The Student Room Group

How are people staying motivated to finish their dissertations?

The end is so close and I have done so much work, but I'm feeling so burnt out, really stressed and on the verge of a meltdown. This afternoon I put my face into a pillow and screamed several times.

I know that I have to keep going, and every day I push myself. It's just that I feel so demotivated and stressed out at the thought of gaining weight due to snacking and sitting at my desk for so long. I'm also stressed out about job applications and my personal life, though I try my hardest not to think about the latter :frown:

Any suggestions?
Reply 1
Original post by WBZ144
The end is so close and I have done so much work, but I'm feeling so burnt out, really stressed and on the verge of a meltdown. This afternoon I put my face into a pillow and screamed several times.

I know that I have to keep going, and every day I push myself. It's just that I feel so demotivated and stressed out at the thought of gaining weight due to snacking and sitting at my desk for so long. I'm also stressed out about job applications and my personal life, though I try my hardest not to think about the latter :frown:

Any suggestions?


Only a small thing, but bear in mind that the weight gain problem is common and temporary. Once you complete, you can put together an exercise & healthy eating regime which will soon see you back on track. I've lost a stone and a half since jacking in the PhD - and that's without even trying.

Are you getting any exercise at the mo? Even a twenty minute walk each day will help. It won't be a magic wand, but it will help you get some sort of break whilst doing something positive for yourself and taking twenty minutes out of a day will make no difference to your work.
Original post by Klix88
Only a small thing, but bear in mind that the weight gain problem is common and temporary. Once you complete, you can put together an exercise & healthy eating regime which will soon see you back on track. I've lost a stone and a half since jacking in the PhD - and that's without even trying.

Are you getting any exercise at the mo? Even a twenty minute walk each day will help. It won't be a magic wand, but it will help you get some sort of break whilst doing something positive for yourself and taking twenty minutes out of a day will make no difference to your work.


I used to do an hour and a half of it every day but not I'm exercising every other/every two days because I'm so stressed out about losing time that I could have spent on dissertation writing. I have not weighed myself but keep thinking that I might have I gained weight because of all the coffee and sweet baked goods I've been having over the past week.

There is a week left until the deadline and I have 1000 words to go (I write a minimum of 500 a day). After that there's proofreading and editing, my tutor will call at the start of next week with some feedback. I just don't want to end up regretting how the time was spent and thinking about how I could have done better.

Congrats on finishing your thesis :smile:
Reply 3
Original post by WBZ144
I used to do an hour and a half of it every day but not I'm exercising every other/every two days because I'm so stressed out about losing time that I could have spent on dissertation writing.

You could just do a scaled-back version until you finish. That way it won't be stressful. Twenty minutes won't make any difference to your work, and if you come back a bit refreshed, it might even help.

I have not weighed myself but keep thinking that I might have I gained weight because of all the coffee and sweet baked goods I've been having over the past week.

don't bother weighing yourself. As I said, this is temporary. If you focus on it, you're diverting energy and attention. Let it go for a few weeks until you finish. Your body/brain need different inputs just at the moment. Get back to normal once the slog is over, but give yourself permission to let other aspects of your life go in the meantime.

There is a week left until the deadline and I have 1000 words to go (I write a minimum of 500 a day). After that there's proofreading and editing, my tutor will call at the start of next week with some feedback. I just don't want to end up regretting how the time was spent and thinking about how I could have done better.

You could do worse than getting a couple of early nights. Posting on the internet at midnight won't be doing your over-heating brain much good :smile: It needs down-time to recharge, so that you can work effectively tomorrow.
Original post by Klix88
You could just do a scaled-back version until you finish. That way it won't be stressful. Twenty minutes won't make any difference to your work, and if you come back a bit refreshed, it might even help.

don't bother weighing yourself. As I said, this is temporary. If you focus on it, you're diverting energy and attention. Let it go for a few weeks until you finish. Your body/brain need different inputs just at the moment. Get back to normal once the slog is over, but give yourself permission to let other aspects of your life go in the meantime.

