Caitlin Casey

The snowballing feeling of dread, when you look around at all the things you haven't done and should have done weeks ago, months, even years ago... that feeling of dread is your #1 enemy. But you CAN kick its butt.

It may be hard to believe, but that feeling has -- at some point -- consumed the lives of all the "successful" scientists around you. Your supervisor? Definitely. That super productive postdoc you look up to? For sure. Your department chair? Yup.

I had it worst as a postdoc; I felt the walls were falling in on me, and it made my productivity grind to a halt. I looked everywhere for reasons why it was happening to me. I viewed it as completely unacceptable. I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do.

In retrospect, the main reason I felt that sense of dread was simply for having let things slip a little. Then a lot. That email I didn't respond to last week felt stale; should I respond at all? I told myself it was too embarrassing to reply so late, so I never did.

Everything ground to a halt in my brain. I was overwhelmed with self-criticism. But I fought my way back eventually. (and I never replied to that email)

You are working at the forefront of your field, whether or not it feels that way. Being clever requires a lot of energy, and you'll not always be 100% there. It's a fact that you will not finish that paper "on time" and it's OK.

Don't beat yourself up for having slowed down. Your contributions are invaluable whether or not they are published next week or next year.

Take a breather. Feeling better about work takes practice when you find yourself in this slump. Seek counseling to deal with anxiety. Seek out friends. Do fun things you haven't done in a while.