Hey guys!

I've really enjoyed my first year PhD and have been getting along fairly well with it. It's been a busy year but I am only just getting to grips with how much more I have to fit in this year! I have a huge amount of testing to do (literally hundreds of visits to participants' homes!), teaching 3rd year undergrads, supervising a number of MSc students, publications to write and submit, conferences to try to present at...not to mention separate studies to conduct that probably won't even end up in my PhD. I know this is all just part of the PhD process and am not whining (well, trying not to ,-)). I am actually quite excited by it all but also quite nervous at the thought of managing to get it all done without having a nervous breakdown. Is anyone else feeling like this?!

Am hoping it's not just me!

Cheers guys, KB!

======= Date Modified 14 Sep 2009 20:27:14 =======
i am exactly where you are right now, and can tick all of what you've listed above, as it applies for my field of work. Plus am working on a 29 country pan European project and starting work on another one for I am regrettably having to earn money to pay living costs, on top of international tuition which is taken care of for this yr by a scholarshio which also needs deliverables... overwhelming yes, clearly...

right now I am tempted to attempt a list of the stuff that I need to do, but I am moving house tomorrow morning and am perched on a pile of garbage right now and feeling blueish.

So you are not alone. things will work out. dont worry, keep chin up and know you are not alone.

I'm at the same stage and I know exactly what you mean! I've heard from many people who are finished their PhD and are at this stage that this is perfectly natural. That's not to say that I'm not stressed though:p Whenever I get stressed out (like today..) it is generally because I think about the big picture and all of the things I have to do. So today I wrote down my to do list for the next 6 months which I will come back to after my extremely lazy sun holiday8-)

Overall I'm pretty happy that I have a lot of work to do. I think it's a good reflection that a good amount of work got done in the first year, and in my case I feel more confident about the direction that the project is going..

But oh god, there is so much to do lol!

:p

Yes, know what you mean. I find it helps if I just focus on one thing at a time - get that task done, then move on to the next. It doesn't help just thinking about the enormous pile of work to get through in the next few months. Prioritise, don't stress, build in some relaxation and just do as much as you can. Get rid of stuff that's not essential. Semester will be over before you know it and you'll have done everything.

======= Date Modified 15 Sep 2009 10:29:12 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============
-Inappropriate content-

CAN WE PLEASE GET RID OF THIS PERSONS POSTS!!!!!!! cheers moderators!

Yeah, I know it will all get done in the end, it's just the thought of getting it all done that is a bit scary lol! Oh well, am gonna jump in with both feet and get into some sort of manageable routine and try to stay sane. Am kind of excited and looking forward to it though, I like to be busy! Good luck everyone, deep breaths.... KB

It sounds like you have a wonderful year coming up - try not to get too stressed out though! I'm sure you know this, but quite often the thought of doing lots of things is so much more daunting than actually doing them, and I'm sure you'll have lots of support from your supervisors etc.

I'm feeling quite overwhelmed actually, I finally start my MSc in 2 weeks and am actually quite excited about it, I'm totally fed up of working full time in a job where I don't have to think very much and really can't wait to be studying properly again. I'm really nervous about the workload though and stepping up to Masters level but hopefully I'll be ok!

You are so lucky that you've got all of these amazing things coming up! This is what life is all about - just deal with one thing at a time and make sure you regularly give yourself time to chill out and do other things along side the work - and you will be absolutely fine.
I've been hanging around most of this summer just waiting and waiting for my research masters to begin. Sooo boring! You get to a point where you're so bored that you start spotting things about yourself that you had never noticed before, such as spotting a small spider vein (or something like that) and thinking that your whole world is going to fall apart because you've got some disease!
Or is this just me?
Bascially, what I am saying is, life can actually be far more stressful when you have absolutely nothing to do at all, and can't see what your future has in store for you. It seems to me like you really know where you are going in life and it sounds like you are doing really well. You might not have been given half of those responsibilities if they thought you couldn't handle it. :-) Good luck and enjoy it KB.

Thats kind of how I'm feeling Cobweb, I graduated in July and start my MSc in 2 weeks but even though I've had a nice break and worked practically full time, its been the longest, slowest summer I've ever had! I feel so ready to go back now, I'm totally fed up with my job and looking forward to properly thinking and working again, towards something that I really care about. And the waiting is actually a bit stressful, in a way.

Haha, you are right- I am the worst person in the world to be with when I am bored! I had a few weeks after I finished my MSc dissertation before starting my PhD and I was soooo bored I was a nightmare to be around! There is no danger of that happening again any time soon. I will keep reminding myself of that horrible few weeks so I can appreciate how good it is to be so busy! Cheers guys! KB