Digital Services and Resources Self-management

In pursuit of diversity in a multicultural world, most if not all protagonists need a minimum of intercultural skills and awareness on a daily basis. Intercultural awareness and skillful acting in honor of diversity of values, beliefs or behavior is vital for the mobile lifestyle of open minded researchers who are at times guests in a foreign culture and hosts for their international likes in their home countries.

The condition is characterized by feelings of self-doubt, incompetence and a lack of belonging combined with low self-esteem, unworthiness and a desire to downplay achievements. If the description of any of the elements listed above sounds familiar to you, or if you ever feel that your peers have earned their position or reputation through merit, but that you somehow got where you are by mistake, chances are high that you may be experiencing impostor syndrome.

According to the literature there seems to be a fine line between simply running behind with important stuff that needs to be done with highest priority and a more pathologic avoidance technique that as a result turns deadlines into a seemingly unsurmountable road block. Thus, procrastination is not necessarily just a bad habit or a lack of determination towards finishing up what needs to be done but a behavioral pattern that deserves attention and may need treatment.

Pursuing a PhD is inspiring, hard work, and at times joyful and deceptive; a boot-camp for intrinsic motivation, perseverance, dedication and diligence. It also provides for an in-depth experience in dealing with pressure, competition and job insecurity. However valuable such experience might be and however important the meta-level of such learnings might be, doing PhD research should not be bad for the mental or physical health of the candidates.