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roadblocks? Well, I thought I was ready for those “low motivation” weeks. I thought I’d be one of those people who could handle them like a pro.<\/p>\nWhen I first started this blog series, I made an outline of themes I wanted to explore over the term\u2014just to capture my experiences as a PhD student in the most honest and relevant way possible. Little did I know, everything would line up so perfectly with how my weeks were actually going. And honestly, I\u2019m pretty happy about that.<\/p>\n
This week, I planned to write about the ebbs and flows of academic life as a postgrad student, and wow, I couldn\u2019t have picked a more fitting topic for the last couple of weeks I just had.<\/p>\n
You know those mornings when you wake up, feeling all pumped to dive back into the lab after a restful weekend and a productive season, only to be hit with some serious roadblocks? Well, I thought I was ready for those “low motivation” weeks. I thought I’d be one of those people who could handle them like a pro.<\/p>\n
But nope. As Terrence once said, “I am human, therefore nothing human is alien to me.”.<\/p>\n
I was cruising along pretty well, feeling good about the work I was doing. In my first three months at Kent, I managed to chemically synthesize 3 new compounds in the supramolecular self-associating amphiphile category, and I\u2019d fully characterized them (with just a few bumps along the way). By the second term, I\u2019d started working on four more new compounds\u2014and I was on track to smash those goals too.<\/p>\n
Then came this one week. My health took a little dip, and my motivation hit rock bottom. The idea of stepping into the chemistry lab felt exhausting. But I showed up anyway because, well, motivation comes from showing up and doing the hard things even when you don\u2019t want to.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
But this week, it didn\u2019t matter. No matter what I tried, nothing worked.<\/p>\n
In the lab, the molecules I was trying to synthesize wouldn\u2019t cooperate for purification, and those that did finally purify had such low yields that I ended up stuck in this endless loop: synthesis, purification, lost yields, synthesis, purification\u2026 you get the idea.<\/p>\n
It was a nightmare.<\/p>\n
I tried mixing up my priorities\u2014reading, writing, lab work\u2014but nothing\u00a0![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/files\/2025\/04\/4.png\")
seemed to help. My brain was fried and just refused to process any new information. YouTube felt repetitive, and every conversation with my research group was the same (we were all in the same slump, so no one had the energy to lift the others out of it). It was the whole package.<\/p>\n
The thing about low days, weeks, or even months, is that when you’re in them, you’re really<\/em> in them. It\u2019s hard to imagine coming out of them anytime soon. The tough days can cloud your perspective and make you feel like you\u2019ll never catch a break.<\/p>\n The “PhD blues” are real, my friend. I’ve been there too many times, and honestly, there\u2019s something comforting about knowing I\u2019m not the only one.<\/p>\n “I am human, therefore nothing human is alien to me<\/em>.” Terrence really hit the nail on the head with that one.<\/p>\n Now, I don\u2019t want to rush through this and jump straight to the resolution. I\u2019m not here to preach toxic positivity.<\/p>\n We all go through tough seasons in life. We know what it\u2019s like to struggle, to try everything to get out of a dark place but still feel stuck. Sometimes, we feel uncomfortable and trapped in our own skin. And to make it worse, we often go through all of this alone, which can make everything feel even harder.<\/p>\n So today, I just want to say to anyone out there who\u2019s struggling: you\u2019re not alone. You\u2019re not strange or weird or odd for feeling this way. Our shared humanity and our constant drive to grow and become better means that growing pains are just part of the process.<\/p>\n This is especially true in academia. It can feel isolating because, sometimes, our friends and families just don\u2019t (and can\u2019t) fully get it. But it\u2019s not their fault, and it\u2019s not yours either. It\u2019s just part of the journey.<\/p>\n And now, the good news:<\/p>\n It passes. Yes, I know!!! The clich\u00e9 “this too shall pass<\/em>” actually turns out to be true. Like waves or atoms in space, our journeys are constantly shifting. And that\u2019s a good thing. Just like the seasons, each phase brings its own set of gifts.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve just come through my first wave of the ebbs of being a PhD student, and here are a few things that helped me get through it:<\/p>\n So, what are your lifelines when you\u2019re in one of life\u2019s ebbs?<\/p>\n Feel free to share them with me on Instagram @jedidiah_pink<\/u> <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/chemfs\/files\/2025\/04\/Picture4.jpg\")
It really does pass. And when it does, we usually come out of it better than before.<\/p>\n\n