Healthy Habits (for happy-ish students)

The end of September is just around the corner. We’re properly in autumn now and all the “back to semester/first day jitters” have been replaced by the “stuck in the thick of it slogging on” feelings. You’ve got lists of assignments, months of meetings, and a schedule that you’re still trying to sort out. If you’re a PhD student you may find yourself with some classes to teach, papers to write, and that time is already beginning to feel like it’s slipping away from you. You are not alone! I adore autumn with every spooky fiber of my Halloween birthday body, but it can also be a busy time of year that can too easily slip away from us. Here are some of the things to try and implement in the fall, in the hopes that they will become habit by the time you’re putting up a Christmas tree.

1. Read. A lot.

We’ve talked about this before but you tend to read a lot in graduate school. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. At the start it feels like you have plenty of time for a literature review, but as you go on it can be harder and harder to find the time to keep up to date with the research, let alone any reading outside of work for fun. I found that dedicating a certain amount of time every week really helps keep me up to date. I have an ongoing collection of papers I want to read and reference, and one afternoon a week (or more if needed) I set aside a few hours to catch up on them.

My friends and I have also recently set up a transatlantic book club, which is proving to be a wonderful excuse to read a book (often one that I wouldn’t normally chose myself) and catch up with some old pals back in Canada.

2. Get outside every day.

We all have those days where we get into work before the sun rises and it’s pitch black by the time we’re getting home. Those days are hard but inevitable, and obviously far more likely as we get into the winter months. I feel like forcing myself to get outside, even for a quick walk around the block, can really help my mental and physical health. It’s calming, bracing (we do live in Scotland after all), and acts as a bit of a reset. If you walk with someone, it’s a chance to have a chat, and if you walk alone it’s a great chance to enjoy your own company. I’m also using this as part of my “ why we should get a dog campaign”. Stay tuned.

3. Earned afternoon’s off

A few months ago my colleague and I went out for an unexpected long lunch on a Friday. It was great and we both commented on how relaxed we felt afterwards. From this point on we decided to implement a monthly “earned afternoon off” with our team. Some months we do big activities, like going berry picking or pottery painting, and others we just grab a nice breakfast or lunch out. Obviously it’s a massive luxury to have a flexible schedule and understanding supervisors, and one that is not available to everyone. But even some small change, like bringing cake into work or eating outside on a sunny day, feels like a treat. Like I talked about before with reading, this is also something we schedule in (as otherwise we all know it wouldn’t happen).

4. Schedule like lives depended on it.

Speaking of scheduling…I really can’t go on enough about how important staying on top of scheduling is. Both in life and in a PhD. Organisational abilities are paramount to the success of a graduate student and there is truly a million and one things to think about, let alone to try and remember!

I use a colour coded system both in my paper schedule and on my desk calendar. Green for participants, Blue for meetings, Pink for away and events, and black for writing deadlines. I write absolutely everything down right as I’m told about it, and spend 15 mins on a Sunday making sure that everything is updated for the week.

I live on to do lists and the satisfaction of ticking things off as I finish them is one of the things that gets me out of bed in the morning. Sad? Maybe. Effective? You bet your colour coded face it is.

5. Overall health

You know the drill.

• Drink more water ( I find always forcing myself to carry a water bottle makes me more inclined to drink it because I don’t want to carry around the weight of a full one for the whole day).
• Eat more green things (Definitely trying to cook your own food whenever possible. Cheaper and healthier)
• Wash your hands constantly (Universities are one giant petri dish of various strains of the cold).
• Learn to relax (You will lose your mind if you don’t find a way of relaxing during graduate school. It’s tough work, that is always rattling around in the back of your head, so having some way to shut off is necessary. Yoga, going to the gym, painting, sculpting, colouring, sports, dancing, axe throwing-whatever it is that brings you peace of mind).

To me September will always feel like a new year full of potential. Whether you are just starting out or almost at the end point…enjoy it, and best of luck. I’m sure you’ll be great.

Sincerely,

-Sinéad