Surviving and thriving on the
research rollercoaster
Belinda Cash
Lecturer in Social Work and Gerontology
Charles Sturt University, Australia.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Where are you on the ride?
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It turns out I don’t like rollercoasters…
Belinda (0)
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Rollercoaster (1)
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Ride at own risk….
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The prevalence of mental health issues are significantly
higher for research students, compared to other comparable
demographic groups – almost 50% exhibiting some
symptoms (Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Ven Der Heyden, J and Gisle, L., 2017)
Major sources of stress and predictors of depressive
symptoms in grad students include:
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Financial stress, time constraints, sleep deprivation, limited free time,
difficulties in supervisor relationships, career prospects, and
academic challenges
(Hyun, J. K., Quinn, B. C., Madon, T., & Lustig, S. (2006). Jaschik, S. (2015); El-Ghoury, (2011); Levey, (2011).
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Women report more experience of stress than men(Kurtz-Costes et al.
2006).
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The research world is a strange place…
• Competition is high
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Grants, scholarships, publications, conference abstracts,
post docs, travel funding… so many opportunities for
failure and rejection.
• Opportunities can be limited
• Areas of specialisation are at specific institutions
• The need to travel/relocate can be prohibitive
• Competition for academic jobs is very high
• Job insecurity (esp. when relying on grants).
• Pressure to publish and get grants
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Things you didn’t know that you didn’t know…
Co-authorship
Ownership of ideas
Hierarchy
Lack of structure to
candidature/role
• The lack of funding
for conferences, PD
and research support.
• The nuances of
research and writing
skills….
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Supervisor/institution/student relationships
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Individual factors
• Often a return to study
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Change from professional competency/standing
Different social factors to navigate
The return to “student” and “learner” can trigger
feelings of inadequacy and incompetence
• Imposter syndrome
• Isolation (both physical and relational)
• Predisposition to stress/anxiety/low self-esteem
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Me either, Mick.
• It just takes SO long to see
outcomes.
• “When I finish the PhD…”
• Celebrate the small wins!
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Ok…. But now what?
Assuming you haven’t all run for the hills after this
optimistic and sunshine filled view of the research
life….
How can we sustain ourselves for the long haul as a
researcher?
How can we get that PhD/post doc/ongoing
job/research career AND have our sanity too?
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Self-care
• Engagement in behaviours that maintain and
promote physical and emotional well-being
• May include factors such as sleep, exercise, use of
social support, emotion regulation strategies, and
mindfulness practice.
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Obligatory slide about looking after yourself
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Eat well
Exercise regularly
Get enough sleep
Learn mindfulness
Find balance
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Insert here social/family/leisure activities of choice
• Stop watching horror movies/reading your thesis
right before bed
• Invest in a great chair/workspace!
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
But wait, there’s more…
• These are important (and evidence based)
strategies to manage stress and improve
wellbeing.
BUT
• They are often short term/quick fix solutions, so
are temporary (and don’t actually resolve the
underlying problems or endless workload
inherent to research…)
• Self-care is not always fun, or nice, or easy…
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A stress vulnerability model
• Everyone has a
different capacity
bucket…
• Strategies for coping
are good, but in
academia, we need to
stop the flow of stress
INTO the bucket in
the first place.
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Self-care – the gritty truth for academics
• Self-care actually involves:
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A lot of vulnerability
Asking for help
Prioritising yourself at the expense of others
Making tough decisions
Letting go of things and saying no
• Aim for sustainability for when the storm hits.
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Sustainable self-care
• A system that is more than a quick release.
• Scaffolding in life that allows you to weather the
storms when they hit.
• Some of these might include:
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Establishing institutional support to manage workload
that is interesting and achievable FOR YOU.
Developing and maintaining support networks.
Mindfulness techniques that allow you to feel the
emotions without getting caught up in feeling bad
about how you feel.
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Developing strategies for wellbeing
• Work stress versus mental health condition
• Self-awareness is crucial
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Insight into self, moods, feelings and triggers are
imperative to resilience.
