Anxiety around research masters

I started my masters about 3 months ago which I’m studying part time. I’m finding it difficult because I feel out of my depth and I’m always feeling anxious about my work. I’ve done some reading and some initial research which I just don’t feel good about. I’ve only had one meeting so far but my second one is due in a weeks time and I can’t help but dread the thought of it. I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression for a while and I don’t want to get to the point of feeling like my masters is inflicting too much pressure on my mental health. Does anyone feel the same and if so do you have any advice on how to work through this?

Reply 1

mike23mike

16

Read, read and read. You will have access to numerous ebooks from your university on how to undertake an MRes. The more you read, the less daunting it will become.

Original post by Annabelles678

I started my masters about 3 months ago which I’m studying part time. I’m finding it difficult because I feel out of my depth and I’m always feeling anxious about my work. I’ve done some reading and some initial research which I just don’t feel good about. I’ve only had one meeting so far but my second one is due in a weeks time and I can’t help but dread the thought of it. I’ve suffered with anxiety and depression for a while and I don’t want to get to the point of feeling like my masters is inflicting too much pressure on my mental health. Does anyone feel the same and if so do you have any advice on how to work through this?

Hey,

I'm currently doing a PhD so can really relate to what you're going through! I personally really struggle with the lack of set assignments/deadlines as you would have had in undergrad, which just made everything feel really overwhelming as I could never tell if the quantity and quality of my work was good enough between supervisor meetings.

I think my first suggestion would be to really talk this through with your supervisor, e.g. what about your intial reading and research do you not feel good about? They should (hopefully) be able to really clarify what is expected of you, and likely be able to reduce any worries/stress about your work.

My big piece of advice, especially if you have large gaps between meetings, make notes before the meeting of things you want to discuss - what concerns do you have that you need help with? what should you be focusing on next? Try to really make best use of the time with your supervisor! Ensure to make thorough notes of the meeting/voice record the meeting, and then you can always go back to your supervisors advice whenever needed. I also like to make some notes post-meeting, with action points/a to do list of what I'm going to do between now and the next one. This really helps me to feel focused and stay on track, as if I dont do this I feel really overwhelmed between meetings and struggle to work efficiently.

As suggested below, definitely ensure you are reading thoroughly - explore a range of different alternating viewpoints on one area so you have lots of ideas. Make sure to track your reading efficiently - whether that be through reference tracking softwares, or your own method. Some people even find recording in a document/by hand is their preferred method (though this is more time-consuming) - whatever you actually find easy and want to use will be the most helpful overall, rather than everyone else's suggestions.

If you have any other concerns, let me know and I will try my best to help :smile:

Best of luck with everything!!
Natalie

Anxiety around research masters

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