Post-Thesis Brain Fog

[pianocognition]

Hi Y'all, 

   I am still suffering from thesis brain fog. My defense went so well but I am so exhausted. There was so much administrative drama, including a professor that I'm not sure is mentally stable or academically credible. Do you have any tips  for how to rest well after the thesis? My brain feels like a giant fuzz ball. I am starting a PhD  in August but I have a few months to rest first. I still have to do normal life things like work through May (I'm a teacher so my summers are easier) but I can't concentrate on anything. Any advice?

 

[TakeruK]

Between my undergrad thesis work wrapping up and my graduate program, I took two months off completely. The first month was a 3-week long road trip across Canada to move to my graduate school. It would have taken about 4-5 days to drive if we just went directly, but we made lots of stops and turned it into a long vacation. It was a great way for us to see Canada and decompress/unwind after all the thesis and coursework. No more having to worry about computer simulations...only had to decide what to eat each day and what sights we wanted to see

 

The second month was already in the new grad school city. On arrival, I checked in at the school, got a desk and a computer etc. but then didn't come back to work until September. We spent that first month just getting our apartment together, making day trips to nearby attractions and relaxing / getting set up in a routine before starting work.

 

Between my Masters and PhD programs though, there was very little time. I had about a week of vacation, which we spent with our family, and then it was diving right into the PhD work!

[bsharpe269]

You're lucky to have that time off! I get 2 weeks between ending my MS work and my first PhD rotation.

 

Feeling brain fog is definitely normal. I would focus on just getting all the rest you need and doing fun stuff with family and friends. I don't think you need to actively do anything to get rid of it... you probably just need rest!

[BiochemMom]

I defended my MS thesis April 17, and I'm dying to be back in the lab. Two weeks was enough. I'm ready for August! (Though I'm in talks to do a paid summer internship at a nonprofit R&D for June-July so I'm really hoping that comes through)