‘caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.’
Audre Lorde
As I near the end of my first year of my Ph.D., I find myself reflecting on my in-flux mental states during the application process through my integration into a Ph.D. program. I feel drawn to the use of metaphors to describe the experience: a game of tug-of-war or a never-ending 100-meter dash. It’s no secret to graduate students and those in the application process that graduate studies are mentally and physically taxing. Universities across the country have acknowledged an ongoing mental health crisis among graduate students, and some are conducting research aiming to better understand the phenomenon. I often find myself wondering about how people juggle work with self-care and avoid burnout.
Self-care is broadly understood as behaviors that enable well-being and promote health. The National Institute of Health (NIH) suggests various forms of self-care from 30-minute walks, hydration, healthy eating, implementing a sleep schedule, and practicing gratitude. This distinction strikes me as strange. While this is branded as self-care, it seems to me that this is simply a recipe for living a balanced life. There’s another notion of self-care which is highly commodified and commercialized. As of 2018, “self-care” was a $11 billion industry. Many partake in self-care to combat burnout. Burnout is commonly thought to be a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by stress. The World Health Organization, however, identifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical one. Furthermore, researchers think that burnout can be contagious and the long-standing norms in philosophy may not be making things better.
‘Publish or perish,’ a phrase many graduates are familiar with, embodies an ever-present dichotomy between success and failure. Perhaps a major contributor to poor mental health amongst graduates is the toxicity of such ideals. At the Eastern APA in January, panelists discussed “The State of Philosophy” and noted “that the demand for philosophers is declining.” Openings for a single tenure-track job may receive hundreds of applications, and expectations for applicants to have publications, teaching experience, and service experience seem like the bare minimum for consideration. With the immense pressure graduate students are under to succeed and become competitive applicants, it’s no surprise many graduates feel a sense of hopelessness. So, what should students do?
One response is to practice self-care anyway. This option, I think, is highly idealized for a few reasons. First, advice to combat burnout involves detachment from the source of one’s stress. When the source of one’s stress is one’s research, it can be difficult if not impossible to detach oneself from it. Second, self-care has become a commodified, luxury good. Grocery prices spiked by 11% from 2021 to 2022, and the NIH found that healthy food (e.g., fruits and vegetables) on average costs twice as much as unhealthy food (e.g., highly processed foods). While average stipend/pay information for Philosophy Ph.D. programs is difficult to find, most programs on this list show average pay is anywhere from $18,000 to $30,000. The average salary for a single person to be considered as having a living wage in the U.S. is $57,200. According to the NIH, lower socioeconomic status is associated with a lower consumption of healthy foods. Sleep, in turn, can both be impacted by and impact our dietary choices and it’s been suggested that a diet high in heavily processed foods and sugars can negatively impact sleep. The foundations of self-care can be difficult to implement under the stress and financial strain that many graduates are under. Finally, many graduates report feeling guilty for taking time off, and this sense of guilt may prevent them from doing what they know is good for them. All things considered, it seems like self-care is a luxury that graduate students cannot always afford or think they don’t have time for. Self-care, however, is essential to well-being and success in graduate school.
Establishing a program wellness committee may be beneficial. My program has one, and monthly we meet and go for a hike, see a movie, or do something affordable and non-philosophical. Furthermore, finding ways to implement self-care into your daily routine may be easier than one thinks. Meditation, for instance, has been shown to greatly benefit one’s well-being. Universities like the University of Cincinnati, Johns Hopkins, and Notre Dame offer a free subscription to Calm Premium, a meditation app. Even five minutes of meditation a day while your coffee brews can positively impact your well-being. Finally, talking about your experiences can help. The chances are good that if you’re feeling anxiety, depression, or dread about any aspect of your academic career people around you relate. Additionally, many universities offer a number of free counseling services to students.
Overall, students shouldn’t bear the burden of improving their own conditions. Yet, many must find outlets for self-care despite various barriers. Finding time for yourself, whether it’s going for a walk with a friend, cooking yourself dinner and watching a movie, or meditating in the morning. Most of us chose to go to graduate school in philosophy because we love the discipline. In the everyday grind of coursework or dissertation writing, finding and rekindling that love can be hard. Be kind to yourself, prioritize what fuels your fire, and make time for self-care even if you feel guilty doing so.
Resources for Students
- Alt-Ac transition tips (for leaving academia)
- Eating Disorder helpline
- Find Alcoholics Anonymous near me
- Food assistance requirements per state
- Food banks near me
- Mental Health and Disability Network for Philosophy Grads (to join email Alexandra Gustafson, University of Toronto at: a.gustafson@mail.utoronto.ca)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- The APA’s mental health resource page
Brianna Larson is a Ph.D. student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Cincinnati and received a BA in philosophy from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is also completing a graduate certificate in museum studies. Her primary research interests currently live at the intersection of topics in well-being, identity, and social philosophy and philosophy of science, particularly psychology and cognitive science. She actively participates in her university’s Philosophy for Children Outreach Group and UC’s Center for Public Engagement with Science. As such, she has secondary research interests in pedagogy and the scholarship of teaching and learning. When not doing philosophy, Brianna enjoys cooking, running, being outdoors, and traveling.
