Grad school struggles: Finding balance between work and personal needs to achieve overall wellness

Kyrie Thomas
Thu, 03 Oct 2024 05:36:01 +0000
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Students in the Research Commons, a space dedicated specifically for graduate students, located on the third floor of the 18th Avenue Library. Credit: Kyrie Thomas | Campus LTV Producer

The classic airplane safety speech is often reiterated on TV, in movies and in real life. Passengers are told where the exits are, how to signal for help and — in the event that oxygen masks must be deployed — to put on their own mask first before helping others.

The same sentiment can be applied to graduate students when it comes to their mental and physical health, said Bernadette Melnyk, Ohio State’s vice president for health promotion and chief wellness officer.

“You can’t keep pouring from an empty cup,” Melnyk said. “You can’t tell others to be sharp or teach them to be engaged if you’re not caring for yourself first.”

As many Ohio State graduate students approach end-of-semester conferences and finals, they reflect on how they maintain a balance between their workload and personal lives, all while keeping wellness in mind.?

November in particular can be a stressful time, said Hannah Lewis, a graduate student in Ohio State’s Higher Education and Student Affairs Program.

“Most of our larger events happen during that time because everything just goes to the end of the semester,” Lewis said. “So, the closer you get, the more highly concentrated the events and assignments are.”

As assignments — combined with graduates’ other responsibilities and personal engagements — pile up, Melnyk said students need to develop the habit of carving out time geared toward self-care.

“They’ve got to prioritize [self-care],” Melnyk said. “Just like they schedule their classes, they have to build in time for wellness and self-care. Unless you prioritize it, it tends to get lost or set as a lower priority.”

Academically, Lewis said planning out her assignments, arranging meeting times with students and getting a head start on future tasks are all helpful when creating extra space for self-care.

Lewis said movies, books and walks fill the small breaks in her workflow, but that dancing is her favorite relaxing activity.

“It’s like exercise in the way it can get my stress out, but it also just helps me turn my brain off because to do that type of stuff, you really have to be in the moment,” Lewis said. “Luckily, it lends itself to the weekends and later in my evenings, so it’s like my reward for getting work done during the week.”

Annie Dooley, a graduate student currently pursuing a doctorate from the School of Communication, said in an email reading, crocheting and hiking are just some of the hobbies she intertwines into her schedule, but knowing when to incorporate those activities is an important first step to managing one’s wellness.

“I have a policy that I listen to my brain and body,” Dooley said. “I know when I need to take a break to avoid burnout. I also know when I don’t need a break and instead need to power through.”

Malnyk said many graduate students may feel that “putting their nose down” and pushing through their workload will reward them in the end, but in reality, there’s a high chance they’re putting their mental and physical health at risk.

Instead, Malnyk said she advises a “preventive approach” to help students avoid such burnout.?

“If you’re facing stress, anxiety, depression and burnout to the point where it’s interfering with your judgment or concentration, you’ve got to face it,” Malnyk said. “There’s no shame [in] needing mental health help — in fact, there’s a strength to recognizing it.”

Like many graduate students, Lewis said she often finds herself in a teaching position. Notably, she said she does her best to practice what she preaches in terms of overall health and wellness.?

“This is something I preach to my students all the time,” Lewis said. “It’s the whole, ‘You’re a person first and a student second’ mantra. I think for grad students in particular, it can be difficult because most of us are balancing schoolwork and some kind of job position at the university.”?

Dooley said there are three aspects incoming graduate students should consider to help foster a healthy work-life balance. First, they should determine whether or not their program is funded to avoid financial stress. Second, they should make sure they genuinely enjoy their chosen path of study.

“Third, and perhaps most importantly, you can do it,” Dooley said. “Everyone will tell you it’s hard. I’m here to tell you that it’s doable. You will survive this and be great.”