I am experiencing situational depression. This isn't 'discouragement' due to research. Me feeling inadequate in my research is NOT the problem. The problem is that the steps involved in research seem to be at best, not helping, or worse - exacerbating the negative emotions that are associated with depression.
Let me rephrase that - I have not felt 'impostor syndrome', and I do not feel it now (sorry if it sounds a tad bigheaded but I want to avoid confusion).
I have some idea of the things I need to do to combat depression, but it seems to me that they all involve staying away from work at the lab. Has anyone faced this? Can I do anything to prevent loss of productivity?
Usually, I hear the following ways to fight depression:
- Get in a routine.
- Set goals.
- Do something new (don't get stuck in a rut)
Now, these can be applied when I am free. But the majority of my waking hours are in the lab (or supposed to be). While doing bio research:
- The routine/ schedule is thrown off whack by unforeseen developments/ etc.
- Goals, even minor ones, may or may not be reached. This is research.
- Can't help getting stuck in a rut if we're trying to get data out of a particular experiment.
I took a week off, and it helped, but doesn't seem to have helped enough. Any suggestions?