Wellbeing
“Wellbeing” is one of those ubiquitous words with no clear definition. On the surface, it sounds self-explanatory. Wellbeing is the state of being well—in other words, free from illness. But what does that state look like and how do you know if you’ve reached it? Those questions are harder to answer since wellness (and illness) can take many forms: emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, and environmental.[1] To blur the matter further, each person evaluates those categories differently.
There are a few essential aspects of wellbeing, however, we can all probably agree upon. Wellbeing involves some degree of balance, purpose, and contentment. People who have a sense of wellbeing may not always feel happy or wholly content, but they have basic goals in place to guide them and a support system to help promote their success and weather their trials.
Your support system serves an especially critical role in helping maintain your sense of wellbeing in graduate school. Taking specialized courses, conducting research, and striving to publish and fulfill graduation requirements can all take their toll. Up to half of all graduate students have reported feeling depressed, anxious, or burned out at some point during their graduate studies.[2] For this reason, it’s vital that you seek help when—or ideally before—you start feeling overwhelmed.
“Burnout” in graduate school describes a state of emotional and physical exhaustion combined with a negative outlook toward your research, progress, and opportunities for success. Multiple factors can contribute to anxiety and burnout in grad school. Knowing what to watch for and how to cope if it happens can help you withstand adversity and stay on track.
Work-Life Imbalance
When you’re immersed in graduate-level study and activities, “work” and “life” can feel like one and the same. We all need a break, though.
In the context of work-life balance, “life” refers to any non-academic personal time spent with friends or family, or just by yourself. Graduate students need to protect a certain amount of personal time from their academic responsibilities, which (as we all know) have a habit of encroaching.
How much personal time each person needs varies. Studies show that female graduate students report more difficulties than male students at achieving work-life balance. This circumstance stems primarily from challenges relating to family commitments and caregiving.[1] Achieving a work-life balance can feel elusive when you’re forced to weigh options and trade-offs between family and school, and none of the choices seem acceptable.
Competition
Some fields foster competitive environments that make it more difficult to achieve a work-life balance. A 2019 study of 6,320 students in scientific fields showed that nearly 25 percent worked 61 or more hours per week.[2] With new discoveries and advancements occurring at a lightning pace, students can find it challenging to keep up with colleagues and advance their own findings before they become last week’s news.
From 2012 to 2022, the global annual publication of peer-reviewed science and engineering journal articles and conference proceedings grew by an astonishing 59 percent.[3] Increased use of social media can exacerbate stress by broadcasting the success stories of high achievers to rest of the academic community. Those still struggling to publish a first article may experience intense normative pressures that create feelings of inadequacy.
Funding Concerns
Academic competition also drives funding anxieties for some students. Across the various units at WMU, around 80 percent of graduate students do not hold a WMU assistantship. These students either need to self-fund their education, obtain a fellowship or grant, or secure funding from an outside sponsor, which can be tricky because those opportunities usually drive intense competition.
For instance, only 25-30 percent of the prestigious national fellowships offered through the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association are funded.[4] Of that elite group, most students have amassed a solid record of publishing and presenting before applying. That circumstance can make the funding process seem even more daunting and unachievable to yet-to-be-published graduate students.
Moreover, students who do finally succeed at a securing funding still have to grapple with rising costs of living, relatively low pay, and (often) no health insurance. Some take extra jobs to help pay the bills, and that overwork can also cause feelings of precarity and stress.
Imposter Phenomenon
Sometimes called imposter syndrome, this phenomenon occurs when graduate students worry they don’t actually deserve what they’ve earned. Essentially, they feel like posers. A student might be convinced the admissions committee made a mistake and let her into her PhD program by accident. What’s worse, she’s sure it’s just a matter of time before everyone else realizes it, too.
Social-psychological research shows that women, ethnic minorities, and first-generation college students are especially vulnerable to imposter phenomenon.[5] Understandably, this condition can lead to anxiety, depression, inadequacy, and perfectionism.
