Looking After Your Mental Health
It's important to prioritise self-care during your PhD - yes, you're here to undertake a program of study, but you also have to keep living your life while you do it. There's a good chance that you have given up quite a bit to be here and it is all too easy to give in to the pressure to devote yourself to your PhD at the expense of other areas of your life. In this section we want to point you towards some helpful habits and practices that PhD students often forget to prioritise and to remind you of the importance of taking care of yourself first and your work second.
Essential tips
Get organised
While there is some variation across disciplines and fields, by and large your PhD will be a mostly independent project. Therefore it is important that you are able to put the systems and structures in place that best help you manage your time.
- Find a calendar or scheduling app that works for you, for example, the University has a subscription to Microsoft Outlook and Teams
- Play around with apps like Forest, to help you manage procrastination and digital distraction
- Look into systems for research management like Endnote
- Get your sleep schedule on track
Get mindful
During your PhD will have to balance multiple tasks and responsibilities. Finding ways to better help your brain manage these shifting mental loads can be really helpful to managing the process of completing your PhD.
See the Cambridge University Mindfulness Society's website, and University of Cambridge resources on support and information for student communities.
Get active
Exercise can be an incredibly useful tool in managing and regulating stress levels and at Cambridge there are a variety of ways to get active.
- CADMuS: a club that offers sporting activities for people with disabilities
- college gyms, which are often free to live-in students and with minimal joining fees for students who live outside of college housing
- University of Cambridge Sports Service maintain three sites across Cambridge, and fees apply
- private gyms often offer discounted memberships for students
- swimming pools are slightly harder to come by but there are some at leisure centres around town
- the University has a host of sport-based clubs and societies.
Get outside
There is a surprising amount of open green space here in Cambridge for you to take advantage of. If you enjoy walking, explore local walks or the many 'commons' or grazing spaces filled with wildlife.
As a student of the university you receive free entry to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, where most of the walks are accessible without steps or stairs. The garden covers an area of 16 hectares containing over 8000 plant species, and holds events all year round including their popular apple picking day that coincides with the start of Michelmas term
Popular nearby destinations with lots of countryside to explore include Granchester, Milton Country Park, Stourbridge Common and Ditton Meadows. These can be reached by bike, car, or bus.
Cambridge is also famous for its waterways. You can rent a punt, a kayak or a canoe or SUP (Stand Up Paddle board) and paddle between Jesus Loch and Granchester. There are also several outdoor swimming opportunities available around Cambridge, such as the Jesus Green Lido, Shep's Green, Lammas Land, Granchester and Milton Country Park.
Get connected
A PhD is an individual undertaking but it is easier with friends, colleagues and community to keep you company along the way.
Your college MCR will provide you with a ready-made source of community when you arrive at Cambridge. You can participate in MCR events, attend college BOPS and formals or even apply to be an office holder.
Your Faculty may also provide opportunities to meet and network with other students across the university. Join a reading group or attend a social and take the opportunity to meet people outside of your discipline
The University is also host to a diverse range of clubs and societies, all of which can be viewed through the Student Union's Clubs and Societies Guide.