First Year PhD Staying Healthy Within and Without
b"Welcome to the PhD Dojo!
\\n
\\nThis week, I'm bringing you part four of the PhD Dojo series on tools and strategies to make the best out of your PhD experience. Today \\u2013 Staying Healthy Within and Without, what three habits you need to nurture to stay balanced during grad school.
\\n
\\nBelow, you'll find the full \\u2013 edited to be read \\u2013 transcript of the live taping of this episode.
\\nVIDEO
\\nhttps://youtu.be/x9pwypEsluQ?sub_confirmation=1
\\nFULL TRANSCRIPT
\\nWelcome to the third installment of the PhD Dojo series titled \\u201c1st Year PhD\\u201d, where I share my mistakes, and lessons learned during my PhD.
\\n
\\nIn the last episode, I talked about building a village around you, a network of people and resources to help you with the obstacles and difficulties that are sure to come during your PhD. A community to make your experience of the day-to-day as a researcher the best possible.
\\n
\\nThis week, I\\u2019m going to talk about the internal journey \\u2013 I\\u2019m going to share three habits you need to develop to make sure your body and mind stay healthy throughout grad school.
\\n
\\nAnd at the end, I will share one mental obstacle that I dealt with, especially during the first year of my PhD, that a lot of us go through, and that, in the extreme, can undermine your whole PhD experience and even your health \\u2013 especially your mental health.
\\n
\\nSo, the first habit I\\u2019m going to share with you, besides eating well and hydrating, is to move \\u2013 include sports in your routine, or the physical activity of your choice. For me, it was Aikido and intramural sports. And the benefit they brought me was twofold: physical fitness and a community, social interactions outside the lab. Put it on your schedule and don\\u2019t question it \\u2013 in the end, you\\u2019ll see it was time well invested, not lost.
\\n
\\nThe second habit has to do with staying balanced within. For me, aikido also played a role in this aspect, but for you it can take different forms \\u2013 yoga, meditation, journaling, knitting, climbing. The day-to-day of the PhD will put strain in your concentration and focus. You need to have a time in the day, or in the week, where you hit the reset button and become centered and balanced, and ready to tackle your research having dissipated any brain fog or fatigue.
\\n
\\nOn this point \\u2013 I\\u2019d really love to know what is YOUR goto habit to hit that reset button and how often you do it! Share it in the comments section! I\\u2019m sure people will appreciate having new strategies to try!
\\n
\\nThe third habit that is key to a healthy and fulfilling PhD journey is keeping communication channels with friends, family, and mentors open at all times. This was a challenge for me, in part, because I was an international student. My advice is \\u2013 put as much energy and intent into it as possible \\u2013 and it\\u2019s so easy today \\u2013 everyone has Zoom, WhatsApp, Facetime\\u2026 What you must avoid at all costs is isolating yourself and cut off your mental and emotional safety net.
\\n
\\nNow\\u2026 I\\u2019m telling you all of this, because looking back, I see I could have done much better than I did.
\\n
\\nAnd I told you I\\u2019d share an obstacle that a lot of us face, especially when starting your PhD \\u2013 and this obstacle made me neglect these habits at the beginning of my PhD.
\\n
\\nIt was the impostor phenomenon \\u2013 a persistent feeling that I wasn\\u2019t good enough, that I wasn\\u2019t as good as my peers, and even, at times, that I didn\\u2019t belong \\u2013 that somehow a clerical error was made and I was mistakenly accepted into the PhD Program.
\\n
\\nWell \\u2013 I\\u2019m here to tell you two things:
\\n
\\nFirst \\u2013 the peers you\\u2019re comparing yourself with, there\\u2019s a high chance they\\u2019re having the exact same feelings. A lot of us experience the impostor phenomenon. There are probably workshops offered where you are about it and about how to defuse it. What I have to tell you today is \\u2013 YOU applied for your program \\u2013 YOU were accepted \\u2013 YOU de..."