Stop Spinning: Mindfulness Workshop

You want to work on your dissertation, but your mind is stuck on the same old worries and doubts and concerns and frustrations and… Instead of digging a “brain rut” by repeating these thoughts ad nauseum (pun intended ;-), what can you do? “Mindfulness” is a meditative technique emerging as a solid approach to changing these mental (and brain) pathways. I received a notice in my email about a free one-hour workshop happening…

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More MindSet Resources

Just a quick note to share a Scottish site that has a lovely collection of resources on Mindset.

There are audio-video presentations, teaching tools, and even cartoons demonstrating the principles of the different Mindsets — what more could ask one for? (Except a Book on Tape version of the original book by Dweck, of course ;-)

So here it is from the Centre for Confidence and Well-Being in Glasgow.

And here’s a 21 minute (ish) interview with Dr. Carol Dweck, the author of the Mindset book. This one is from the PsychJourney Audio Book Club (great idea — maybe we need a Brain Book Club?) and the interviewer is Dr. Lara Honos-Webb

They cover the general concepts, research related to school performance, parenting, and more. Worth a listen to see how it applies to your own life - dissertation or otherwise!

Get Real:The Imposter Syndrome and The Dissertation

Many many years ago in a galaxy very close by, there used to be a lot of talk about something called the “Impostor Syndrome” —  that lingering sense that you haven’t really done what you’ve done in the way that others seem to think you’ve done it.

And worse, that They will ultimately discover their mistake, unmasking you forever.

The whole dissertation process is ripe for these same kinds of worries and nagging fears.

And the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology this month has a great article on exactly this shared fear — courtesy of the gradPsych magazine: Get Real by Jessica Gould.

What really caught my attention in this brief article was…

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What Kind of Support Do You Give?

One of the most helpful strategies for dissertation-writers is connecting with other dissertation-writers to create a support group.

But have you ever thought about  what kind of support you  need from these groups?

Or what kind of support you are giving?

Or even why it’s so darn helpful?

There is a phenomenon called “social contagion” or “emotional contagion” that may go a long way in helping to explain why we are so influenced by the people around us.

Because it’s Friday afternoon and I have a whack of things I have to finish and I have a client arriving in 8 minutes, I’m not going to discuss this phenomenon in detail right now.

But I am going to give you a link to a lovely little article by Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin that discusses social contagion from a business team perspective (Manage Your Team’s Energy, Not Just the Work)  and leave you with a couple food-for-thought questions:

• If you had to “catch” something from your fellow ABDs, what would you want that to be?
• If you were going to “spread” that something yourself, how might you go about it?
• How do you think this notion of contagion might apply to your relationship with others as well: your advisor? Your committee? the friends you spend off-dissertation time with?

Love to hear your thoughts and comments on this one!

You'll Never Finish Your Dissertation!

There. I’ve said it. You Will Never Finish Your Dissertation.

How does that feel?

Make you anxious? Worried? Frustrated? Feel like a complete and utter failure?

Well, I’d like you to take another perspective. (That’s what I do — ask for different perspectives.)

What if accepting that you’ll never Finish were a Good Thing?

What if didn’t matter?

What if it got your degree even faster?

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