Question: when you hand paint skateboards do you ever prefer it over science?

anon answered on 5 Mar 2021:

Hi OliviaC,

Great question! And the answer is science but…
Mostly I love science and much of my life and time is dedicated to this. But it can get stressful, tiring and sometimes burnout if I just do science all day every day! So that’s when painting skateboards comes in. I can truly relax, turn off emails, switch off from all thing’s science. Having some ‘breathing space’ from studying is important for mental health. Being away from psychology for long periods also makes me reflect on a) how much I love the subject and b) why I am doing this long, hard and lonely process of a PhD – because it gets me up every morning, it gives my days purpose and my life goals.
So which one do I prefer? Science hands down! But sometimes stepping away is good too.