Wellbeing¶
PhD study is a very difficult, stressful and often lonely endeavour in many ways by necessity, because if successful, at the end of your work you will be the world expert on your particular research topic. Because of these characteristics our work may sometimes cause us to be stressed, anxious, depressed or generally unhappy. The first thing you should realise is that you are not alone, these feelings are not just experienced by you, many people have these feelings and experience these situations (at some point in our careers - probably all of us). As a Department (and wider University) we realise that many people are confronting loneliness, pressure and are questioning their ability to complete their PhD. Join up to the PGR Discord Server 5 to hang-out with others who are doing a PhD.
You should realise that I (Simon) confronted stress when completing my PhD - I was working at a full time job and was also trying to complete the PhD at the same time - I was ‘idea rich’ but ‘time poor’ and because I was outside the Department I had no peer support (or at least I felt weird about attending social and peer support events). It took me some time to realise that my PhD thesis was not the end point of the work, and that in some ways it was just an artificially imposed milestone. I was placing a lot of emphasis on writing a perfect Thesis and ‘finishing’ the work on time. I realised that the thesis would never be perfect and that the work in total could not be completed in 3-4 years. I decided to be pragmatic and do just enough work to get me an OK thesis. So you see, my PhD is not stellar, it is good enough to get me the PhD. I just continued the work after the thesis submission date by doing all the things I wanted to do in the four years after I’d submitted (in my own time). I published zero papers in my PhD but published 14 over those four years after I’d finished it. In my opinion you have to be pragmatic about these things - sometimes you are able to publish papers and write a really good thesis - sometimes you can’t (personal circumstances, caring responsibilities, and the topic can all affect that). And I don’t know of any Post Doctoral Researchers who are happy with their thesis five years after submitting it, not one. There will always be more to do and more work to undertake, that is what the rest of your life is for.
So please, do realise that you are not alone and we are here to help and support you. The first thing to do is to talk to someone you can trust - this may be your supervisor, advisor, or any of the PGR Academic Team.
Whoever you decide to talk to you should also contact the University Support Services and you might find the (we have a subscription) Big White Wall (free online mental health and wellbeing support 24/7) helpful. There is also useful advice on the PGR Life wellbeing page. There are also some excellent ideas about how to manage and stay well. The Counselling and Mental Health Service have this on their website: https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk/buildyourmentalhealthexpertise/ Which has some interactive “treatment” resources like Moodgym, ECouch etc. We have booklets which have some self-help CBT based tasks, http://www.selfhelpguides.ntw.nhs.uk/manchester/; also there are some additional resources here: https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk/interactive-resources/. And a page specific to PGR that includes some Apps that were trialled by PGRs as part of an OfS project https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk/pgr/.
The University has a wealth of resources, support and advice on Wellbeing 1 for postgraduate researchers ranging from online resources on reducing stress and tension through to talking to counsellors at times of greater need. These resources and support are there for you to use – if you feel well, you will do well.
In General…¶
Based on research by the New Economics Foundation, the University has identified the six ways to wellbeing: six actions to build into your day-to-day life in order to feel good and function well.
Being well doesn’t need to be hard work, it could be taking a walk, meeting a friend for a coffee or simply smiling at someone. Have a look at these pages to see how you can implement these was into your daily life, you may even be doing some of them already.
We need PGRs to be closely involved and inform the work and outcomes of the project so over the next few months we will be asking you to join group discussions and provide us with your ideas and opinions on wellbeing and mental health.
Discrimination, Bullying, and Harassment¶
Discrimination, bullying and harassment come in many guises, all of which are unacceptable to the University and which have no place in a civilised working and learning environment.
Any cases of harassment, discrimination and bullying will be taken very seriously by the University and, where necessary, the appropriate procedure will be used to investigate complaints. The documents below outline the roles and responsibilities of the University, staff and PGRs in constructing a non-discriminatory learning environment.
Support for trans students¶
The student support team are the point of contact within the Department for confidential support and advice to all trans students - we realise that for some students, it may be the first time they contact anyone. We can help you communicate a new name and your pronouns (he/she/they/other) to teaching staff, support staff and your tutorial group. We can also advise on how to update your university records and final degree certificate to reflect your gender identity, and arrange for a new student card, pictures and email address. If you’d prefer to speak to somebody outside of the Department, you can contact:
Imposter Syndrome¶
Across the world, millions of successful people are pursued by fears of inadequacy, despite achieving great things. The psychological thread that runs between all these people is called the impostor syndrome and it makes it hard -often impossible- for people to internalize their accomplishments. And although some people battle through, others are not so lucky. https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/work-culture/imposter-syndrome.
Extensions and Interruptions¶
Danger
COVID 19 - You can get an Extenion or Interuption for non specific COVID related reasons with very minimal (read none) evidence. If you are a University or UKRI (EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC, etc) sponsored PGR then some of this may be funded, if not then you will need to contact you sponsor about funding but the extension or interuption can still be granted unfunded by the University. In this case, please contact the relevant person for an update after you have read this Handbook, the COVID 19 Update, and looked at the PGR COVID 19 FAQ https://www.staffnet.manchester.ac.uk/coronavirus/faqs/pgr/.
If you become unable to function as a PGR for any reason, the first thing you should do is to make sure your main supervisor knows. Alternatively, you may choose to talk with your advisor, the PGR tutor or PGR director, someone from the counselling service, or your GP, as appropriate. If you need to interrupt your studies for a period of time, you can request an interruption. The relevant policy is also in Circumstances Leading to Changes to Postgraduate Research Study Policy.
Danger
In many cases we still expect you to complete within the Progression Limit.
You need to apply to FSE Faculty Graduate Panel and some documentary evidence may be required. This may be due to your own ill health, illness or death of someone close to you, or similar types of issues which prevent you from carry on with your research for a time. It cannot be for reasons associated with your research not going well and cannot be used just to extend the time to get the degree.
It is best to apply for an interruption as soon as you recognise the problem and are able. Retrospective applications are less likely to succeed, unless the nature of the mitigating circumstance made it very difficult for you to apply at the time. Once you pass through an End of Year progress point, you cannot apply for a mitigating circumstance which took place before the progression.
Currently the Department can approve:
Interruptions for internships and field work
Interruptions for maternity/paternity leave (or Extension of submission pending due to maternity leave, if the PGR is in the SP period)
ATAS-related interruptions
Interruptions due to hospitalisation
Failure of research equipment
(Retrospective requests for maternity leave must be considered by the Associate Dean)
Danger
Interruptions or Extensions are not granted mearly to give you more time to write-up and they must be supported with evidenciary documentation.