Embarking on a postgraduate journey is a bit like boarding a flight where the destination is clear, but the turbulence is guaranteed. You sign up for a degree, not realising that you’ve also enrolled in an all-inclusive package of stress, self-doubt, and endless cups of Ricoffy. Between supervisors’ cryptic comments of “interesting, but develop further”; “this lacks depth” and the constant pressure to sound smarter than you feel, it is no wonder that postgraduate students often teeter on the edge of burnout.
This is where mental health steps in not as a side project, but as the real thesis we all need to defend. Research and deadlines demand focus, but it is impossible to think clearly when you’re running on three hours of sleep and an existential crisis. Mental wellness is not about ignoring the grind, it’s about giving yourself the bandwidth to survive it. Building resilience through small rituals whether it’s exercise, journalling, or a guilt-free Netflix binge keeps the academic train from derailing. Let’s be honest, even Einstein probably had bad days.
The truth is, academia tends to glorify exhaustion, as if pulling an all-nighter is proof of brilliance. It is not. What it proves is that you are human, and your brain (like your laptop) overheats when pushed too hard. The witty twist? Your best “Eureka” moment might actually arrive after a nap, not after staring blankly at a paragraph for five hours. Universities, too, must stop treating mental health support as decorative and instead institutionalise real frameworks of care for postgraduates.
At the end of the day, postgraduate life is a rollercoaster equal parts thrilling, nauseating, and occasionally rewarding. The ups will test your ego, the downs your sanity. But by placing mental health at the centre of the ride, you give yourself permission to enjoy the journey, not just the finish line. Because what good is a Degree, Honours, Masters or PhD if you lose your peace of mind along the way?
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