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Challenges and Mental Health

The research or Ph.D. experience can be very challenging, sometimes in unexpected ways. It is common to experience mental health challenges during graduate school, or working on research and courses as an undergraduate. While I'm not personally trained to help directly, I hope to be supportive in whatever ways you feel will be helpful, including of course helping avoid such issues wherever I can. I have met very few individuals who have not struggled with anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues. There are many reasons for that. In my opinion, they can be mostly attributed to the combination of uncertainty, self-responsibility, and relentless feedback one receives as a young researcher. It is possible that you will experience some form of chronic anxiety at some point. This feeling is common, and many students will experience it at some point or another. Don't be alarmed; if you are comfortable with it, come to talk to me (or others) if you feel this way.

The environment in academia, including at Georgia Tech, will not stop you from overworking at the cost of your well-being. Quite the opposite, you will often feel like academic work culture encourages working evenings and weekends, and many do (I do). However, overworking is neither healthy nor productive in the long run as an undergraduate or Ph.D. researcher. Note that the specific definition, in terms of say, hours worked, will vary person-to-person, and can change as your life otherwise changes in various ways. Regardless, you are part of a marathon, not a sprint. When you feel uneasy, don't run faster, but keep good company. After all, the point of being part of a research group is that you don't need to run it all alone.