Do you feel like things are too much? Do you feel the weight of expectation of doing your PhD? Do you feel like you are giving too much effort and getting too little? We can feel the pressure of expectations from other people, from our projects, and above all from ourselves. Thinking about our projections and where we place our boundaries can help us manage and thrive.
This session of reflective practice gives time to think about how best to take care of ourselves. We offer some short meditative exercises to explore how we think and feel about our self-care and to ground our discussion.
How does it work?
Reflective practice is about taking time to explore an event or theme, for example, managing time, group dynamics, or motivation. Each person has time to look at their own challenges and opportunities. This is done with other research students. You will be able to hear how other people are approaching similar concerns.
Each session has a theme that we explore together.
Who is it for?
- PhD students (at Imperial, RCA and RCM)
- who want to talk about their experience of doing research
- who would like to hear about how others are handling the issues.
Where?
In-person session at Chaplaincy Multi-Faith Centre, Imperial College London, 15 Prince’s Gardens , South Kensington Campus , SW7 1NA
Some testimonials from previous attendees
“A nice way to look back at events in our day to day life and have a different perspectives to get over them.”
“It’s worthwhile to shut off from work and reflect on your experiences over time.”
“It is valuable for all PhD students to have a chance to talk things through.”
“It is a way of thinking/being integral to surviving a PhD which isn’t taught anywhere.”
“A safe space to talk about my problems with someone from outside, that’s not related to it.”
“Writing things down helped me”
“I found it useful to have time window assigned entirely for oneself to speak and be listened to.”
“It is a useful platform for discussing my situation and receiving constructive feedback and course of action from the group.”