Identify YOUR signs of stress and burn out:
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Eg. Fatigue, exhaustion (physical, emotional and cognitive);
disengagement and withdrawal; frustration/irritability; feeling
helpless/hopeless; increased use of substances; changes in
work productivity; changes in sleep/diet/weight…
Identify the issues and strategies that are relevant to
your situation.
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Build a support crew
• Consider the impact of your PhD/research on other
systems in your life.
• Different people and networks will play different
roles.
• Common experiences, challenges, fears and doubts
• Forums, face to face, debriefing, social events
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Belinda’s Best Tips
• Learn to say NO! Respect your time enough to do this.
• Lessons about Shiny Things and the Temple of DOOOOOOM.
• Find the balance that is right for YOU.
• Academia doesn’t have to be a 9-5er, find your productive
times and protect them fiercely.
• Use the flexibility to your productive advantage
• Stop when you need to – it’s ok.
• Don’t forget that there are lots of great people and
tools out there that can help.
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The take home message
WRITE DOWN YOUR PLAN!
• Ideally do the planning BEFORE you need it.
• Know your early warning signs
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Handy hint – let your support crew know these signs
• Identify your tried and tested “quick fixes”
• Identify and utilise your support crew to suit your
individual needs.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. A problem shared
and all that 
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Resources
• Member of the AAG? Join our SECG group on
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/143911358969670/?ref=bookmarks
• Academic mental health collective https://amhcollective.com/
• Belinda’s thoughts on imposter syndrome
https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/tag/belinda-cash/
• Research blogs:
https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/
https://thesiswhisperer.com/
• Keeping connected https://theconversation.com/doing-a-phd-can-be-a-lonelybusiness-but-it-doesnt-have-to-be-19192
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Discussion and questions
Belinda Cash
[email protected]
Tel: +61 2 6051 9270
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
References
Drum, D. J., Brownson, C., Burton Denmark, A., & Smith, S. E. (2009). New data on the nature of suicidal crises in college
students: Shifting the paradigm. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40, 213.
Dyrbye, L. N., Thomas, M. R., Eacker, A., Harper, W., Massie, F. S., Power, D. V., … & Shanafelt, T. D. (2007). Race, ethnicity, and
medical student well-being in the United States. Archives of Internal Medicine, 167(, 2103-2109.
El-Ghoroury, N. H. (2011) Self-care is not just for emergencies. gradPSYCH Magazine, 9, 21.
Hyun, J. K., Quinn, B. C., Madon, T., & Lustig, S. (2006). Graduate student mental health: Needs assessment and utilization of
counseling services. Journal of College Student Development, 47, 247-266.
Jaschik, S. (2015). Berkeley study finds high levels of depression among graduate students. Inside Higher Ed.
Kurtz-Costes, B., A.L. Helmke, and B. U ¨ lku ¨-Steiner. 2006. Gender and doctoral studies: The perceptions of PhD students in
an American university. Gender & Education 18, no. 2: 137 55.
Levecque, K., Anseel, F., De Beuckelaer, A., Ven Der Heyden, J and Gisle, L. (2017) Work organisation and mental health
problems in PhD students. Research Policy, May 2017, Vol.46(4), pp.868-879
Levey R. I. (2001). Sources of stress for residents and recommendations for programs to assist them. Academic Medicine 70,
142–150., ). Self-care is not just for emergencies. gradPSYCH Magazine, 9, 21
Myers, S. B., Sweeney, A. C., Popick, V., Wesley, K., Bordfeld, A., & Fingerhut, R. (2012). Self-care practices and perceived stress
levels among psychology graduate students. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 6(1), 55.
Silverman, M. M., Meyer, P. M., Sloane, F., Raffel, M., & Pratt, D. M. (1997). The Big Ten Student Suicide Study: A 10-year study
of suicides on Midwestern university campuses. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 27, 285-303.
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