I'm bonking and I don't know what to do

[Tall Chai Latte]

I'm not sure if all of you have heard of the term "hitting the wall". It's a term commonly referred to as the period you suddenly grow fatigue during a long run. I'm experiencing one of those periods right now with my research, at this critical moment! I'm 2 months into my fourth year in a PhD program.

 

Things were going well up til late August, and then all of a sudden I had to terminate a project, things stalling, and now it's almost a complete stop. It's been almost 2 months and the pressure is really getting on. 

 

But this period will end, right? I guess I don't really have anything to say or ask tonight, besides venting a little and hoping to get some moral support from the cyber space. 

Edited October 24, 2013 by Tall Chai Latte

[Usmivka]

I know someone who got stuck in a rut with no progress for 3+ years. It made her feel so demoralized she ultimately quit her PhD. So two months sounds not so bad as it could be, if schadenfreude cheers you. Most people can't run full steam ahead all the time. I'm not sure why the 4th year should be terribly critical either, you are probably at least a couple couple chapters into your thesis, and you have 20 some months to go! So it's all good, right?

[fuzzylogician]

I spent the Fall of my 4th year basically feeling lost and unsure about what I wanted to do for my dissertation (you don't usually need to decide in my program until late in your 4th year, or even in the 5th, as crazy as that sounds--some people start applying for jobs before they know what they're going to write their dissertation on). I ended up slowing down, talking to a bunch of professors I don't normally meet with about how to choose a dissertation topic, how to frame the larger questions that I am interesting in, and how to continue from where I was. Later I also started writing up older projects so I could do something useful with my time. I also took on some volunteer teaching that helped me re-focus on what I thought was fun about my field. Things got unstuck as time went by, and now they're back to normal. I think it's normal to have off times, nobody can just go full steam ahead without taking any breaks or slowing down once in a while. 

[St Andrews Lynx]

"Bonking" means something so completely different in British English!

 

Give yourself a break to recharge your mental batteries. 

[Usmivka]

"Bonking" means something so completely different in British English!

 

This is the second somewhat misleading thread title that has reeled me in today.

[Tall Chai Latte]

I thought it means "hitting the wall", at least that is true in runner's world.

[Usmivka]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bonk

[Tall Chai Latte]

I spent my entire third year feeling lost and unsure, but things were at least moving along, so it wasn't so bad. Right now, things are slowing down, and I had to terminate a project (or putting it aside) just last week, because despite trying a lot of options, the science just isn't going to work out. So I suddenly lost one chapter of my thesis... 

 

As for my other projects, they have potential to develop into very interesting studies, but I'm nowhere near the stage of writing them up. I thought I should already be able to harvest my efforts by the fourth year, now I feel I spread myself too thin and tired. This I have to agree with my advisor -- but... she was the one who defined the general direction of my thesis and giving me 3-4 projects to work on at the same time, all in a slightly different angle.

[Arcadian]

99% of people who view this topic will be disappointed about the contents within.

 

Bonking. hehe

[memyselfandcoffee]

well this is rather late of a reply, but i think the best way out of a slump  is go to your supervisor. If you need to refocus your energies a good chat with your super can really help

 

I have found stressing about not working to be nearly more exhausting ( certainly more demoralising) than working hard. So be careful not get too wound up about having small slump period, perhaps make a plan for how you are going to get things moving, take a short break and then get stuck in---- if you find hard to get stuck in, break things down into small specific tasks and created detailed plans for the days where you have tasks assigned to yourself.

 

now if only i could take my own advice!

 

Good luck!

Edited January 31, 2014 by elise123