by | Mar 3, 2020 Link
PhDs can be the loneliest places in the world. You may be part of a bigger cohort of students in your department, but ultimately it’s down to you to power on through, turn up every day, make decisions and deal with problems. It’s you that has to carry around the weight and anxiety that accompany your PhD, and it’s you who has to constantly find a way over what seem like insurmountable hurdles, problems and sticking points.
Coupled with that, you’re often working alone. Sure, you’ve got supervisors on your side, but it’s your project and there’s no one to make decisions for you.
To make things worse, the amount of work required often means that you may have to isolate yourself from friends and family. It may also mean putting your career on hold for a number of years or delaying big life decisions.
No wonder you feel lonely.
