Mental Health and Research Careers
Compared to the history of medicine, “mental health” is quite a new concept that was just mentioned for the first time in the mid-19th century by William Sweetser. World Health Organization defined mental health as,
A state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
Indeed, it is the state of mind in which we emotionally and psychologically feel well that leads to proper interaction with our surroundings and feeling strong enough to deal with all up and downs of life and the stress behind it.
No doubt that work is one of the top-rated reasons for daily life stress, and scientific research is not an exception.
I am a researcher, I know well what it does cost being a researcher, well simply your mind! You need to deal with a broad type of tasks and responsibilities. You need to do the research, which means you need to learn, apply what you have learned, produce results, and deliver it in a tight deadline while you are worried about the funding and of course stressed because of the competitive nature of the field.
Being an early researcher as a Ph.D. student or a junior postdoc researcher, other factors can be added to what is already mentioned, which brings you more anxiety to cope with to move on.
Recently, I joined a session organized by #MCAA about mental health and research careers where different speakers talked about mental issues that one can face as an early researcher and shared useful tips on how to decrease stress and improve the quality of life during this period. The talk inspired me to write this article and give an overview on three critical issues:
1. Mobility and expectation
Many people migrate to other countries to pursue a Ph.D. and extend their research path. This movement brings particular challenges to deal with, cultural differences, new language, housing policies, official procedures, etc. To ease the difficulty in adapting to a new country, some strategies can aid us with the adjustment process.
One of the biggest challenges is that we will lose a lot of our social support system being far from our family and friends. Here I mention tips that Dr. Scott Harrison (postdoctoral researcher and German chapter chair for MCAA) suggested during the session to those who must leave their own city/country to continue their research path:
- Make regular time to interact with family members and friends.
(I did that; it feels like I am still there with them!) - Look for online communities with some local context.
It is how you make friends and help you feel welcome in your new place.
(You will get to know this new environment and culture sooner, you will be informed of all happening around you, and believe me, it is important as we live in society) - Make new friends.
You can use websites to find a similar community with your interests.
(Life without friends is boring, do not delay it too much, be open to meet new people, it will be fun)
Imagination is one of the spectacular abilities of a human being. We imagine things through the information we have received, our previous experiences, or our wishes. There is no doubt that you are going to have some expectations about the new environment (country, city, institute), supervisor, and colleagues. However, our expectations might be unrealistic, and if we are not flexible with them, there is a big chance of being disappointed. From the other side, we need to consider we are in a new culture, which means other’s expectations of us as good colleagues or friends might even differ from what we used to.
Scott Harrison emphasizes that,
To be flexible with your expectation, does not mean forget about your values, they are what make you who you are, but understand that not always what we expect is going to be the exact reality! Being flexible, you can easily adjust with this new life.
2. Relationship with supervisors
For many of us, work consumes most of our life and it is how we spend our lives. When it comes to the research life, working hours do not clearly implement, and often working on a project continues at home even during weekends. Supervisors have an enormous influence on our life not only by being the boss of our work at the time, but also by affecting our future path. By being in a good relationship with them, the work gets easier and pleasant, moreover, their support brings us opportunities later.
To have a good relationship with a person, we need to get to know them.
Peter Drucker, in his book management challenges for the 21st century, says that:
Bosses are not a title on the organization chart or a function. They are individual and entitled to do the work the way they do it. And it is incumbent on the people who work with them to observe them, to find out how they work and to adapt themselves to the way the bosses are effective.
Although it might seem tough, I have found it a reality that it is our responsibility to become familiar with this new person who is our supervisor. I have learned that what I should admit is they have many of us! Which means they might not put that much effort to get to know us one by one, considering the huge responsibilities they have. But the good news is, we have only one (or two sometimes) of them, it should not be impossible to discover them, well, hopefully! We should start with questions like this, how often she/he prefers to get information? How she/he likes to communicate, in person or by email? What is the way he/she used to get things done?
Hugh Kearns (Public Speaker at ThinkWell) another speaker at #MCAA conference highlighted the importance of knowing one’s supervisor,
Research your boss! You are going to marry this person for the next couple of years.
He gave some tips to Ph.D. students toward a useful relationship with supervisors,
- They never have time, there is no empty moment dedicated to you unless you make it yourself. Make regular time to have a meeting with them.
- It is important to report to them and ask their ideas, this way you are sure you are going in the right way.
- Show them your passion and try to learn things as soon as possible. It makes you independent, and independence reduces your stress.
To what he mentioned, I would add that we should not let other people’s opinions about this person affect our feelings. It is useful to have some sort of ideas by asking people who are working with this person for a long time, but we should keep in mind that there are always conflicts between people especially in a workplace. What I have learned through the time was, I ignore terrible judgments that I hear about a person, considering I am a new person, and it will be a new relationship so outcome will be different. I kind of support the saying by Edgar Allan Poe “Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.”
3. The importance of seeking help
Regardless of the effort we put to overcome issues to move on, there are conditions where the road is too tough to pass, and it is painful to manage. It can be because of feeling lonely, working with stressful people or toxic supervisors, responsibility overload, and pressures linked to the project itself. If you are going through a hard time, it is your right to ask for help.
Lea Heckmann (Doctoral Researcher at Max Planck Institute for Physics) during conference emphasizes that,
At the beginning, especially when you migrate to a new country you need a lot of support, the responsibility is most for the institute that hosts you and the supervisor. Leaving yourself in your hole will not help you get out of the situation it will just be a mental crisis.
Depending on our relationships, we might discuss our worries with our supervisor or colleagues, but if we do not feel safe enough or there is a significant atmosphere of power imbalance, there are usually some organizations within the institute whose task is helping people to deal with problems at work.
Apart from what others can offer us during our hard time, there are simple things that can cheer us up with a little effort:
- Don’t focus on bad feelings, nothing last forever
- Spend time with people who like you
- Go for a walk (or a trip if you can)
- Do sports
- Join clubs
- Learn arts
- Take care of your body and soul
It is important to be happy with our life; it does not mean there should not be any difficulties to cope with or research work is an easy job to have (I think an easy job does not exist), but it is important to manage things in the way to be successful and happy at the same time.
Fatemeh Asgari completed her PhD in life sciences as part of ESR ITN project in 2020 at Humanitas Research Hospital, Italy. Currently she is doing a postdoc in San Raffaele Hospital. She is interested in science communication in the form of science writing and illustration.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatemeh-asgari85
Twitter: @FatemehAsgari85
