Navigating the winter blues as a PhD student

Chrissie shares her experience of managing the winter blues and tips for getting through this alongside doing a PhD. 

- Chrissie 

Life as a PhD student can bring its own unique benefits and challenges. We get to pursue our own intellectual curiosities and benefit from flexible working hours. But doing a PhD also means working alone, juggling lots of responsibilities, and managing the stresses of a demanding degree. PhD students are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health, so during the winter months – when many people experience a drop in mood and experience the winter blues – it’s especially important that we take extra time to look after our wellbeing. 

PhD life amidst the winter blues

I’m currently a PhD student and work predominantly from home. I’ve come to realise that the winter season affects my mental health, and in turn my ability to work. I can feel my mood dropping as I watch the sunset during working hours, my motivation sinking with it. My work output reduces, my daily word counts get smaller, and I feel less enthused about working alone at a desk. I feel the desperation kick in as I think to myself, ‘I must go outside!’, and take myself on a walk or enforced errand to capitalise on what’s left of the daylight. It can be challenging to keep working in this frame of mind. 

As PhD students, our schedule is different to that of other students. Postgraduate researchers don’t follow semester patterns in the same way. So, while campus winds down for Christmas, and undergraduate students leave their university cities for hometowns, we continue working and living our normal routines. This can make it all the more challenging - emails land in our inbox from student unions reminding us that term is over, but for most PhD students, we keep working to meet all our work demands and deadlines.

Winter blues or Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Many of us may feel a bit lower during the winter months – with the lack of sunlight causing a dip in our mood and shorter days limiting evening activities. According to the Wellcome Trust, 1 in 5 people “claim to experience the winter blues”, and serotonin levels tend to be lowest in winter. The government also advises that everyone takes vitamin D supplements in autumn and winter. 

But it’s important to note that what some people experience is actually a type of seasonal depression, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). If you think you may have SAD, you can read more about the symptoms and when to see a GP from here, plus some ways to help manage it here. 

Tips to keep going during winter

Doing a PhD is already stressful enough, and lonely too. Data on PhD students showed that 37% “sought help for anxiety or depression caused by PhD study”, while 80% said they “believe a career in research can be lonely and isolating”. It’s helpful to acknowledge this vulnerability, and emphasise that it’s therefore especially important for PhD students to take extra steps towards self-care during winter. I try to do the following: 

Consider workspace

I predominantly work from home, as do many PhD students. This can mean waking up in the dark, working indoors, and finishing work in the dark. So I try to schedule time outside (like breaks, walks). You could also move around – for example go to coffee shops, libraries, a designated study space if you have one. This forces you outside (even for a little while) and offers a change of scenery, which may give a bit of a mood boost.  

Adapt work expectations

If you find that your productivity shifts during winter, that’s okay. In my experience, my output ebbs and flows – sometimes I get lots done in a day or week, sometimes not so much. These waves are reflective of the writing and research processes, and are natural and expected. It’s all about making the PhD journey more sustainable, and aligning your working pattern with your energy levels and work capacities. 

Practice gratitude for the season

Generally I’ve learned that I struggle in winter, so I try to hold on to things that bring me joy during this time period. Engaging with festivities around Christmas helps, such as going to a market at the weekend, watching a Christmas film with a friend, or getting a fun winter drink while I work at a coffee shop.

Get outside when there’s daylight (especially when there’s sunshine!)

This is perhaps no surprise, as we’re often encouraged to do this – it helps our circadian rhythms, and generally makes us feel better.  But it’s important to emphasise that no work is more important than mental health. Even if I feel like I don’t have time for a break, I try to remember that it will help my headspace in the long run (and probably also make me more productive as a result!). 

I’m writing these suggestions not as a self-care wizard, but simply someone experiencing these challenges myself and figuring it out along the way - and not just get through it, but keep my PhD on track as well. Most of all, my advice to any student at this time of year would be: listen to what your body is telling you about your physical and mental health, and what support or comforts it needs. 

Whether you are looking for support for your own mental health at university or supporting a friend, help is available.

Chrissie Thwaites is a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, funded by the AHRC. During her studies she has discovered how widespread mental health struggles are for postgraduate researchers. She is therefore passionate about advocating for wellbeing within higher education, as well as amongst those navigating the challenges of young adult life.

Adjusting expectations: How I’ve learned to manage work, mental health, and remote learning during the pandemic

Ginger shares 5 tips that have helped her manage work, study and mental health in the changing times of the pandemic.

- Ginger Abbot

Attending university always requires an openness to change. During my undergraduate years, it took some time to get used to living in a dorm room and making new friends. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, I was well into graduate classes and had a familiar routine. I didn’t know how to adjust to changes that left my life turned upside down and isolated at home.

While I navigated the new world of virtual courses, I was also working full-time and stressing about potentially losing my job or getting sick. Many others continue to feel the same way. Here are some tips I learned while managing work, mental health, and online classes.

1. Prioritise your free time

Prioritising your free time is crucial if you are studying while working full-time. You may become tempted to push through virtual assignments when you’re not at your job. I fell into this habit because there were no social activities to break up my time.

You’ll only experience symptoms of burnout by never taking a break. Experiment with self-care hobbies like reading or journaling to figure out how to take care of your mental health while learning online and working during the pandemic.

2. Schedule more virtual chats

Virtual classes left me feeling more isolated and overwhelmed than ever before. There was no shoulder to cry on or date nights with friends to vent about the stresses of grad school. At first, I retreated into my isolation, but it only made things harder. I quickly learned that managing online learning and work is easier with more virtual chats.

