By Samantha Hilton, a current NTU PhD student

What is the first thing that comes to mind when telling someone something when you first meet them? Let me guess. Name, maybe age, and what you do regarding work or study? I find it fascinating how when asked, “tell me a little bit about yourself”, our first answer is usually our work. In this blog I want to dive in to this a little bit and explore what it means in relation to our mental wellbeing.

Validation Theory

To anyone that has researched child development, you may have heard of the attachment theory (Bowlby, 1988). This theory suggests that our early interactions with our caregivers can shape an individual’s understanding of themselves; secure attachment arises from met needs, while insecure attachment develops when needs are unmet.

This theory is mirrored in the Validation theory, often incorporated within Dialectical Behaviour Theory (Pederson, 2017). The validation theory suggests that a validating environment enables emotional development and self-regulation, whilst pervasive invalidation can lead to hypersensitivity, suppression and dependence on external affirmation.

So, what has this got to do with student life?

Within educational settings, the validation theory relates to how students feel recognised, supported and that they matter. Validation has been found to boost confidence and wellbeing, create a sense of belonging, develop identity and encourage self-validation. However, a lack of validation can increase feelings of stress, isolation, risk of mental health difficulties, exclusion and disengagement (Collins ,2021).

I believe there is a chance that we can become reliant on external validation and can easily forget about how to self-validate. This can lead to stressing about the quality of our work, the ability to achieve above and beyond expectations and that we also have a life outside of our studies.

In a world which is filtered and edited to only show people at their best, we strive for perfection and forget how utterly amazing we are.

Self-Identity Stress (SIS)

Lu (2004) described self-identity stress (SIS) as stress which is associated with negative self-perception, lack of career focus, lack of self-knowledge, low self-confidence and other negative personal identity attributes. This type of stress has been found to be a significant predictor of academic burnout suggesting students that experience SIS are more likely to develop emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation.

This links to the earlier mentioned validation theory as students are often in the ‘identity versus role confusion’ stage of development (Erikson, 1968). This explains the grapple with the thought ‘Who am I?” alongside academic and social pressures. Supportive environments are crucial during this exploration to provide clarity. Though this is most common during adolescence, it can continue through to adulthood, especially in students, with Lu (2004) observing SIS as the main predictor of academic burnout

Work-life balance; is it possible?

Work-life balance is a significant factor in college students’ mental well-being (Sprung and Rogers, 2020). However, we are more and more influenced by social media which often promotes a filtered and quite frankly unrealistic way of living. From 75 hard challenges, to travel vlogs and student study vlogs in which they achieve all they need to do for the day before lunch time, all just from getting up at 5am and downing some green juice. Social media can amplify the hustle culture, showcasing productivity and success over realism and mental well-being. This can lead to people idealising relentless work and productivity, increase comparison, and blur the lines between work and personal life. (Sprung and Rogers, 2020).

Though this is only one example of how hustle culture can impact students, social media is not all to blame. It is very easy to fall into a comparison mindset, which can have a domino effect, triggering SIS and making it harder for us to create healthy boundaries so that we can be more than a work engine.

However, it is important to remember that hustle culture is not evil. Students chose to study at university presumably in a subject they are interested in and enjoy. Indeed Yuningsih et al. (2023) found that 66.7% of respondents consider hustle culture as a positive aspect which can encourage them to work hard and push themselves to exceed their own expectations of themselves.

How can we resolve self-identity stress, burnout and rediscover ourselves?

• Learn who we are outside of work

Take a step back and think about what makes you tick. For me, I love nature, animals (especially dogs), music and musical theatre, and anything crafty. It took me a while to not feel guilty partaking in these activities, especially when I knew there was still work I could be doing, but try to dedicate even one set time a week to do something outside of your academics. Participating in non-academic activities can help to reduce stress, foster a sense of accomplishment, and help to develop our self-identity (Fredrickson, 2018)

• Acceptance, mindfulness and creativity

Understanding that we cannot be perfect at everything, nor is everything in our control is often a tough pill to swallow, however, it can also be very freeing. One way in which we can stop ourselves from letting ‘letting go’ cause us to go into a panic is through mindfulness practices (Galante, Dufour, & Vainre, 2021). Hear me out. It does not always have to be an hour-long meditation where you are completely silent. Mindfulness can be as simple as being present during a meal or whilst colouring or crafting. In fact, there are numerous studies that suggest activities such as art, singing or other forms of creative expression can improve emotional processing and self-discovery (Stuckey & Nobel, 2010; Clift & Hancox, 2021).

