• Question: Does your job affect your mental health ? (you don't have to answer if it is too personal :))

    Asked by anon-353137 on 6 Mar 2023.
    • Photo: Eileen Xu

      Eileen Xu answered on 6 Mar 2023:

      Great question and a really important thing to think about! Personally I don’t think my job affects my mental health any more than the ordinary stress that comes with doing a PhD. This might be because I had mental health issues before I started in Psychology, so actually by the time I made it through university I felt pretty well-equipped to cope with life and work!

    • Photo: Greta Defeyter

      Greta Defeyter answered on 6 Mar 2023:

      As someone who has ADHD, I have to make sure that I stay on top of my mental health. I have tendencies to work long hours and I have to remind myself to take a break. I have recently taken up boxing to help keep my physically and mentally fit.

    • Photo: Emily McDougal

      Emily McDougal answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      Personally, my mental health is quite connected to my job – but in both positive and negative ways. I enjoy the investigative side of research, which is very stimulating to me and therefore contributes to positive mental health. On the other side, research in the academic world can be very competitive. For example, I’m at the postdoctoral stage in my career where I am employed on short term contracts (1-2 years). The instability of this can be difficult, and applying for jobs to step into my next role takes a lot of energy.

    • Photo: Stephen Jackson

      Stephen Jackson answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      I really enjoy my job so if anything it improves my mental health.

    • Photo: Imogen Green

      Imogen Green answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      As a PhD student I mainly work on my own, which can make me feel isolated at times. I have found that the best thing for counteracting this is to join study groups with other students to help motivate me. Even though we are all working on different things, it’s really helpful to be with other students who are also carrying out research.

    • Photo: Joanne Cummings

      Joanne Cummings answered on 7 Mar 2023:

      Sometimes supporting students with their mental health challenges, can on reflection be challenging so its important that we as staff, also receive support when its needed to ensure that our emotional cup is not empty 🙂

    • Photo: Hannah Fawcett

      Hannah Fawcett answered on 15 Mar 2023:

      Working as an academic is a busy and demanding role. It is very interesting and rewarding but it can be stressful – especially when supporting students with their mental health challenges, or trying to meet deadlines. Luckily psychology research also tells us lots of tips, strategies and activities that we can do to protect our mental health and wellbeing.

    • Photo: Kirsten Russell

      Kirsten Russell answered on 15 Mar 2023:

      Working in research is really interesting and exciting. but it can be quite demanding and stressful at times. I am very lucky to be part of a great team at my University and so I always have someone to talk to if things are getting too stressful. I love research, and the topics I am interested in are important, but are quite sensitive too. For example, I am interested in different types of violence. This means that it is important to have tools in place to look after my mental health, like getting a good sleep, spending time with my friend and family, and exercising regularly. I find running and strength training really helps with this.

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