‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Learning outcomes By the end of this session you will have: Discussed your own working practices and considered how constructive they are Learnt about the physiological basis of stress and considered typical symptoms Considered strategies to deal with stress and negative thinking

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Self-sabotage Sabotage: to ruin, destroy or disable deliberately and maliciously Self-sabotage: to act against your own best interests, whether consciously or unconsciously

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. When do you self-sabotage? In pairs discuss things that you do that on reflection make the completion of your PhD less likely

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Progress? In groups discuss when you feel like you are making progress on your PhD When do you feel that you are not making progress? Focus on specific events and examples

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. The fight or flight response

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Stress: physical symptoms Constant tiredness Limbs heavy/face/taut/neck stiff Breathlessness/sweating without exertion Feeling faint at times Light, patchy sleep Weepiness Lack of appetite Indigestion or heartburn Sickness/diarrhoea Headaches/migraine Disinterest in sex Craving for food when under pressure Increased reliance on caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, sugar Nervous tics, nail-biting Inability to sit still without fidgeting

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Stress: mental symptoms Reluctance to laugh/smile or make jokes Poor concentration Tendency to flit from task to task Inability to finish a task properly A lack of drive/motivation in your work Feelings of guilt/inadequacy where work is concerned/ feeling of being a failure Lack of interest in life and in activities that previously gave you pleasure No desire to contact people/loss of interest in your friends Difficulty in making decisions Constant irritability Feeling of helplessness and lack of control Feeling of being surrounded by busy people Feelings of inadequacy in relationship to your partner No real interest in the future Frustration at not being able to show your true feelings Forgetfulness

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Balance of activities in your life There are 168 hours a week How do you divide them between: ° Routine activities (sleep/travel etc) ° Work (including PhD) ° Play Ideal

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Stress management: physical Take regular exercise Go outside and experience the daylight Try to walk, talk and move at a slower pace For some, yoga/meditation or relaxation tapes may help Allow at least 30 minutes at mealtimes. Try to eat slowly Examine your diet. Make sure that it is balanced and provides you with plenty of energy Reduce your dependence on drugs (including coffee, pain killers and wine) Seek advice if relationships are upsetting you

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Stress management: physical Your supervisor calls you and says: How do you feel? ‘I’d like to have a look at how you are getting on. Can you send me the chapter that we discussed at our last supervision? Don’t worry if it is not quite finished yet.’

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Common problems Performance anxiety: Daunted by the size of the task Perfectionism Fear of consequences Lack of self-belief

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Dealing with negative thoughts ANTs Automatic negative thoughts MATHs More accurate thoughts

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Dealing with performance anxiety By the end of this session you will have: Free writing – ‘write rubbish’ Three-draft approach 1.Get the big ideas down 2.Structure and fill in the gaps 3.Proof Use a draft stamp ‛Nail your feet to the floor’

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Creating realistic plans Chunk work up Try to achieve something concrete every day/week Reward achievement Keep track of the whole

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Tips to help you achieve Realise that you have a choice ‘I could work’ or ‘I could go out’. Choose and then act, don’t then feel guilty Work no more than eight hours a day Get at least a day’s leisure time every week Regard your work as a job not as your life Control your environment. Put yourself in a situation that minimises distractions

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Measures of progress Not so useful Tasks started Hours worked Unrealistic assessments of standard Lists of failures Useful Tasks completed Number of words written/interviews/ data collected per day Percentage of the whole completed

‛Making progress: avoiding defeatism and self-sabotage’ has been developed by Vitae © 2009 Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) Limited. Please refer to for full conditions of use. Make some progress Identify the next day or half-day that you have available for your research What are you going to do on that day? What will you have achieved by the end of the day? What kind of impact will this have made on your project?