I wasn't until yesterday really, but now I've started wrapping presents etc I'm getting into it more. I'm not a massive fan of Christmas but it's lovely to have a few days to chill out with my family and graze all day in front of rubbish TV! Last Christmas wasn't great for various reasons so want to enjoy it a bit more this year.

Good luck getting home KB, and have a lovely Christmas everyone (robin)

Nxx

Thanks AQ - fabulous advice as always :-)

Make sure you relax over Christmas as well!

Nx

Hi everyone, thank you all for the replies and sorry it's taken me so long to respond - I've had a break from computer screens and haven't been well.

I handed it in just over a week ago and although it was a relief, I wasn't entirely happy with it but then I always feel like that when I hand something in, particularly when it means so much to me. I don't think it will earn me a merit but as long as I pass it I'll be happy because then I'll be able to do my PhD. I've been given work from my supervisors for an initial meeting in early January so I've had a little break and I'm starting that now; I just feel like I'm in a kind of limbo because I don't have my MSc yet, and my PhD will be starting a few weeks before the exam board is held. Anyway, worrying like that won't get my anywhere so I'm just going to get on with starting my reading!

Hope you're all getting on well,

Natassia xx

Well done - what a lovely Christmas present! Have a lovely break now and good luck for the future. Nx

Well done - what a lovely Christmas present! Have a lovely break now and good luck for the future. Nx

Thank you so much Button, of course it helps! I want to get an early night tonight but I'm still going to work for a while - I just know that when it is handed in I'll have loads of regrets about not spending enough time on it etc, but hopefully they'll gradually disappear. All this stress will be worth it when I graduate eventually, that is if I pass!

Your advice was wonderful, it's hard because when I'm stressed I just think that everyone else (on here and in real life) is so much more in control of their work and works so much harder than I do, I guess that the fact I'm feeling like that shows that I do care about my work and apply myself to it. It is really reassuring to know that others feel the way I am now, and that this feeling is normal and will be temporary. Maybe I need to toughen up a bit.

In terms of my work space, I live 60 miles away (approx an hour's drive) from my uni so do most of my work from home which is generally ok apart from at the weekends and sometimes in the evening. I work (p/t job) every weekday from approx 4-8 and every Saturday so my MSc fits in around that; I work during the day and in the evenings, and generally on a Sunday as well. I don't have much of a work/life balance as I don't really get weekends - my study is a bit of a lifestyle rather than a vocation as it is always there and I have to fit it in around everything else. My resolution is to achieve a bit more of a balance, like having Sundays off to myself rather than just seeing them as a day when I can get loads of studying/writing done as I don't have to go to work! Luckily I can do some of my work at work because I have a computer and most of the time it's quiet. I will have access to a shared office space for PhD students and will probably go in once or twice a week, as I do now.

Thank you again, really appreciate your kind words, Nx

Hi, sorry for the depressive post but I feel I need to vent a little, and it is difficult to get any advice from friends/family who haven't been through similar experiences.

My MSc dissertation is due in on Wednesday, I have nearly finished it, basically just adding little bits and tweaking the structure to do now. I am not fed up with the subject area and I have enjoyed writing it, but I just feel utterly exhausted with the whole thing now, and I have never felt like that with anything I have worked on before. It isn't helped by the fact I am living and working at home and it resembles a bit of a warzone at the moment, with my family constantly shouting and slamming doors etc, I have asked for quiet so many times but they never listen, despite them generally being supportive. I am feeling so unwell as well, I just know that when this is submitted I'm going to have the flu for a fortnight, I just feel that my body has been putting it off. My lovelife isn't going particularly well either and I just feel lonely and depressed most of the time.

I am moderately pleased with what I have written and my supervisor is being supportive, I just feel like I am never going to be able to finish it. I just want to get this done and start my PhD in January with a fresh start, although I know that attitude isn't good, I should be more enthusiastic about what I am doing now. I just feel lazy and incompetent when deep down I know that isn't the case, I have been working near enough full time and doing my dissertation as well and maybe things have just taken their toll. I'm alternating between feeling exhausted, irritable, tearful and ok...I just want to feel myself again.

