{"id":4934,"date":"2023-01-11T12:10:15","date_gmt":"2023-01-11T12:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/researcher.life\/blog\/?p=4934"},"modified":"2024-02-19T07:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T07:42:21","slug":"mental-health-in-academia-5-ways-to-nurture-researcher-well-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/researcher.life\/blog\/article\/mental-health-in-academia-5-ways-to-nurture-researcher-well-being\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health in Academia: 5 Ways to Nurture Researcher Well-Being"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mental
Improved mental health in academia can boost overall satisfaction and productivity levels.
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While there has been recent focus on researcher well-being, there is still considerable stigma around the issue of mental health in academia. \u00a0Researchers, irrespective of where they are in the world or in their career, are tasked with solving some of the most pressing problems facing mankind. In fact, PhD students and early career researchers today face more pressures than ever before, with universities often being referred to as \u2018anxiety machines\u2019.1<\/sup> Highly competitive environments, extensive workloads and increased demands, and the constant pressure to publish have become the norm in research and academia, but few are trained to tackle this effectively.<\/p>\n

Researchers are expected to be naturals when it comes to out-of-the-box thinking and problem solving, with little attention given to their own well-being in academia. Unfortunately, this has resulted in a real, even if tacit, expectation that researchers should be able to \u2018thrive\u2019 at work. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic added to already heavy workloads and high expectations around academic productivity, further eroding the state of mental health in academia.<\/p>\n

How then, can research bodies, investors and other stakeholders in the academic world make sure that a progressive and supportive ecosystem is consciously created for researchers, to significantly improve the state of mental health in academia at large?<\/p>\n

Thanks to a one-of-its-kind global survey by CACTUS titled \u201cJoy and Stress Triggers: A global survey on mental health among researchers\u201d<\/em> we have a better insight on what researchers expect for their betterment and well-being in academia. The results of the 2020 survey are based on the opinions of over 13,000 researchers drawn from more than 160 countries, with strong representation from the top 10 research-producing countries and diverse minority groups.<\/p>\n

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