• Community

Creating and maintaining social connections has been proved to be vital for positive mental wellbeing (World Health Organization. (2022; Holt-Lunstad, 2018). It is important to have people to talk to both in the academic field such as student groups who understand the specific stressors, to other non-academic connections. Why not have a look at the different societies at NTU to find a mix of the two – students in an environment that is not related to their studies!

• Boundaries

Learning how to say no is something I am still trying to do myself. It is difficult to establish boundaries but as we mentioned earlier, it is a must if we wish to avoid burnout. It is okay to say no. If we spread ourselves too thin, we will not be able to give our best. This is counterintuitive when the reason we say yes to so much may be to feel that we are working at our best. This one comes with practice!

• 100% doesn’t mean 100%

We often are told to give our work 100%. Whilst I agree with this, I also think the way we view our 100% is varied. In my opinion, 100% equals 100% of my energy for the day. If I give 100% of myself to my work, I have nothing left in the tank to do anything else, such as eat, sleep, socialise and all the other things we need to be happy and healthy. My tip for this is to time block your calendar. There are plenty of videos on YouTube on how to do this. Personally, I use Google calendar and colour block. I do not just use this for assignments! I even time block time for socialising, time for sleep, my lunch breaks and so much more. I can see clearly that I am working the hours recommended for my PhD and can feel less guilty when it is time to do something non-uni related.

• SLEEP!

I think this deserves a blog post of itself, but please, look into your sleep hygiene. I would recommend listening to the Huberman Lab podcast or looking up Andrew Huberman on YouTube for his tips and tricks and more information on the importance of a good night’s sleep.

In conclusion, you are amazing. Your work is incredible, but your work isn’t the whole of you. It does not dictate your worth.

For help, advice and resources whilst studying at NTU, take a look at the following for sources of support.
Support from NTU
Self-Care books in NTU’s libraries
Silvercloud: SilverCloud is our online system designed to help with a range of mental health issues.
Health and Wellbeing resources
NTSU Information and Advice service
Wellness in Mind: Advice and support for anyone in Nottingham experiencing issues with their mental wellbeing
Student Minds or Student Space
10 Keys to happiness
Mind
Papyrus
CALM

References

• Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base. Routledge.
• Clift, S., & Hancox, G. (2021). Singing and Health: A Systematic Mapping Review of Non-Clinical Research. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 635532. This article details the benefits of singing.
• Collins, J. (2021) ‘Validation in Doctoral Education: Exploring PhD students’ perceptions of belonging to scaffold doctoral identity work,’ International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 16, pp. 715–735. https://doi.org/10.28945/4876.
• Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.  
• Fredrickson, B. L. (2018). Origins of positive emotions and the broaden-and-build theory. In M. Lewis, J. M. Haviland-Jones, & L. F. Barrett (Eds.), Handbook of emotions (4th ed., pp. 218–246). Guilford Press. This theory highlights how positive emotions, gained through enjoyable activities, broaden thinking and build resources
• Galante, J., Dufour, G., & Vainre, M. (2021). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based programmes delivered in school settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1899
• Holt-Lunstad, J. (2018). Why social relationships are important for physical health: A systems approach to understanding and modifying risk and protection. Annual Review of Psychology, 69, 437–458. This review emphasizes the strong link between social connections and well-being.  
• Holt-Lunstad, J. (2018). Why social relationships are important for physical health: A systems approach to understanding and modifying risk and protection. Annual Review of Psychology, 69, 437–458. This review emphasizes the strong link between social connections and well-being.  
• Sprung, J. M. and Rogers, A. (2020) ‘Work-life balance as a predictor of college student anxiety and depression’, Journal of American College Health, 69(7), pp. 775–782. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2019.1706540.
  
  
• Stuckey, H. L., & Nobel, J. (2010). The connection between art, healing, and public health: A review of current literature. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 254–263. While slightly older, this article provides a good overview of the benefits of art related activities.  
• World Health Organization. (2022). Social connection and health: A WHO scoping review. World Health Organization. This document details the importance of social connections for health.
• World Health Organization. (2022). Social connection and health: A WHO scoping review. World Health Organization. This document details the importance of social connections for health.
• Yuningsih et al. (2023) ‘The effect of hustle culture on psychological distress with self compassion as moderating variable’, Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, pp. 1062–1073. doi:10.2991/978-2-38476-046-6_102.