Introduction
Hey! Does the word dissertation give you sleepless nights? Cannot you sleep and work better due to the workload of your Ph.D. dissertation? If your answer is yes, know that you are overthinking your dissertation. You should stop this overthinking and start trusting your instincts while working on your Ph.D. dissertation. It is because you are not the only one who gets intimidated by the word dissertation. Many other students are also out there who fear writing a dissertation. Now the question is how students can stop all this. Today’s article is all about this topic. It will discuss how you can start trusting your instincts while working on your dissertation. So, let’s start our today’s discussion with the question below.
What is a Ph.D. dissertation?
Before moving on to the actual topic, let’s briefly explain what a dissertation is. It will form the base for the rest of our discussion. So, a Ph.D. dissertation is a scholarly document submitted to a supervisor to get a degree. It is a lengthy document compared to other writings like assignments, essays, and research papers. The primary reason behind its length is the nature of the research. The researchers have to perform extensive and original research to complete a dissertation. To do this, mostly the researchers work under a supervisor. The supervisor acts as a guide and helps the students when they need it.
How to stop being scared of Ph.D. Advisor?
As described earlier, the Ph.D. supervisor is your guide. You should not be scared of him as you face him. Undoubtedly, it happens that students get intimidated by their supervisors most of the time. They feel tongue-tied, and their mind has frozen even if they know the things. The primary reason behind this is that the students think themselves inferior to the supervisors. Students need to stop being scared of their supervisors as soon as possible. A brief description of the ways to achieve this is as follows.
Extensive communication
Most students fear their supervisors because they do not communicate with them often. A Ph.D. dissertation is a lengthy document. It requires continuous communication with the supervisor. If you this communication, you will feel less scared of your supervisor. It is because, with time, you get to know that your supervisor is also a human being. Being a human being, you do not need to worry about him.
Go through the system
Most of the time, students are unaware of the system. They just go to the supervisors without knowing how to approach the supervisor. This thing makes the supervisors annoyed, and they can mistreat you. Due to this one event, students do not pay a visit to their supervisors and get scared. The easy way to get rid of this is to know about the system. Many supervisors have posted a schedule in front of their offices. You should only visit them in that time slot. When you do this, the supervisor will not mistreat you, and you will stop being scared.
We are all equal
Another way to stop being scared of your supervisor is by thinking that we are equal. This thought will let you deal with every person in the normal way. There will not be the element of fear in your conversations. You will be confident while talking about your Ph.D. dissertation. This thought has helped many students in the past. You should also try this to stop being scared of your supervisor.
How to handle anxiety while writing a Ph.D. Dissertation
Feeling anxiety while writing a Ph.D. dissertation is normal. Due to its extensive research demands, it could be very difficult for the students to work on their dissertations properly. Therefore, they need to know how to handle anxiety. Below are some of the tips that can help you overcome your anxiety.
Plan ahead of your dissertation
Prior planning can help you a lot in reducing anxiety. When you plan things before starting writing your dissertation, you get rid of many problems. The first is that you will not be stuck in the middle of your dissertation. With effective planning, you know what you have to write in your dissertation to get good grades. You also know the breakdown of each chapter and the information you need to incorporate into it. Therefore, planning can help you a lot.
You are not alone
This phrase can help you a lot in reducing the anxiety caused by a Ph.D. dissertation. Tell yourself that you are not alone in writing a dissertation. Many other students are also working on their dissertations. Think of the fact that many people before you may have also decided to quit, but they did not. This thinking will let you stop overthinking. Once you stop overthinking, you will automatically start trusting your instincts while doing a Ph.D. dissertation.
It is not a race
Many students take the dissertation as a race. They just want to remain ahead of other students. Now, if they are unable to get ahead, believe me, they will stop working and start thinking about how to get ahead. This thing will only cause problems for students. Therefore, students must believe that writing a dissertation is not a race. They have to be calm while working on their Ph.D. dissertation. So, students can reduce their anxiety by thinking this way.
Focus on today
Another cause of worry for students is that they leave the present and start thinking about the future. This future-thinking also creates many problems for students. These future thoughts do not let students work properly on their dissertations, and they feel anxious. Therefore, students must focus on today and plan things only for today. This will help them a lot in reducing their stress.
Conclusion
Facing stress and anxiety while working on a Ph.D. dissertation are two normal things. Only those students who taste success know how to handle these things. The tips mentioned above can help you a lot in reducing the fear of your supervisor and dissertation writing.
