Self Care Part I

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Self Care Part I

This is the first in a series of articles dealing with caring for yourself while working on your dissertation. It is important to tap into all of your social, emotional, and intellectual resources to complete this next phase of your academic career. I hope these tips and hints will aid you in feeling happier and being more productive.

1) Start by looking over all of your responsibilities aside from completing your dissertation. Figure out which items can wait, which ones you can delegate, which ones you can let go of, and which ones you can hire out for. This process will allow you to keep track of where you, and you alone, really need to be spending time and effort. For example, if you find that much of your time is going into house and child care, perhaps you can ask for more help with these areas, "hire out" for help (on a temporary basis), or swap chores/activities with other people to free up some time. Keep in mind that mental strain and constant worry can be more 'expensive' than you think, so it might make sense to consider hiring out or trading for services where possible.

2) Now, make a list of 25 items or experiences you really enjoy. Ideas might include a day at the beach, one guilt-free serving of your favorite dessert, going to a matinee movie, an extra hour with your spouse or a best friend.

3) Set small goals for each week, and pair these with 1 or 2 rewards from the list you generated above. Even if you occasionally don't meet your goals, strive to engage in at least one item from your list each week. You'll feel a lot better. Example: After meeting a week's worth of smaller goals, allow yourself a day of relaxation. Even if you don't always meet your weekly goals allow yourself to have fun and be happy as often as you can.

4) Schedule in blocks of time for rest and relaxation. This is especially important to keep your vitality high and lower your feelings of isolation. Remember that your dissertation is only one part of your life, even though it might sometimes feel like more.

5) Don't talk about your dissertation in every conversation you have. Doing this is very likely to make you feel anxious and guilty because there is always something more to be done, and you're talking about it rather than doing it. Give your worry a break, too.

6) If anyone outside of your committee or program asks about your dissertation, always say it's going "Great!" This will help decrease the number of questions and will help your attitude, too. You might even be motivated to make this statement a reality. If you find that talking about the dissertation with people in your program is helpful, then do it, as support and commiseration can be great. However, sometimes these conversations can create feelings of insecurity or unhappiness, so monitor these carefully.

7) When you take a day "off", make it truly "off". Don't do bits and pieces of your dissertation work here and there, because you probably won't be that productive and you won't feel relaxed when the day is over.

Finally, continually remind yourself that many other people have successfully completed this process, and that you will too!

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