Hang in there Flo - It is part of the process and these feelings are awful I know. I have just started my PhD and have already felt the way you do but this forum and advice is one positive way of communicating your frustrations. The other thing is to communicate as much as possible with your supervisor(s) - it is your study afterall and they are there to guide you and not judge you. Let them know how you feel and why you have not submitted - I promise, you will have a few lumps on your throat and even cry but if feels better to know that they are aware of your situation. That eases the pressure and the work gets much better. You are working way too hard girlfriend - burning out is bound to happen. Take a walk or something from time to time. Do stuff you love in between - laugh with friends and make new friends. All of this helps a little and please do not compare yourself to others - they have their own reasons and circumstances which are way different than yours.
xoxo - Nthabi.

Thank you Patrick,
I appreciate you taking some time off to offer me advice. I will try your plan and I am sure if I stick to it and a combination of other interventions, I will be fine. It has also helped me to go through other posts on this forum and made me realize that I am not the only one feeling this way and that other people have survived such obtacles. I do hope I will be able to go through this.

NM.

Hello everyone -
I am so glad I found this forum, I really do hope you will be able to assist me. Ok, let me start... In Sept 2010 I left my country for Europe to start a PhD on a scholarship. I was very convinced that this is what I want in life, had been thinking about it for many years and when the funding came through, I knew that this was meant to be. Been here for just over 3 months now and have done nothing... NOTHING!!! I have met with supervisors and they have given me comments on my draft proposal that I prepared when I was still at home, but I have not worked on it ever since. I have read what they have suggested but I honestly do not have any motivation at all. Some of the stuff does not make sense - the theory that I thought was ideal for my study is suddenly looking and sounding very strange and I cannot identify with anything. I feel very useless, alone, lonely, strange, underperfoming... everything I don't want to feel. The thing is I know myself - I know how much I can work, I have done so much before I came here, been employed, headed projects for years, etc. What could this mean? Am I not ready for a PhD? My goodness, there is not a day that passes and I do not think that I have made the mistake of my life by coming here. I do not know how to face my supervisors, what if they think I am just a big waste of time and effort? Has anyone out there felt this way before? Now I am even thinking of going back home, look for a job and have a child - maybe this will be more fulfilling than what I am attempting to do here.... Oohhhhh HELP!