How to Re-enter Society After Your PhD

Honoré Daumier, Une Descente en parachute, 1852, lithograph, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. Accession No. 2015.143.567

So you’ve just completed your PhD and emerged blinking from your office/ bedroom/ somewhere unstimulating enough to force you to focus on those final edits. ‘What now?’ you ask as you refamiliarize yourself with sunlight and eat some solid food. Returning to civilian life post-PhD can be a huge adjustment, and this guide is here to hold your hand as you reacclimatise to normal life – come on in, the water’s just ok!

1. Sunlight

Sunlight happens during the day and is important for all living things to thrive. You wouldn’t know this because you’ve been sleeping from 5am till 3pm to make up for the fact you’ve been staying up all night because you randomly decided it’s your most productive time. As such, it is recommended that you wear SPF 500 for your first few outings, and preferably carry a parasol for extra protection.

2. Circadian Rhythms

As previously mentioned, you have been keeping vampire hours and so it may take some time to readjust to a normal sleeping pattern. You have a couple of options – you can either stay up for a whole 24 hours until you feel physically sick and so tired that your vision zaps like glitching CCTV footage. Or, you can slowly introduce a more reasonable bedtime over a couple of days. Going outside, getting fresh air and exercising a bit may tire you out more, plus that will help with the muscle wastage.

3.‘Free’ Time

‘Free’ time is something that most normal people enjoy – it's a time in the day when you can do whatever you like. That’s right, no deadlines, no never-ending ‘I should be working now’ guilt. It feels very weird at first, and not just a little bit titillating, but you soon get used to it. Normal people often do hobbies or sports or… I don’t really know, but I’ve heard it’s good. Anyway, enjoy it while it lasts, because once your viva is out of the way, new projects will emerge and the guilt will return, thank god.

4. Socialising

If you have any friends left, you might now take the opportunity to meet up with them in person and not via a messaging app. It is important to note, they don’t care about your research beyond the fact that you enjoy it and it’s an achievement to have completed it. This goes for family too – they love you, they’re proud of you, but my god please stop talking about it.

It’s also important to note that positive feedback isn’t a trap – sometimes you’re just doing well.

5. Diet

Food. Lovely, fresh, completely cooked-through, solid food. Now you’re no longer deciding what to eat based on what you have in the house that won’t make you ill / can be prepared in five minutes/ is packet ramen, you can start reminding yourself of the kind of meals you used to enjoy in the Before Times. You should prioritise eating what you like, not just what’s good for you – treat yourself, you’ve suffered enough.