Voices of Academia

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "I remember the first time a journal editor rejected my article. I sat staring at the email, feeling like someone had just deflated my academic “balloon”. I had poured my heart and soul into that manuscript, and here it was, marked with a big red “no.” ". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "I once joked with a fellow PhD student that if we collected all our rejection emails, we could publish a book titled “How Not to Get Published.” It was a silly thought, but it made us laugh, and sometimes, that’s all you need to keep going.".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "In my experience, the moment your grant funding ends, researchers are cast into the wilderness, usually barred from their e-mails the very next day. Projects you were working on, such as outputs, relationships, collaborations and grant bids, are terminated". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "There is an overwhelming sense that there is nothing I can do. At the same time, I say to myself, “If I work *extra* hard, then maybe unemployment is less likely.” ... I can function like this. I can survive this. But I know it is not healthy".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "My journey with anxiety began subtly, manifesting as mild sleep issues, mood swings, and a constant undercurrent of restlessness. These symptoms, though not debilitating, went undiagnosed for a long time". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "The most valuable sources of support came from my peers, particularly my lab mates. They were the ones who truly understood the challenges I faced on a daily basis, from the pressures of experiments to the mental toll of research".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "My symptoms began a few weeks after returning to Australia. They were like nothing I had ever experienced. At first, I could no longer understand what my students were saying. Their words drifted upwards in a colourful jumble. I tried desperately to focus". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "I noted, also, an obvious benefit of my illness; that I had been ejected from the additional pressures faced by PhD students, such as competing for rare academic positions, or publishing in top ranking journals".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "The isolation made it worse; every time I thought of speaking to someone about it, fear held me back. Mr. Smith was very respected in the institution, and if there’s one thing academic leaders would not tolerate, it was disrespect". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "Studying was no longer just about excelling academically - it felt like a desperate fight to hold onto my future. I felt alone, torn between the need to succeed and the shadow his presence cast over my life".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "Over my five years of being a postdoctoral researcher, I adored the opportunity to work in a fantastic team on work I was passionate about, but this was continuously shrouded by the precarity of the short, fixed term contracts". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "After trying these methods for a few months, I surprisingly found the interchanging numbness and anxiety attacks I had been experiencing in work started to fade. As well as this, my motivation began to return, and I found more enjoyment in my job".

ALT Two speech bubbles, one pink and one blue, both containing quotes from the advertised blog post. The pink speech bubble contains the quote "I became extremely sensitive to noise and light, unable to read a page or watch a TV series. Planning even short-term tasks caused intense stress and became impossible, as my brain seemed to lose the capacity to filter and digest information. This was my burnout at its worst.". The blue speech bubble contains the quote "I discovered yoga during my time as a PhD candidate when a physiotherapist recommended it for my stress-related back pain. I regularly attended yoga classes, and not only did they relieve my back pain, but they also made me feel more grounded, relaxed, and present in myself.".