PSG #001: How to survive and thrive in your PhD

Almost 4 years into my PhD, I suffered an acute hearing loss from stress and was not sure if I could hear normally again in my left ear.

I was stressed and under pressure and I really wanted to finish. However, I had not enough results yet to write my thesis.

I was overwhelmed, and exhausted. And I did not know which steps were most important to take in order to finally finish.

Everybody was getting on my nerves by asking when I would finally be done with my PhD.

My suffering health really scared me. I decided that it was time for a change and to take care of my health while finishing my PhD.

I really wanted to finish my PhD successfully and healthy

I did not want to continue like that. I wanted to have a life outside of academia while still being successful. Seeing friends and family, and having hobbies while finally finishing my PhD. Improving my self-confidence and finally dealing with imposter syndrome.

I wanted to be free.

Looking for something to make me feel better and less stressed, I read different books, blogs and posts. Watched videos. Took courses.

Basically, I randomly tried everything hoping to find a cure.

Now, fast-forward: I found some helpful tools but also realised I need a system.

Implementing tools in a systematic way kicked off the change

I realised that only accumulating knowledge and ideas does not work. I had to take action and tested everything until I found tools working for me. These I implemented in a systematic way into my daily life and felt the change.

I realised that (mental) health is very important, not only for your well-being but also for your success. Working on my mindset and imposter syndrome made me realise how much I was holding myself back.

I discovered I am much more productive, efficient and focused when I don’t work 12+ h per day, and instead, also take real breaks to recharge. This was achieved with the right time management tools.

Of course, I cannot prevent all stress. However, with the right tools, I learned to cope with it in a healthier way.

Now, I am a much more relaxed Postdoc with a side business helping others to prevent what happened to me. I still have many things on my to-do list, such as

• work
• building up the business
• visiting my family
• meeting friends
• sport and hobbies
• travelling
• volunteering at a local club…

and am stressed from time to time, but I found the tools to help me deal with all of that in a healthier way.

Interestingly, my brother faced similar challenges

My brother faced similar challenges while working full-time and pursuing a bachelor's degree in engineering at a private evening school. He ended up burnt out. His turning point.

He also started to educate himself about the same topics as I did and found the tools specifically working for him. And he implemented them in a systematic way as well.

Today he is working full-time in an engineer-level job, runs a small business and is also building this one with me, got married and also has a lot on his to-do list, such as:

• working full time
• Building up the business
• doing sport
• seeing friends and family
• travelling
• quality time with his wife
• planning to buy or build a house…

Surely he is stressed sometimes but thanks to all the knowledge, combined with the tools, he can handle it really quickly and consistently.

Finally: realize that to be successful you have to work systematically on yourself

From our stories, you can learn that:

• awareness of your current situation is the starter for change
• you have to take action
• not only knowledge but implementation is key
• Build a system

Since I finished my PhD, we talked to numerous PhD candidates and almost 100% are experiencing very similar problems, pains and challenges as we did. And we really feel their pain.

Because the majority of PhD candidates and Postdocs are suffering, we decided to help them by sharing our knowledge and experience.

This newsletter will help you to stay or get successful while living a healthier and more enjoyable life with:

• tools that worked for us
• tips and tricks to make life easier
• personal stories to illustrate how we overcame certain challenges
• background information

More about the three pillars for your PhD success and health in our next issue.

See you next week.

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If you want more help:

We're excited to share the PhD Survival System (PSS) with you because we know how tough it can be to get through a PhD program. We have developed a holistic system that combines all the necessary areas needed to obtain optimal results and real change.