Hi everyone,
I finished my PhD last year and was reflecting recently on the small things that helped me get through some of the tougher stretches of it.
For me, one surprisingly important thing was cooking. When I was deep in thesis mode or feeling burned out, making something simple in the kitchen became one of the few routines that helped me switch off for a bit. It wasn’t anything elaborate — sometimes just porridge or granola — but it gave my brain a break from thinking about research.
It made me realise how much small rituals can matter when you’re doing something as mentally consuming as a PhD.
Out of that experience I ended up starting a small blog where I write about food and the slightly chaotic realities of academic life — food as comfort, procrastination, survival, etc.
If anyone’s curious, it’s here:
https://www.crumbsofsanity.com/
But I’d also be interested to hear what other people’s “coping rituals” were during their PhD or postgraduate studies. Was there anything small that helped you reset when things got overwhelming?
