20. "How Do You Switch Off?"

Academia can be exhausting. You are constantly thinking about what thing you can do to make yourself more competitive for a grant or how to really make your science shine. But it is equally important to switch off. What are your tricks for switching off?

My Experience of Switching Off

In my final few months of my PhD the tone my PhD meetings became less intense. We knew I would be submitting soon and this journey would be over. It was exciting, yet a little sad. During one of these meetings, I was chatting with one of my supervisors about books and I mentioned I had read almost 100 books that year.

He was shocked. Then he joked "100 books? Clearly you didn't work hard enough!"

I can be quite sensitive, and my initial reaction was shame. But then I thought about it and I knew I had worked incredibly hard to finish my PhD, and I also new reading was the only way I could switch off during my PhD. Movies and television shows were just not engaging. Reading definitely saved me from brain burn out. So I no longer felt ashamed, I embraced the achievement of reading so many books! (I ended up reading 104 books that year).

To survive a PhD, and academia in general, you need to embrace switching off, and not be ashamed of needing to. I think this has become even more apparent during COVID-19 where our work and personal lives have merged more than ever as we rarely left our homes during the lockdown.

What is your trick to switch off?

The Lessons From Switching Off

• Find your vice

As demonstrated by my supervisor, as a PhD student, it is sometimes expected that any 'free' time you have should be dedicate to your PhD. So taking time out to do something for yourself, that is separate from your PhD is seen as a vice. Find your vice, and embrace it, as it is healthy to think of something else other than your PhD.

• Decide to enjoy it

Make the choice to do your vice wholeheartedly. You are allowed to switch off. If you don't switch off you will burn out. So when you choose your equivalent of reading, say to yourself, I am going to [read] (insert your vice equivalent) for the next hour, and I am going to enjoy it. If the voice inside you starts to say," but you need to do this for the PhD", hear it and respond, "Yes I know, I will do that in an hour after I finish [reading]." Eventually the voice will stop and you will be able to enjoy 'vicing'.

• Other self care

What other activities do you enjoy to do? Your morning coffee? The run around the bay? Baking cookies? Or trying new recipes? What part of your every day routine do you enjoy? When you think of an activity you enjoy, when you next do that activity take a moment to reflect on why you enjoy it, and be grateful that you can do it and enjoy it today.

My Experience: I used to love walking to the university every morning. It was 40 minutes of listening to a podcast or music that was uninterrupted and I didn't think about work. Although I did this walk twice a day I never took the time to acknowledge my enjoyment whist doing it. Then when I changed jobs and I could no longer walk to work, I suddenly realised how much I enjoyed it, and how much I missed it now it was gone. I sometimes do that walk on the weekends just to remind myself of how much I enjoyed it.

How do you switch off? Do you embrace it or feel bad indulging yourself? Let me know your experience by leaving a comment below or emailing me at AuthenticResearchExperiences@gmail.com

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