Sorry for rambling and being incoherent, I just needed to get that off my chest, any advice would be appreciated but I know that is difficult to give on something like this. Natassia x

I would probably read Newsweek out of those as I'm in the social sciences so wouldn't have so much interest in New Scientist or the Economist. I regularly read the Times Literary Supplement though, that has a lot of interesting articles in it.

What is this student subscription service?

I only got one message from her, and deleted it. Very strange!

I haven't done that well either - boss keeps breathing down my neck and asking me to do things! He's occupied for the next two hours though so I'll have some peace to work!

Good luck Star-Shaped!

Nx

I'm joining you today :-)

I'm at work at a physiotherapy clinic until 6 but it's quiet so I've brought in work with me. First goal is to try to basically finish the introduction for my dissertation. Hopefully by lunchtime I'll have some comments back from my proofreader (also a lecturer) so i can work on those.

Have a lovely day everyone, Nx

Hi Emmaki, sorry to hear about your situation. You have a lot on, but try to look at things separately. Of course your health comes first so have this operation and let your supervisor know what is going on there if you haven't already - that should take a weight off your shoulders and hopefully if your health is better you'll feel better and be more confident about your work; I know that sounds really simplistic but hopefully you know what I mean - take care of yourself first.

Maybe make a compromise with your supervisor - say go for a month instead then three weeks later in the year?

Big hugs and take care, Nxx

I have a fairly informal relationship with my supervisors, I think it helps that I've been at that university since my UG degree so they know me really well, one of them supervised my UG dissertation. I am only starting my PhD in Jan (finishing my MSc now) and they're already really supportive, like one of them is on sabbatical at the moment and I emailed him for some advice about something as I didn't know he was away. Instead of ignoring me he arranged for us to meet for coffee in town to discuss my work and then said that he's been saving interesting journal articles etc for me for when I've finished my MSc, I thought that was really nice of him.

I start emails with something like "hope you are well" if I haven't spoken to them for a while, then they normally reply with something like "good to hear from you". They are facebook friends with some of the other PhD students but I think I'll wait for them to request me! Overall though, I think in the department the relationship between PhD students and supervisors is quite informal. My lead supervisor responded to an email the other day in text language which I thought was quite strange as I never use it!

Well done AQ - I would have been so annoyed if overdue library books stopped me from submitting, the people at my uni are quite jobsworthy like that as well, we have to pay extortionate fines if we have books overdue.

Have a lovely relaxing weekend and good luck with your viva prep!

Nx

Hi Florence, this is really interesting for me because I'm really up against a deadline now, on something I feel I have been writing for months (MSc dissertation). I just want to get it done now, it is in for Monday, but I am still enjoying writing it despite the increasing stress and panic! I am finding the project quite difficult as it is entirely theoretical so quite heavy.

I like to work to a schedule and set myself targets, generally about 1000 words a day. I generally get this and sometimes exceed this, basically it ensures that I am being productive enough and I make sure that they are concise as well without too much rambling. When I begin something I free-write first then add detail and references later when I am confident. This is probably a really bad thing to do as well, but I don't always follow a clear structure when I start something, that tends to come later with me when I am more confident about what I am actually writing.

I generally send something to my supervisor for comments when I am about 1/2 way through and most of the strucure and content is in place, to me if he is pleased with it then it is generally correct, and it is early enough for me to act on his comments because I am still developing it. I then send it to another staff member who is proofreading for me when it is a bit more complete; he comments more on my writing style which is fortunately ok at the moment.

Before writing I always read something relevant for at least 45 minutes as that inspires me and makes me feel a bit more confident about my arguments. I follow a little routine as well as I'm not one of those people who can sit in their PJs all day and write - I have to have done the little tasks I need to do like hoovering, online banking etc, had a shower and done makeup etc, then make a coffee and start writing. I am more of an evening worker as well but that is just me, I try to stop by 11pm though as I have to be up early in the mornings for my horse.

I do think I need a bit of pressure to write as well, otherwise I feel slightly scared and reluctant to start something. I try not to be too much of a last-minute worker though, I don't like staying up too late.

I hope this helps in some way and good luck, sorry if I'e rambled on a bit! I start my PhD in January so interested to hear other people's responses.

Nx