Though I did have an awkward doctor thing a couple of months ago. My Mum had been admitted - nearly dying - to a coronary care ward many hours away from us. I think she'd told everyone there (once conscious) that her daughter was a doctor, as was her son-in-law. So when I had to speak on the phone to a member of staff about Mum's case the nurse assumed I was a medical doctor, and gave me far more detailed information, using all the medical abbrevations and terminology, than she normally would have done. Part-way through the conversation I explained I wasn't a medical doctor, but an academic doctor. But it wasn't so bad. I got to know more about Mum's case, and it was actually quite helpful.

I'd echo Dunni's advice re using to-do lists of small achievable tasks and ticking off things as you do them. This builds up your enthusiasm and makes progress - really valuable.

Your current technique is not working so why not try this? You need to break down the tasks you are working on into small achievable sub-tasks, in list form, and start tackling them, in any order.

I had to return to my studies numerous times during my part-time PhD. Because of severe disabling progressive neurological disease I often had to take long breaks, and could only work in short chunks, often no more than an hour every few days. Without to-do lists I wouldn't have kept going and I wouldn't have made progress. But I completed my PhD successfully.

Good luck!

Could you take a break? It really sounds as though you need one badly. Speak to your supervisor about this. Check the funding regulations to see under what grounds you could even temporarily put your PhD on hold.

I took a break in the middle of my part-time PhD. It was either that or I would quit. I had to get permission from my funding council for the 5 months off, and they (AHRC) only granted breaks in limited conditions. But I got mine, and it was just what I needed, to get some distance, recharge my batteries, and come back and complete the PhD.

If you do decide to carry on I would also recommend working out what you have left to do and a timetable for that. Having a timetable in place - even one that can shift and change a bit as needed - can be a real morale boost towards the end of a PhD. So look into that.

Good luck!

I should also have said that this is the stage where you have to stand on your own two feet and defend your thesis, and believe in it. Even if some of your experiments have gone wrong you have produced a thesis, and should be prepared to defend it.

My other supervisor had other big concerns about my thesis. I thought he was wrong too. The examiners - again - agreed with me.

Good luck!

My supervisor was convinced that - at best - my examiners would want my conclusions to be substantially rewritten. He thought they were weak.

My thesis was also under-length. For my department 80-100,000 words are expected. Mine came in at 70,000 words.

I passed with minor typo corrections. Nothing had to be rewritten, including my conclusions.

I think letting a PhD take over your life is a really bad precedent to set for later working life. It's not sustainable long term, and if you start doing that as a postgraduate what's to stop you doing that in later post-doc work? It's not remotely healthy, and should be nipped in the bud completely.

My husband was great during his full-time PhD, treating it as a 9-5 job and leaving it in the office when he came home. I also compartmentalised in a similar way during my part-time PhD (which I completed, and the full-time PhD I had to leave a decade+ earlier).

I would recommend a break though, but not a 6 week one. That sounds far too risky for me. Surely getting the PhD viva ASAP is the priority, including preparing properly for it. I would also not take a huge break until after my corrections are signed off. I wouldn't think I'd earned it myself.

My viva was 6 weeks after submission. Personally I wouldn't go on a trip like that. Apart from anything else you need time to prepare for your viva.

You need to develop a thicker skin, and it's not easy, but it can develop naturally over time. You're going to get tougher and tougher feedback the further you get through your PhD. And if you go on to an academic career it only gets harder. For example peer review on academic journals, as Keenbean says, can be really really tough to take.

Personally I think speaking to a university counsellor would help. But there are also some techniques you could try yourself. For example stop viewing the criticism as a personal attack against you. You've used the word "attack" yourself, but it isn't really like that. It's usually an attempt to make your work better. Academics are also interested in discussing and exploring questions in general, and often take what you've said as a prompt to explore a wider issue.

And when you get written feedback, for example from your supervisor, leave it to one side for several days if you can. Then when you look at it it's likely to be less upsetting, seem less like a personal attack on you (there's that word again!), and more constructive criticism to help.

But you really need to get on top of this issue. It is likely to become a bugbear over time if not.

You sound similar to me, with just a few details different. I started a full-time funded science PhD in my early 20s, but had to leave, in my case due to developing a serious progressive illness.

I started a part-time history PhD in my early 30s. Initially I was self-funding, but won AHRC funding from my second year onwards, on a part-time basis.

It was hard, being part-time. I wasn't working, but due to the MS-like illness I had very few functional hours each week. By the end my PhD was limping on on just 5 hours or so total, in 1 hour chunks spread throughout the week.

But I completed. And I know many other part-timers who have completed. It's extremely common for humanities students to study their PhDs part-time.

I can't use my PhD for work. I can't work, being too severely disabled. But I got a lot out of it. However I know other people who studied part-time who have been able to change their career on the basis of their part-time PhDs. So you could too.

I'd go for it. So long as you have a good idea what you're letting yourself in for then you will be in a good position to tackle any problems. And having started a PhD before can help. It's easy to be scared that you won't make it the second time. But you are more experienced than people starting for the first time, and can therefore be more efficient, even part-time.

Good luck!

Yes. My husband did this. His PhD was in very theoretical computer science. His post-doc (and subsequent Research Fellowship) is in space technology research, so very practical.

I'd follow the guidelines for authors. But if in doubt you could email the editor to ask.

Who is your funding body? If a research council you should be able to check their rules on what circumstances they will permit breaks for.

I was funded by AHRC in my part-time PhD, and they only allowed breaks for medical reasons or maternity break. Nothing else, at all. Luckily I needed a break on medical grounds, so took that for just 5 months, keeping the remaining 7 months I was allowed (12 months maximum break, even during a long part-time PhD) in case I needed them later. My PhD was temporarily suspended for the 5 months, my registration date put back 5 months, and my funding halted and restarted 5 months later.

Other funders may bemore flexible (almost certainly are!).

My viva was an hour long, and I passed. So think positive thoughts!

Good luck 8-)