are a Concerned Friend or Family Member
References
2 Challenging Perceptions: What Is Mental Health Anyway?
2.1 The Mental Health Continuum
2.2 Barriers to Seeking Help
2.3 Recognising the Signs
2.4 Helping Others
2.5 What Mental Health Isn’t
2.6 To Declare or Not to Declare?: That Is the Question
References
3 Setting the Scene: Understanding the PhD Mental Health Crisis
3.1 Exploring the Data
3.2 What Is the Cause?
3.3 Research Culture
3.4 The Ups and Downs of the PhD Journey
3.5 There Is Hope
References
Part II Mindset Matters
4 Self-Care: Without You There Is No PhD
4.1 Setting the Foundations
4.2 Establishing a Good Sleep Schedule
4.3 Eat Nutritious Food
4.4 Physical Exercise
4.5 Managing Finances
4.6 Examples of Self-Care
4.7 Putting Self-Care in Context of a PhD
4.8 Acknowledging There May Be a Problem: Addiction
4.9 Setting Boundaries
4.10 What to Do If You Reach Burnout
4.11 Navigating Self-Care as a Part-Time PhD Student
References
5 Not Another Yoga Session: University Wellbeing Programs and Why They so Often Miss the Mark
5.1 Reactive Not Proactive
5.2 Trying Something New
5.3 Building Resilience
5.4 The Darker Side of Resilience
References
6 “I’ll Read It Later” and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves: Managing Expectations and Guilt
6.1 Starting Out
6.2 Changing the World
6.3 Planning Your PhD
6.4 You Are Entitled to (and Deserve) Breaks
6.5 Becoming an Expert
6.6 First Time Failing
6.7 Be Grateful (or Else)
6.8 Productivity and Time Management
6.9 Prioritising
References
7 Why You Earned It: Fighting the Impostor
7.1 Understanding the Value You Bring
7.2 Receiving Recognition
7.3 Receiving Critique
7.4 Comparing Yourself With Others
7.5 Asking for Help
7.6 Redefining Your Self-Worth
7.7 Perfectionism
7.8 Email ‘Anxiety’
7.9 Presentation Nerves
7.10 Fighting Back
7.11 Discriminatory Gaslighting
References
Part III Environmental Stressors
8 Dismantling the Ivory Tower: Systemic Issues That Might Impact Your Mental Health
8.1 The Ivory Tower
8.2 Systemic Racism
8.3 Gender Discrimination
8.4 Sexual Harassment
8.5 Bullying
8.6 LGBT+ Discrimination
8.7 Being “First Generation”
8.8 Classism
8.9 Financial Concerns
8.10 Ableism, Disability and Neurodivergence
8.11 Ageism
8.12 Isolation and Culture Shock
8.13 A Comment on Intersectionality
8.14 Changing the Research Culture
8.15 In the Meantime, What Can You Do?
8.16 Finding Light in a Dark Place
References
9 Perhaps It’s Not You It’s Them: PhD Student-Supervisor Relationships
9.1 Choosing Your Supervisor
9.2 The Role of a PhD Supervisor
9.3 Understanding What Makes a Supportive Supervisor
9.4 At Odds
9.5 The Flaw in the System
9.6 Identifying Your Supervisor’s Working Style
9.7 Pervasive, Damaging Biases
9.8 When Things Go Seriously Wrong (and It Is Definitely not Your Fault)
9.9 What You Can Do If Your Supervisor Is Abusive
9.10 Effective Communication
9.11 What to Do if You Have a Disagreement
References
10 Publish or Perish: On the Myth of Meritocracy
10.1 It Is Not an Equal Playing Field
10.2 The Publication Process
10.3 Managing Reviewer 2
10.4 Publishing Options
10.5 Who Is Perishing, Anyway?
10.6 Perfectionism
10.7 Writing Your Thesis
10.8 Research Misconduct
10.9 What to Do if You Realise Research Misconduct Is Happening
References
11 The High-Walled Rose Garden: Understanding There Is Life Outside the Academy
11.1 So What Does This Mean for You and Surviving Your PhD?
11.2 Finding Out What You Truly Enjoy
11.3 Reframing Your Skillsets
11.4 Transitioning from Your PhD
11.5 Debunking the Myths
11.6 Should I Stay or Should I Go?
References
Part IV Seeking Help
12 Thriving, Not Just Surviving
12.1 Identifying the Problem Set
12.2 Sharing the Hypothesis with Others
12.3 Conversation Starters
12.4 Finding a Support Network
12.5 Online Communities
12.6 Speaking About Your Mental Health with Your PhD Superviso
12.7 Lack of Understanding
12.8 Seeking External Assistance to Achieve Your Goal
12.9 If You Are at Crisis Point
12.10 The Elephant in the Room
12.11 Leading the Change
12.12 Not Just Surviving
References
Resources