One prominent factor that contributes to imposter phenomenon in graduate school is social isolation.[6] Solo work grows more prevalent in the latter part of a PhD program, when students are busy conducting and analyzing research and composing dissertations. Ironically, the stage when graduate students most need time alone to think, read, and write, is also the time when they have to make extra efforts to engage with their communities.
Challenges for Specific Demographic Groups
Other factors unrelated to scholarly ability and competence may influence a graduate student’s sense of wellbeing in both overt and imperceptible ways:
- First-generation college students often enter graduate school at lower income levels and without the advantages of generational wealth.[1] They face a greater risk of financial worries and a steeper learning curve than their peers in adapting to university norms and culture.
- Parents and future parents can experience challenges related to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare, especially since attending graduate school often coincides with the time when people start having children.
- Black women have reported feeling social isolation and oppressive classroom climates in graduate school.[2]
- Ethnic minorities can encounter greater mental health challenges in predominantly White institutions, studies show.[3] At WMU, 21.8 percent of students come from underrepresented minority populations.
- International students can face culture shock, a reduced sense of belonging, visa anxieties, and loneliness resulting from family separation.[4]
Uncertain Job Prospects
The number of people earning graduate degrees has surged over the past two decades. Several factors are likely fueling this trend, including bachelor’s degree inflation.[5] Regardless of the reasons, more degrees mean more competition for jobs requiring those credentials.
Students following a professoriate pathway often compete with a glut of candidates for each coveted tenure-track professor position. For Humanities students, the current academic job market can feel particularly discouraging. The prospect of not landing a job after all your hard work can, understandably, trigger anxiety for any graduate student.
Recognizing when your wellbeing is off kilter is the first step. When that happens, know that you are not alone! In a recent study, forty percent of students reported feeling anxiety during their graduate career, and 40 percent reported feeling depressed at some point.[1]
Earning a graduate degree is an ambitious academic quest, and you can’t reach that goal without encountering challenges—some of them severe. But you do not have to quietly endure on your own. Give yourself permission to seek help.
- Make the right people aware. You might feel reluctant to disclose personal problems to your advisor or professors. That’s completely understandable. Keep in mind: You get to decide what and how much you want to reveal. Before you reach out to someone, you may want to jot down a few things you plan to say. It might be enough just to confide that you are struggling with a personal matter and you could use advice or specific accommodations, such as an extended due date. Simpler is often better.
- Seek social support. If you’re unsure whom to approach or how to work through an academic difficulty, consider talking to an upper-year student. Third and fourth-year graduate students will have more experience with the department, its faculty, and its policies. Ask for advice and suggestions about who else might help.
- Lean on your mentors. If you completed this Mentor Worksheet you already have people lined up to help you work through academic challenges and provide emotional support. Meet with them! Their job is to help ensure you’re successful, so they’re invested in finding solutions to the problems you encounter.
[1] Hummel and Kurd 121
- Counseling Services. Walk in, no appointment needed. Simply visit Sindecuse Health Center anytime Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and you’ll be matched with a counselor. Your first eight sessions are free.
- UWill. Access free teletherapy all day, 24—7, and talk to a therapist on your time, in your own space.
- WellTrack Boost. Another free WMU wellbeing resource, WellTrack allows you to monitor your symptoms when you’re feeling stressed. It also offers videos, relaxation exercises, and more.
- Mind Spa. Open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, the Mind Spa at Sindecuse Health Center features massage chairs, yoga stations, soothing music, biofeedback, and light therapy.
- Wellness Events. This page shows upcoming classes and workshops on wellness.
- Health Promotion and Education. Trained professional health educators from this unit offer programs on alcohol and drugs, sexual health, mental wellness, and more.
- Disability Services for Students (DSS). DSS coordinates services with campus-wide support systems to help remove barriers to education.