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Writer's pictureSarah Davis

Let's Talk About Well-Being In Grad School

Well-being is the final challenges in the obstacles category that I'll be writing about this month. Well-being, or being well, is likely something many grad students don't prioritize enough.


Our well-being is both individual AND social and grad school can present many challenges to three types of well-being that are crucial to mental health.


My previous blog post about mental health contains some links to studies that have been done about grad students' mental health.


As I've written before, I use the World Health Organization's definition of mental health. Mental health is "a state of well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community."


Because many people think that mental health equates symptoms of mental illness, such as anxiety or depression, when I talk about the well-being challenges that grad student experience in grad school, it is the challenges to psychological, emotional, and/or social well-being (Keyes, 2002).


Here's how Keyes (2013) defines these three aspects of mental health:


  • Psychological well-being refers to how individuals perceive the quality of their functioning in life.

  • Emotional well-being captures feelings of overall happiness and satisfaction with life through balancing positive and negative affect.

  • Social well-being represents the public experience of individuals who encounter social situations in their communities.

Here are some examples of questions you could ask yourself to check in about these three areas of well-being:

  • Psychological well-being: Concerned with functioning, do you feel a purpose in being in grad school? Are you growing through these challenging experiences? How are you managing the complexities of grad school?

  • Emotional well-being: What emotions are you feeling when you do certain tasks? Fluctuations over time between negative and positive emotions are common. Are you overall satisfied with what you are doing in grad school?

  • Social well-being: How do you prioritize your social well-being in grad school? What do you do each week that helps you feel connected to others on campus and off campus?


Challenges with one or more of these aspects of well-being are common among grad students and can be difficult to share with others.


I do think that using self-regulated learning strategies and processes have the potential to help optimize well-being, for example by planning and exercising control over tasks in grad school.


If you think you need more support with one or more of these areas and learning strategies are not appropriate, reach out to a trusted friend or family member or consult with counselling services on your campus. These services are often included in your tuition and can be a great starting point toward making sure that you are well enough to succeed in grad school.



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