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Questions tagged [emotional-responses]

On emotional issues such as guilt, discouragement, jealousy, anxiety or feelings of inadequacy affecting academics and researchers.

54 votes
14 answers
10k views

How should I deal with discouragement looking at others success?

I'm a master CS student. I had so many troubles in my life. I didn't have proper schooling and were in difficult situations which led to me being not so good compared to my peers now at the graduate ...
Jack Twain's user avatar
  • 4,022
51 votes
7 answers
6k views

How do I overcome fear of rejection when writing academic papers?

I don't know how to put it. I have never published before. Previously my one paper was rejected, that was because the experiments were not ready and my advisor asked me to still submit it just to have ...
user13107's user avatar
  • 2,719
40 votes
8 answers
11k views

Overcoming depression and getting back on rails with PhD work [duplicate]

I'm a first year PhD student (computer science), and I've felt that I lost this year up to now due to some life difficulties. I'm getting no financial support and I was forced to teach to get some ...
Danilo M. Oliveira's user avatar
200 votes
11 answers
28k views

Postdoc overwhelmed by incomplete work

I take on more than I can handle and everything is left incomplete. Constant reminders from my previous supervisor, my current advisor, and colleagues, increases my anxiety level and sometimes I end ...
SpatialP's user avatar
  • 1,311
142 votes
13 answers
15k views

Why is my mood dictated so much by how well my research is going?

I'm a senior PhD student at an American university. I have found over the course of my degree that my mood has largely been influenced by how well my research is going. If I make a small break-through ...
Erik M's user avatar
  • 1,944
55 votes
5 answers
12k views

How to differentiate "imposter syndrome" from actual lack of suitability for grad. school/academia?

A lot of graduate students/applicants, it seems, suffer from "imposter syndrome." Typically, these are bright, high-achieving students, who nonetheless doubt their ability, and this most ...
user avatar
52 votes
6 answers
12k views

How to overcome discouragement on finding major error in work just before paper submission?

Recently, we were working on a new idea in physics and engineering. At the end (after writing almost 6 drafts and even ready to submit draft) only I realized that I had made a stupid error in ...
Vaidyanathan's user avatar
46 votes
4 answers
9k views

Meeting dishonest ex-supervisors at large international conference -- Should one speak out?

I have returned to my country after one negative experience as a postdoc in China. In short, I was hired based on false salary & funding expectations supported by shady vague contracts written in ...
Scientist's user avatar
  • 9,244
39 votes
9 answers
9k views

Left academia for a job with a publishing company. Is it normal to feel guilty or "settled" about a decision? How to overcome the feeling?

After PhD and a year of postdoc in mechanical engineering, I accepted a position of a scientific editor with a publishing company. The pay is decent but not great. I have been working in the new role ...
arcadeditor's user avatar
35 votes
5 answers
11k views

How to deal with constant pressure given by advisor

I am a third-year PhD student in mathematics from a very reputed institute in my country. I have one problem to share and discuss that is related with my guide. He is a senior professor in our ...
Srijan's user avatar
  • 2,035
32 votes
10 answers
10k views

ls it wrong to not have any research ambitions after PhD and postdoc experience?

I did my PhD and 1 year postdoc in mechanical engineering from a top 20 world ranking school. Though it took me longer than others to get my PhD (5.5 years), I published 5 first authored papers there. ...
carterjack's user avatar
31 votes
6 answers
8k views

Is feeling lonely and uncomfortable in my (foreign) country of study a valid reason to drop out of a PhD?

I've been studying for my PhD in Sweden (I moved from the UK in January 2014). It's been alright. I've had difficulties before, and I've thought of quitting it, but I pushed through. I don't speak the ...
TTT's user avatar
  • 319
28 votes
2 answers
8k views

How do I stop feeling intimidated by my advisor?

Whenever I meet my advisor and interact with him, in class or otherwise, I can't help feeling intimidated. I feel scared of the fact that I may fall below his expectations, and I become tongue-tied ...
scared's user avatar
  • 281
22 votes
3 answers
6k views

Motivation to write the dreaded dissertation

Ok... so I have hated graduate school since day one but have slogged through because I couldn't find anything else to do (I have applied for hundreds of jobs as an escape route with no success). It ...
Defeatedbutnotdoneyet's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
4k views

How to cope with feelings of powerlessness on a PhD?

I am currently a third year PhD student of pure mathematics. I've been dealing with a feeling of burn out for a long time now. Quite frankly I struggle to find interest in anything related to my ...
Severn's user avatar
  • 213

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