You could do worse than getting a couple of early nights. Posting on the internet at midnight won't be doing your over-heating brain much good :smile: It needs down-time to recharge, so that you can work effectively tomorrow.


Yep, my sleeping pattern is a mess right now :P. If I do 20 minutes of YouTube exercising at night, it could actually help with sleep, come to think of it.

Thanks for replying :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by WBZ144
The end is so close and I have done so much work, but I'm feeling so burnt out, really stressed and on the verge of a meltdown. This afternoon I put my face into a pillow and screamed several times.

I know that I have to keep going, and every day I push myself. It's just that I feel so demotivated and stressed out at the thought of gaining weight due to snacking and sitting at my desk for so long. I'm also stressed out about job applications and my personal life, though I try my hardest not to think about the latter :frown:

Any suggestions?


Is this for a PhD out of interest?
Original post by john2054
Is this for a PhD out of interest?


No, it's for a Masters. I had been considering doing a PhD in the future but have another plan now that I like more.
Reply 7
Keep going

Nearly there.
Original post by RooshV
Keep going

Nearly there.


Thanks :smile:
Reply 9
Original post by WBZ144
No, it's for a Masters. I had been considering doing a PhD in the future but have another plan now that I like more.


Sure, well done anyway... xx
Hold onto that feeling of how good it'll feel to get it finished and handed in. Keep your eye on the prize; the relief you'll feel once it's done.
Original post by WBZ144
The end is so close and I have done so much work, but I'm feeling so burnt out, really stressed and on the verge of a meltdown. This afternoon I put my face into a pillow and screamed several times.

I know that I have to keep going, and every day I push myself. It's just that I feel so demotivated and stressed out at the thought of gaining weight due to snacking and sitting at my desk for so long. I'm also stressed out about job applications and my personal life, though I try my hardest not to think about the latter :frown:

Any suggestions?


I feel your pain, last summer I was in the same position, I think just counting down the days until the deadline kept me motivated. Don't think about your weight, its only a week until you can go back to normal.
Just keep going. There's a week to go, and then it'll all be over - you can do it!

As someone who recently submitted a PhD, my thoughts on trying to stay sane/healthy while finishing...

- do try get some exercise in, like Klix said, even if it's just 20 minutes. I think swimming & jogging kept me sane in the last few weeks!

- take regular breaks when you're working. If you're finding it hard to focus, try something like the Pomodoro technique, where you work in 25-minute bursts with 5-minute breaks in between. A week out from submission is probably not the ideal time to be working out a new productivity technique, but it could help you get through those patches when the words don't seem to be flowing, or you're having trouble editing a particular passage, etc.

- make sure you sleep & try maintain a regular sleep schedule. I know you said you were a bit all over the place and that's understandable, but do try make sure you get some decent shuteye each night - don't be tempted to pull all-nighters!

I wouldn't worry about gaining weight or the fact that you're eating a bit crap at the moment. There are only a few more days to go, after which you can work out a new eating & exercise regime for yourself, and anything you did gain (if indeed you did put anything on) will quickly come off.

Good luck!
Original post by WBZ144
I used to do an hour and a half of it every day but not I'm exercising every other/every two days because I'm so stressed out about losing time that I could have spent on dissertation writing. I have not weighed myself but keep thinking that I might have I gained weight because of all the coffee and sweet baked goods I've been having over the past week.

There is a week left until the deadline and I have 1000 words to go (I write a minimum of 500 a day). After that there's proofreading and editing, my tutor will call at the start of next week with some feedback. I just don't want to end up regretting how the time was spent and thinking about how I could have done better.


Weight is a fixable issue, and not the most important at this point. Every single person I know who did a PhD dissertation gained at least 2kg whilst writing (assuming 3 months to write).

As a sidenote - during the editorial process, you will find mistakes throughout. There's always something to fix or add on.

Just keep going. You're almost there.
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