More Than Just 'PhD Blues': Acknowledging and Tackling Burnout in Indian Academia

 It’s 2 AM. The only light in the room is the cold glow of your laptop screen, where a single cursor blinks mockingly on a half-written page. The chai you made an hour ago is now cold. Your brain feels like a fuzzy, static-filled television screen. You scroll through photos of your friends on Instagram—they’re getting promotions, getting married, buying cars. And you? You’re stuck.

You tell yourself it’s just the ‘PhD blues’. A temporary phase. “Thoda stress toh hota hi hai,” (A little stress is normal), you reason.

But what if it’s more than that? What if this bone-deep exhaustion, this growing dislike for a topic you once loved, has a name?

It does. It’s called burnout. And if you’re a research scholar in India, chances are you know it intimately, even if you’ve never called it by its name. This isn’t just about feeling sad; it's about feeling empty.

What is Burnout, Really?

Let’s drop the jargon. Burnout isn't a single bad day or a tough week. It’s a chronic state of stress that leads to three main things:

  1. Sheer Exhaustion: It’s not just about needing sleep. It’s a physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion where even small tasks, like replying to an email, feel like climbing Mount Everest. Your brain's battery is at 1%, and you can't find the charger.

  2. Cynicism and Detachment: You start feeling disconnected from your own research. The passion that drove you to apply for a PhD is gone, replaced by a feeling of “what’s the point?” You might even start to resent your work, your lab, and your topic.

  3. A Feeling of Ineffectiveness: This is the voice in your head that whispers, “You’re not good enough. Nothing you do is working. You’re a failure.” You lose confidence in your abilities and feel like you’re not making any progress, no matter how many hours you put in.

The ‘Indian’ Flavour of PhD Burnout

While PhD stress is global, burnout in Indian academia has its own unique and spicy flavour. It’s a special kind of pressure cooker. Sound familiar?

  • The Society and the “Log Kya Kahenge” Factor: You’re constantly battling the question, “Beta, PhD kab khatam hogi?” (When will your PhD finish?). You’re compared to cousins in high-paying IT jobs while you’re trying to make ends meet with a stipend. The social pressure to follow a conventional timeline is immense.

  • The Guide-Scholar Dynamic: The power hierarchy in Indian universities can be intense. Your entire PhD journey can feel like it’s at the mercy of one person’s moods and expectations, leaving you feeling powerless.

  • The Stipend Struggle: The constant anxiety about whether the fellowship will be credited on time is real. Trying to manage life in a big city on a meagre stipend adds a layer of financial stress that people outside academia simply don’t understand.

  • The "Always-On" Culture of Guilt: Taking a day off? Watching a movie? You feel a pang of guilt. There’s an unsaid rule that if you’re not in the lab or library 24/7, you’re not working hard enough.

How to Fight Back (Gently)

Acknowledging burnout is the first, brave step. Tackling it isn’t about a grand gesture; it's about small, consistent acts of self-preservation. This isn't a magic cure, but it's a start.

  1. Break the Silence. Talk About It. Find one friend—another scholar, if possible—and just talk. Say the words out loud: “I am burnt out. I am not okay.” You will be shocked at how quickly they say, “Me too.” The isolation is a huge part of the problem; breaking it is the first step to a solution.

  2. Redefine Your ‘Win’ for the Day. You cannot write a chapter every day. On bad days, redefine productivity. Did you read one research paper? That’s a win. Did you clean up your data file? That’s a win. Wrote a single, good paragraph? That’s a massive win. Be kind to yourself.

  3. Schedule ‘Nothing Time’ and Defend It Fiercely. Put it in your calendar. "4 PM to 5 PM: Do Nothing." Go for a walk without your phone. Listen to music. Sit on a bench and just watch the world go by. This isn’t laziness; this is essential maintenance for your brain. It is as important as any experiment.

  4. Embrace the Power of ‘Jugaad’ for Your Well-being. Can’t afford a vacation? Take a one-day "city-cation." Explore a part of your own city you’ve never seen. Can’t afford therapy? Try journaling your thoughts for 10 minutes every morning. Find small, inexpensive ways to detach and recharge.

  5. Find an Identity Outside the Lab. You are not just your research. Reconnect with a hobby you let go of. Join a weekend sports club, a book club, or a painting class. Do something that makes you feel competent and happy that has absolutely nothing to do with your thesis.

Your PhD is a marathon, not a sprint. You wouldn’t run a marathon without water breaks, would you? These moments of rest and self-care are your water breaks.

You are more than your research. Your well-being is more important than any citation or publication. The world needs your brilliant mind, but it needs it to be healthy and whole.

Be kind to yourself, scholar. You’ve more than earned it.  You can get in touch with us.

Email: hello@phdindia.com, Phone: +91 9488153278, WhatsApp: +91 9488153278, https://phdindia.com

Office Address: 1st Floor, 6/21A, West Bazaar, Anjugramam – 629401, Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, India

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