What should I do ideally to recharge during a PhD?

Question

I have been working on my PhD for fourteen months now. I had a break only for four days before my PhD. I was busy with my master's thesis before that. During the PhD, I have had breaks for 3 weeks scattered during the last fourteen months. I didn't have a break in the summer, because I was worried about my research proposal and one-year review.

Although the research is not very mature yet in terms of solution strategies, I found good scientific questions. I passed the one-year review.

People asked me to take a break and relax before going further. I can't go back home or to a different destination because I am worried about COVID for multiple reasons and I don't want to risk it even though I am vaccinated.

I am on a break now for a week and this is my second week of break. I like the stress-free period now. However, I wanted some advice if this is an ideal break because I see people do a lot of activities during their break to recharge themselves and I am here just relaxing.

My usual activities during this break.

1. Watching movies - 60%
2. Visiting museums - 10%
3. Trying to cook a lot of food because I like cooking - 20%
4. Social media - 5%
5. As drawing with charcoal was my hobby in 2017/2018, I am thinking about buying essentials for painting to learn how to use colours. - 5 %

Like point number 5, I have ideas to do something else, but I feel lazy all of a sudden and I just do things from point 1 to 4. Is this healthy? I feel like my brain needed some serious rest after working for a year continuously (I took weekends off of course). I may even plan one more week of a break after the two weeks break I have planned.

What are your opinions? I know this is not exactly an academic question, but this is essential for my research in the long term.

Answer 1

I see two things that seem to be missing.

The first is personal contact with people and having meaningful, even if not "life-changing" discussions, both personal and broadly professional. Social media could imply that or not, but for many people it doesn't. The other things seem too isolating to be good for mental health. You can do this even in COVID times if you do it with care. It doesn't always need to be face to face and can be done in safe environments, such as outdoors.

The second item is a lack of physical activities, especially aerobics of some sort - even if mild. Biking is better than walking, but walking may be enough. You want to get your heart beating a bit (or a lot) faster as it supplies blood to the brain, which actually enhances your professional work. Biking in a group can also be a bit social. Swimming may be safe or not. Running almost certainly is. You don't need to spend a lot of time with it, but an hour's break for a 20 mile ride (pretty fast, actually) can rejuvenate you.

You might be able to organize some activities among your peer students (and some faculty) for short, periodic breaks. Saturday softball, say. Both active and social.

Generally, not just when taking formal breaks, get enough sleep.

Note that your brain doesn't shut down during such activities, even sleeping. Sometimes you find the crux of a vexing problem immediately upon finishing some activity, even on waking up. The mind is a wonderful thing, but it needs rest and some variety.

Answer 2

I see nothing that is missing.

If I read you well, it is your fourth week of vacation after more than a year. By what should be healthy standards, this isn't much and you seem tired.

And when you're tired it is normal to rest ; spending one week home if that is what you feel like doing is in no way unhealthy. If your everyday life has the required equilibriums but this week you don't feel the need to go hiking, biking or meeting people, then you should listen to yourself.

While those activities are healthy and generally improve your mood, they can be draining as well. It is perfectly normal to watch a movie over going on a hike and, I insist on this point, not something that you should label as lazyness but rather as a personal choice -- or even a need as you observe yourself.

You should try to view or practice those activities with as much distance as possible with the peer pressure that comes with it. Some people may see some activities that you may do in your break as more worthwhile than other, but in the end you are the one doing those activities and enjoying them or not.

From there it is clear that an "ideal break" is really time and person-dependent and that while asking for suggestions is a good idea, you should really allow yourself to do exactly what you want to do in your vacations.

Answer 3

So when I did my PhD way back in '93 to '95 I took up triathlon. I was reasonably fit at the time. Riding to my campus every day spurred me on to start swimming and running. By second year I was training twice a day, once at lunchtime and then in the evening. I was lucky that I could do all of this and still carry out my research and everything else. By doing this on a continual basis I felt much fresher mentally. There is a life outside of your work. Find something you enjoy and set time aside on a regular basis to do it. If I'm honest, sport is the best as it gets you out with no distractions and away from where you study and work.