Ask your family and friends to schedule weekly calls. When I knew I’d see my parents or my best friend every Tuesday and Thursday night, it gave my mental health a crucial anchor during turbulent times.

3. Give yourself grace

Taking a step back and readjusting expectations is a great way to learn how to adjust to change. Whether it was my grades or how long I could keep up perfect performance at work, I held myself to pre-pandemic standards. It turns out that it’s much easier to excel when you don’t fear for your health and your job security.

Getting more sleep was a big part of resting and restoring my spirit. I set a 20-minute alarm every day to master the power nap and get the rest my body needs to handle intense stress. It’s a simple practice anyone can use, but you should also give yourself the grace to explore other self-care avenues and ease your anxiety.

4. Find new motivations

Getting to hang with friends or go on a holiday were my biggest motivators. Without them, I felt lost. I didn’t feel that crucial sense of purpose until I decided to find new motivations while managing online learning and work.

My new motivations became resting during power naps and finishing each day with the pride that comes from taking care of myself. Even little steps like eating a healthy meal became something I celebrated. It renewed my self-confidence and strengthened the new motivations that have carried me through this last year.

5. Check-in with yourself

My final piece of advice for students who work full-time is to check in with yourself every day. If your routines add stress or make life more complicated, make the adjustments you need to find a balance.

Change is the only expected part of life now. Anyone who wants to learn how to care for your mental health while learning online should expect care routines to change too. When I ask myself if something is still working, I’m open to changing even the most minor details if they don’t support my well-being.

Learn to manage work, school, and life during covid-19

Adjusting your expectations while managing work, mental health challenges, and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a hard battle. Even on my best days, I don’t expect anything to remain permanent.

I began to feel more confident and comfortable with my new routines after giving myself more grace and tried new things to find balance in an ever-changing world. After returning to face-to-face learning, I will continue to benefit from these adjustments that helped me through the difficult time. I hope you can find some of these helpful too!

You can visit Student Space to explore online resources, access direct support via text, phone, web chat or email and find the support available at your place of study.  

Ginger is a freelance writer, full-time editor, and graduate student working towards her M.A. in Literature. She loves writing about travel, mental health, and personal development as well as education, and in her free time, she loves to read fiction and historical non-fiction. Read more of her articles for students on her author page.  

Refocusing my priorities

Linda shares her experience about managing her time whilst studying a Masters. 

- Linda

Why, why, why, would someone torture themselves by studying a Masters? There is the expense, intense workload, and imposter syndrome. My parents' friends tell me that I MUST be smart because I am tackling mountains and storms. My graduated peers shudder at the thought of more exams and coursework. Before starting my MSc, I looked at the outside world baffled because my friends preferred commuting on jam-packed trains and the rigid monotony that is a nine to five. I saw adults perpetually sleep-deprived, balancing parenting and working, paying council taxes and mortgages. In comparison to the other options, doing an MSc seemed like it would be a lot easier.

However, the first term of my MSc has been quite a challenge. During the first couple of weeks, I felt like I was floundering about. I had one lecture a week on research methods and everything else was independent work and study. It felt like a long stretch of procrastination and loneliness. I went to the University library every day, desperate to fill my time with something productive. I read journal articles. I worked; one, two, three, four part-time jobs. At home, I tried to be busy. I drew, and nothingness. My priority and purpose were to excel academically. By my fifth week, things had picked up in pace. I FINALLY received full ethical approval for my research project. I had to run forty individual laboratory experiments, analyse the data and write up a report.

Eager to get started, I woke up at seven every day, tested all day, and went home in the evening to work on my report plan. Five days later, I finished testing and analysing my data. I had twelve weeks to write my report. I could have stopped there with testing but being productive and proactive was addictive. I wasn't focused on recovering from my eating disorder. Eating nutritious and healthy meals could take a back seat. I did not care that I was shaking from the five cups of coffee that I drank in the morning. I wasn't worried about the fact that my sleeping pattern was deteriorating. I did not realise that I spent all my day locked up in a lab, living and breathing my research. Everything felt second-best compared to my research.

Fast forward four weeks, academically, I was doing exceptionally. I had run one-hundred experiments, whilst working four part-time jobs. My supervisor was impressed; she remarked that I was doing the level of work that she expected from a PH.d. student and that we could potentially try and publish our research in an academic journal. However, mental health-wise, I was struggling. I was hardly sleeping, socialising and engaging in my hobbies. I was having many outbursts of irritability and self-harming. I was excelling academically, but quite clearly unwell and unhappy. Don't get me wrong - studying an MSc does not mean that you will be unhappy. I personally feel like I need to constantly prove myself to the world. I have to appear smart, resilient and competent. I think it is a pervasive pattern of behaviour that would have surfaced regardless of whether I decided to work full-time or do a graduate scheme.

More than ever, going forward, my mental health, as opposed to my MSc, should be my priority. Since then, I have made some positive changes to improve my wellbeing. Under the supervision of my GP, I have increased my anti-depressant dosage. I am refocusing on recovering from my eating disorder in small steps and allowing myself space to breath. Hopefully, during my next term, I can maintain these positive changes whilst enjoying my MSc. 

For more information on looking after your mental health as a postgraduate, see here.  

Hello, my name is Linda. I am studying an MSc in Psychological research at the University of Warwick. I found out about Student Minds when I was doing my dissertation. I was impressed by their efforts to try and improve University experience and was eager to get involved.