The Connection Between Work and Stress

Update: This post was partially deleted when I originally uploaded it in September. I have revised it and reposted it for this week, as I'm preparing for another research day on the water.​
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This week I wanted to take a step back from the usual blog content and address a topic that many professionals deal with in their work: stress. This week at the lab, I looked through the microscope at the sediment sample snapshotted below, after working on the sample for almost 2 hours, and realized that my stress level was getting rather high. When I finished counting, the sample only had 986 nematodes (shown in my lovely hand-modeling photo on the right), and while that number is quite high, it is not the highest number of nematodes I've found in an individual sample. I realized that I needed to take a step back, breathe, and relax, which got me thinking (and talking to Dr. Ingels) about the inherent expectations of professionals early on in their careers, especially in the sciences, and I thought I would share some of that conversation with you, as well as provide information on what I do when I need to destress.

In talking with my friends, peers, and colleagues in grad school, I have found three different themes in how we all have approached our research and work. The first is what I call the indebtedness approach: the idea that I am exceptionally lucky to be here and therefore will do whatever I need to for my advisor so that I can prove my worth. The second is what I call the ambition approach: the idea that I am so new in my field and need to work exceptionally hard and publish a specific number of papers during my time to show that I am succeeding. And the third theme is what I call the work stress approach (which is the one that I associate myself with): the idea that I need to do a lot of work and sometimes that work is really taxing and mentally stressful, but I just keep working. To be clear, I do agree that all of these themes are valid and real in the life of a young adult who is attending school for an advanced degree but I don't necessarily think that they are all appropriate (especially the indebtedness approach).

We all--no matter what profession--feel that we have to be great at our work every day. I remember starting out as a teacher and how disappointed I would be if my lesson didn't work or if I had a poor exchange with a student, because I felt like I needed to be giving it my best effort every single opportunity I had. However, there's a difference between best effort and absolute best, because there are days when you may not feel great but you are still willing to try. There's a quote that has been going around recently that I think is really applicable to this situation: "Anything worth doing at all is worth doing poorly." And though I don't know who said it, I think it's exceptionally valuable to realize that making some sort of effort is a valid choice just as much as making a large effort is. Some days, we need to consider ourselves as valuable as we consider our work, and take care of us. Days like today when I could only get through 2 full samples at the lab instead of 5 based on the amount of work that needed to be done.

So what do we do when we are feeling stressed or overloaded with work or uncertainties? Well, I don't have a degree in this, but I find there are a few items that really help me (and these are quarantine-friendly items): watch a terrible or binge-worthy tv show when I get home. Something about laughing at the odd choices made on the Great British Baking Show contestants always brings my spirits up after a hard day. Baking is another great activity if you feel like you want to get hands-on, especially if you have friends/roommates/yourself who wants to eat something. Taking a step back from the stressful situation is also really helpful. At the lab I try to take a break every 1-2 hours so that I can rest my eyes a bit and collect myself. Even if the break is just to get a drink of water, to watch a quick video, or to respond to a message from a friend, breaking up the monotony is really valuable and helps me stay focused and productive (maybe there's a study to support this anecdotal evidence). The other item I find myself doing, because I love planning way too far in advance, is I love to go on home finder websites and looking at houses for sale or rent in interesting cities I've never been to. It's a fun way of virtually exploring the city and if you want a good laugh, check out the interesting design choices made by the upper-class elite who own some of the properties.

So the next time you're feeling a little stressed: take a break. Take a step back and find a short activity to do that makes you happy. Whether you go for a walk, watch a fun video, or cook up a quick treat, remember that you are the most valuable resource you have.