Biophysical Society Bulletin | October 2020

Career Development

Taking Care of your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Pandemic

More and more evidence suggests a mental health crisis exists among science graduate students (1,2). Compound that with collective trauma experienced during a global pandemic, and students feel buried in stress. This article discusses some techniques that may help mitigate the overwhelm- ing feelings that might occur while in school:

and personal time may blur. By having a clear daily schedule, with times that you can schedule breaks, shut down your computer, and meditate or exercise, you can be more produc- tive and find more time to relax. Take care of your physical health. Sleep. Drink water. Exercise. Eat well. I cannot overstate the importance of this. Talk to somebody. It is okay to not be okay. If you are strug- gling with some personal hardship or dealing with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety, remember that you are not alone, and you are cared for; then, talk to someone. If it’s a personal hardship, this can be a close friend, relative, your advisor, career counselor, or a mental health professional such as a school counselor or a therapist. If you are concerned about your mental health, see a mental health profession- al if you are able. How you choose to proceed depends on your comfort level and your state of emotional well-being. Tele-counseling services exist, so you can see a professional from the safety of your own place. Consult your university’s counseling center for information that pertains to you. Stay safe everyone. Take care of yourself, and if you can, check in on your peers and colleagues. Together, we will make it through. References: 1. Gewin, V. 2012. Mental health: Under a cloud. Nature 490(7419):299–301. 2. Evans, T. M., L. Bira, J. B. Gastelum, L. T. Weiss, and N. L. Vanderford. 2018. Evidence for a mental health crisis in grad- uate education. Nat Biotechnol 36(3):282–284. — Molly Cule

Be kind to yourself. It is okay to just be okay. Expectations should change for what you can accomplish during a pandem- ic. It is not a normal time; you should not expect normal re- sults.  Publishable (let alone groundbreaking) results are hard to collect even under the best circumstances. COVID-19-re- lated restrictions may shift timelines. Funding may become uncertain. Online teaching may take up more time. Interrup- tions to your research range from frustrating to demoralizing, and when disruptions occur, remind yourself that the strug- gles you face are not a reflection of you. Now, more than ever, show yourself a little kindness and accept that your best will be imperfect. Find a (new) stress sink. Hobbies can free our minds from the struggles of scientific research. If your normal hobbies are in some way disrupted by the pandemic, try something new. So- cially distant hobbies include running, biking, walking, paint- ing, video games, yoga, gardening, coding challenges, photog- raphy, cooking, reading, online board games with friends, or online trivia. Setting goals (e.g., selecting a date to run a 10K) or developing personal projects (e.g., creating a collage for a friend) can provide structure to your life and motivation to continue your new hobby. Schedule. Creating a schedule can help declutter your mind. If you have transitioned to working mostly from home, work Renew Your BPSMembership Online

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October 2020

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