Ex-headteacher, Jan Seaborne, talks through a first hand experience with the fear of fear paradox and how, many years after an initial person experience with it, she began to recognise this same phenomenon in her students. She describes the experience of watching this paradox manifest itself before her eyes, and how quickly it begins to restrict performance, impact health (mentally and physically) and become a painful burden weighing down on someones happiness.

The job market, post-PhD (or any degree/programme) is exceptionally competitive, unyielding and incredibly unsympathetic, as Dr. Dave Alder found out when applying for jobs within the academic industry towards the end of his PhD period. After applying for a host of positions, in a variety of different roles, a moment of realisation allowed Dave to adapt his application processes which eventually led him to the role he is now. Read more about Dave’s experiences, the psychological difficulties he faced and the moment things began to change for him.  

Your network around you is a crucial source of comfort, distraction and support during periods of rapid growth and development. The loss of this network can therefore be a real physical and mental struggle, as Harry Routledge discovered when he moved from the U.K to Australia to continue chasing his PhD and job dreams.

Failings occur in academia on a very regular basis. We are often seen as problem solvers more than anything. But experiencing failure on a regular basis can be incredibly damaging to your mental, physical and emotional health, especially when you identify so intensely with your work. Here, Robert speaks about his experiences with facing failure, how it drove him to breaking point and what processes he has discovered that helped him deal with similar scenarios in the future.

Scott Cocking talks candidly about the issues he faced at the very beginning of his PhD and the journey he went on trying to counteract the factors. Learning from more experienced academics and practitioners, Scott noticed some common traits and skillsets that could be acquired, required no talent and could greatly help him. Here, Scott opens up about how he learnt these skill sets while on the job, and passes this information on to you in the hope it will help.

The loss of a loved one can have a devastating impact on your life, and can be one of the hardest set-backs to confront. In our latest article, Dr. James Morehen speaks very candidly about how the loss of his father affected him during his PhD studies. He speaks about briefly hitting ‘rock bottom’, but how he developed and employed a number of processes that helped him recover. He shares his experience and his tips for recovery here.

There is an increasing problem with the state of postgraduate mental health in academia. A recent increase in surveys has begun to illuminate just how serious the issue is, and it is not one that starts and ends at the postgraduate level. We take a closer to look at the facts, stats and problems with mental health in academia.

Inside academia was born from first hand experiences of how the academic setting can impact the mental health and wellbeing of people who work and study within it. Here, we outline our vision for combatting this culture and helping to promote a more positive reflection of issues that are within the industry.