Mental Health during the PhD
We are aware that pursuing a PhD is a particular challenge, which can have effects on your mental health as well as your social life. Anxiety about the future, procrastination, writer’s block etc. are – to a certain extent – ‘normal’ aspects of this challenge. However, they can also be the first signs or already serious symptoms of a mental health issue like depression or burnout. At the GCSC, we want to raise awareness of this and support you if needed. To this end, we offer regular workshops on topics like resilience and stress management.
As a graduate centre, we cannot offer psychological counselling ourselves. Yet we know that, especially in exhausting and distressing periods, it can be difficult to go looking for help on your own. To make this step as easy as possible, this page lists support organisations and helplines that you can approach when necessary. Please do not hesitate to ask the relevant institutions whether they provide their service in English. If you need help getting in touch with any of them, you may contact Lena Nüchter at the GCSC (confidential).
Events
November 2023 |
Workshop: Good is better than perfect: Stress resilience, mindfulness and the ability to navigate one's inner stress drivers Termin: Thursday, November 30th 2023, 09:00 to 05:00 Pursuing a PhD is an endeavour of high uncertainties and precarity. Research in general is rarely plannable, nevertheless reliable exposés have to be written. Additionally, time management is a key task, since candidates have to split their resources besides their project on several activities such as teaching, conference presentations, publishing as well as career development and acquisition of key qualifications. Finally, academia as a social field is shaped by values such as excellence and competition; reputation is it‘s currency, continuous critical questioning is the motor of scientific progress. All of these factors can cause stress and anxiety – both of which, in turn, might hamper what innovative research needs: creativity, openness, focus. The workshop provides the participants with basic knowledge of how stress works and combines it with an introduction to practices of mindfulness. Through personal reflection, theoretical knowledge is transformed into self-awareness of individual stress drivers and via hands-on exercises it is transferred into daily life. Furthermore, mindfulness practices such as meditation, but also simple physical exercises (mindful movements) and structured reflections can increase awareness of one’s perception and thinking, emotions and sensing. Dr. Christine Normann is a trainer for Mindful Leadership. She has worked in science management at research institutions and universities for over ten years. She holds a PhD in political science and has experience in research and teaching.
max. 10 participants Registration: Please register on Stud.IP for this event. The deadline for registration is 27th October 2023. Cancel your registration by email (and on Stud.IP) at least 7 days prior to the deadline. Please note that your registration is binding and commits you to full participation in the respective course which includes an individual preliminary chat with one of the trainers. These will take place virtually in the two or three weeks leading up to the workshop, the appointments will be arranged individually. If you are not able to attend the course, please give others the chance to participate. Should more people register than places are available, we will as usual apply the first come, first served-principle. Should you need further information or have questions, please contact Jacqueline Sim or Marcel Frentzel. You can find more information here. |
Where to get help
At JLU | |
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Psychologische Beratung - AStA |
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Stressbewältigung - FB 06 https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb06/psychologie/abt/psychologie/klinische/stressbewaeltigung |
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Studiencoaching - ZfBK https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/afk?set_language=de |
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Zentrale Studienberatung |
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In Gießen | |
UKGM Gießen - Klinik für Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie |
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Vitos Klinik Gießen crisis line: 0641 ‐ 4030 |
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Marburger Bündnis gegen Depression |
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Nationwide | |
Deutsche Depressionshilfe |
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Deutsche Depressionsliga |
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Crisis line 0800 - 111 0 111 |
Readings/Further information
- Wenn die Dissertation an der Psyche nagt. Interview mit Psychotherapeut Hans-Werner Rückert: https://www.forschung-und-lehre.de/wenn-die-dissertation-an-der-psyche-nagt-471/
- Burnout - Anzeichen erkennen und Strategien zur Vermeidung: https://www.academics.de/ratgeber/anzeichen-burnout-erkennen-vermeiden#subnav_nicht_gegen_sich_leben_-_strategien_gegen_burnout
- Steiner, Verena: Energiekompetenz: Produktiver denken, wirkungsvoller arbeiten, entspannter leben. Zürich 2011.
- Inspirieren, Freiräume lassen. Die Abhängigkeit von Doktorvater oder Doktormutter birgt Risiken – nicht zuletzt für die Psyche: https://www.duz.de/beitrag/!/id/489/inspirieren-freiraeume-lassen
- Being proactive about mental health during your PhD: a very short guide: http://blogs.nature.com/naturejobs/2017/05/08/being-proactive-about-mental-health-during-your-phd-a-very-short-guide/
- The Mental Health Crisis in Academia: https://www.ecn-berlin.de/mental-health/the-mental-health-crisis-in-academi.html
Studies dealing with the subjext of PhD/academic work and research & depression/mental health problems
- Katia Levecque, Frederik Anseel, Alain De Beuckelaer, Johan Van der Heyden, Lydia Gisle (2017): „Work organization and mental health problems in PhD students“, URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733317300422?via%3Dihub
- Woolston, Chris: Graduate survey: A love–hurt relationship, in: Nature, 550, pp. 549–552, (26 October 2017), URL: https://figshare.com/articles/Nature_Graduate_Survey_2017/5480716
- Susan Guthrie, Catherine Lichten, Janna van Belle, Sarah Ball, Anna Knack, Joanna Hofman: Understanding mental health in the research environment. A Rapid Evidence Assessment, 2017, URL: https://royalsociety.org/~/media/policy/topics/diversity-in-science/understanding-mental-health-in-the-research-environment.pdf
- The Graduate Assembly - Graduate Student Happiness & Well-Being Report 2014, URL: http://ga.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/wellbeingreport_2014.pdf
- Winefield, A. H., Gillespie, N., Stough, C., Dua, J., Hapuarachchi, J., & Boyd, C. (2003). Occupational stress in Australian university staff: Results from a national survey. International Journal of Stress Management, 10(1), 51-63, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.10.1.51