Recovering from Burnout while still preparing for a PhD program

[Bayesian1701]

I’m starting a Ph.D. program in the fall after graduating in three years.  I burned myself out by attempting to cram four years of college experience (coursework, research, activities) into three.  I was a math major, and I  will be doing more of what I love in a statistics program, but it is going to be difficult.  I am going to a place where the vast majority of first years already have a masters, and I need a few different courses because I don’t have the graduate coursework that is typical for the program. On one hand, I know that I should prepare, but I know I need a break.  I don’t have a lot of responsibilities this summer.   I have some research to wrap up,  and I want to pursue my hobbies.   I will probably be expected to do things (cooking and cleaning) for my parents since I am living at home which will probably end up being a part-time job but that's another thread.   How should I manage my Ph.D. preparation while giving myself the time to recover?

Edited May 19, 2018 by Bayesian1701

[Hope.for.the.best]

Will the courses you take cover what you need for your program? If so, then I don't see why you need to spend excessive time on preparation over the summer. I totally agree that you need a good break before you start a PhD, as it is a stressful long journey. Before I started my PhD, I actually took 2 months off. Coming out of it not long ago, my biggest advice is to treat your PhD as a marathon, rather than a 100 m race. You can cram 4 years of college into 3, but the same approach does not work for PhD. You need to take things one step at a time. It is perfectly okay that you don't know everything for your research, as you will get to learn what you need. Reading your post, my biggest concern is that you are going to push yourself too hard for PhD. In my opinion, the best preparation for your PhD is to give yourself a valuable break. You simply can't be any more productive if you are in a burnout state. 

[iwearflowers]

Maybe you could break the summer up into chunks? Take the first part completely off and then slowly introduce more stress/structure? Also, make some lists of things you’d like to do with your time off - everything from sleeping in to movies or tv shows you want to watch to hobbies you want to spend time on. Maybe plan some short trips or play tourist in your home city. As a goal driven person, you may find it hard to relax without a plan and some goals!

If you have the resources, consider seeing a therapist. They could help you find some balance and deal with the transition. They can also help you build the skills and awareness to avoid burning out during your PhD program.

Good luck, enjoy your summer, and congratulations on your achievements!

[lemma]

Summer is a few months long, right? Take a week or two off at first without any work. Sleep as much as you want. Go on walks everyday. Go swimming. Bake something. Visit a new part of town. Whatever you feel like, do it. If you feel like nothing, do nothing. 

I'm not sure what works for you, but I like to chunk time and have routines. I'm also a bit of a morning person. Something that has worked for me previously in similar situations is to get up, have breakfast or a cup of tea, and do two hours of work each morning. That way I know I've been productive before I do the fun stuff, and I also know that I'm consistently chipping away at what I need to do. Once it gets built into my schedule, it doesn't feel like a chore. 

Edited May 20, 2018 by lemma

[rising_star]

Honestly, I would give yourself at least a month off and maybe even six weeks. You need time to recover and grad school will be intense regardless of whether you spend your summer prepping or not. FWIW, I didn't spend the summer before my MA or the one before I started my PhD doing much to "ease" into the program. I did my MA in an entirely different field than my undergrad and, on the advice of my MA advisor, all I did the summer before was read three books they recommended to me (one of which was a novel, btw). The rest of the time I focused on relaxing, my mental and physical health and well-being, and trying to transition from undergrad to grad school so I would be ready to go in August. It worked and I was incredibly successful as a MA student.*

 

*I went from the humanities for my BA to the social sciences for my MA, if that helps for context.

[Bayesian1701]

Thanks for the advice.  My main concern that is driving me to ignore my burnout is that I currently need leveling courses and I want to try to avoid taking them.  I don't know how many of the students in my cohort will be coming in with a background less than mine.  But I do know that I am coming in with less preparation than other students historically.  Since I know that part of me feels like I need to work really hard this summer so that I won't be behind.  The Ph.D. program I am entering is very much designed for students who already have a masters, since the majority of students do have one coming in.  The first year coursework has a graduate level prerequisite I don't have.  Since I don't have this class,  I will be on a different schedule unless I can cover all of that material (a two-semester course) this summer.  Part of me wants to just relax and prepare maybe 10-20 hours a week; then another part really doesn't want to start behind and do whatever it takes to attempt to cover a two-semester graduate course over the summer even though that's crazy.  I have no idea how I got in.  I am afraid that others in my cohort  (and potential advisors as well) will think I don't deserve to be here because I can't handle the typical schedule and will be delaying qualifying exams.   My choice is to recover from burnout and do the leveling courses (which will count  as elective hours for my degree) or attempt to bypass the leveling courses through intensive self-studying. 

[Sigaba]

16 minutes ago, Bayesian1701 said:

Thanks for the advice.  My main concern that is driving me to ignore my burnout is that I currently need leveling courses and I want to try to avoid taking them.  I don't know how many of the students in my cohort will be coming in with a background less than mine.  But I do know that I am coming in with less preparation than other students historically.  Since I know that part of me feels like I need to work really hard this summer so that I won't be behind.  The Ph.D. program I am entering is very much designed for students who already have a masters, since the majority of students do have one coming in.  The first year coursework has a graduate level prerequisite I don't have.  Since I don't have this class,  I will be on a different schedule unless I can cover all of that material (a two-semester course) this summer.  Part of me wants to just relax and prepare maybe 10-20 hours a week; then another part really doesn't want to start behind and do whatever it takes to attempt to cover a two-semester graduate course over the summer even though that's crazy.  I have no idea how I got in.  I am afraid that others in my cohort  (and potential advisors as well) will think I don't deserve to be here because I can't handle the typical schedule and will be delaying qualifying exams.   My choice is to recover from burnout and do the leveling courses (which will count  as elective hours for my degree) or attempt to bypass the leveling courses through intensive self-studying. 

I recommend that you focus on resting up. Your posts radiate exhaustion.

 Follow @rising_star's guidance for at least the first six weeks of your summer. Don't do a damn thing related to graduate school. Not a damn thing. (No, not even that.) 

Then slowly build moment for a few weeks, and then plan for at least one long weekend during which you do again don't do a damn thing related to graduate school.

Don't get me wrong. At least once during your first year, you'll curse r_s and me. Those a-holes done me wrong, you'll drawl. And that's okay, because without resting up now, the inevitably miserable first year will be even more taxing.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Sigaba

[MarineBluePsy]

I also agree that resting needs to be your top priority.  You won't get anything done if you're already burnt out and try to keep going at warp speed.  Regarding the coursework you need to cover in order to get up to speed with the rest of your cohort I would talk with your advisor.  Perhaps the two of you can create an action plan of what you absolutely must familiarize yourself with this summer and what can wait with the understanding being that 1) you can't do everything and 2) you also need to make relaxation and self care a priority.  Also its important to stop worrying about what the rest of your cohort knows or doesn't know.  You're all there to learn and will have various backgrounds, strengths, and weaknesses and the faculty were fully aware of this when they put you all together.  If you keep focusing on them that is energy that would be better used addressing what you need to be doing.