Hi,

I submitted my thesis on the 15th of July and the time has just flown past since then. In this time I have: considered moving to another country then changed my mind, considered moving back home then changed my mind again, applied for two jobs, got one interview, been rejected for a post-doc, ended a relationship, started a new relationship, done a week of part time work and got sick.

I feel like I should be getting everything sorted now the thesis is in but I just feel kind of empty and run down and like I just want to check out of society for a while and sleep! Is this normal? How did others feel in the initial weeks after submission?

Thanks

I felt numb. My hospital consultant thought I'd be stressed for the viva. But I said I wasn't, and explained my "que sera sera" attitude to him. I found the submission a bigger hurdle to have overcome, personally. And I was numb as anything for some time afterwards.

Hey slowmo, I think what you are going through is totally normal. Well, at least I have been going through a similar thing, so it feels normal to me!

We've just started the process to close a huge chapter of our lives that spanned several years and taken all our focus, energy and strength. It's totally natural for us to feel like we now need question everything in our lives and make big changes (moving, changing relationships, etc) at this key point in our lives.

If it helps, I submitted on the 27th July, and in just over a month before and since then, I left a relationship, started another, decided staying here is not for me, decided staying in any one place long term is not for me, started being extremely minimalist, plan to move to the other side of the country next year, and then to some other country after that. Oh and change my nationality.

I also expected to be elated/sad/happy/etc. after handing in the thesis and I just haven't felt anything. I feel very numb and detatched from the whole thesis. I haven't even touched the thesis since submission. Like you, I also want to hide away, but I keep forcing myself to go into the office to stay in touch with the real world.

I am sure this will get easier as we get used to not having a thesis to work on, and fill the big hole it has left in our lives with other things :)

Wow, Slowmo, you've been busy! I felt absolutely nothing after handing my thesis in last week. Nothing at all. I guess it's different because I have my viva so soon afterwards, but I sort of handed it in, went to my interview, have been preparing for the viva, and I have just felt the same all the way through. Calmer than I thought I would be but an ongoing nervous feeling in my stomach and throat, and it's been there for about 7 weeks now without a break. I am also sleeping loads, about 11 hours a night at the moment! Obviously if I had to be at work I would make myself get up, but at the moment I'm just letting my body/head get the sleep it seems to need. So I think it's pretty normal... if you have time then go do something fun, get the sleep you need, and you will recover! Best, KB

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I personally just wanted to push straight on and prepare / revise for viva. As I submitted just before Christmas, once I got home my mum caught up with me, confiscated the PhD stuff and said "You get that lot again after Boxing Day." I was GOING to take a rest. Just as well, as the viva was delayed until beginning of March due to a seminar the Prof. was organising on a different project.

I didn't feel drained or anything. I actually remained up for the task and put a lot of bookwork in up to the day of the viva (a bizarre day, which I've recounted elsewhere). As far as I was concerned, the job wasn't yet finished.

I guess I only really came down to normal again some 10 days after the viva and a couple of days after hardbound copies were handed in (minor corrections and hard binding only took a week to complete). I took a long walk one lunchtime and found myself thinking "Now what?"