Being Well in Academia

Ways to Feel Stronger, Safer and More Connected

Petra Boynton

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9780429588860
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Adult Education

Are you studying or working in academia and in need of support? Perhaps you're finding your work, study or personal life challenging or overwhelming; are experiencing bullying, harassment or abuse; or find your progress is being blocked by unfair, exploitative or precarious systems? Or perhaps you want to support a friend or colleague who's struggling? Whether your problems are big or small, Being Well in Academia provides a wealth of practical and workable solutions to help you feel stronger, safer and more connected in what has become an increasingly competitive and stressful environment.

This volume uses a realistic, pragmatic and – above all – understanding approach to offer support to a diverse audience. Covering a range of issues, it includes advice on:

• Ways to increase your support network, so you're not alone.
• Reflections and actions that encourage you to evaluate your position.
• Guidance if you are in a stressful, precarious, dangerous or exploitative situation.
• Checklists and agreements to help you identify your specific needs and accommodations.
• Signposting to books, websites, networks and organisations that provide additional support.
• Ways to build your confidence and connections, particularly for Black, Indigenous or People of Colour; LGBTQ+; disabled or chronically sick; or other marginalised groups.
• Reflections on your rights and the responsibilities academia should be meeting.
• Tips for being an active bystander and helping others in need of assistance.
• Ideas for resisting, challenging and coping with unfair or exploitative environments.
• Suggestions for bringing you happiness, inspiration, motivation, courage and hope.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to address the need to stay well in academia, and will be particularly useful to those in diverse or disadvantaged positions who currently lack institutional support or feel at risk from academia.

The 'Insider Guides to Success in Academia' offers support and practical advice to doctoral students and early-career researchers. Covering the topics that really matter, but which often get overlooked, this indispensable series provides practical and realistic guidance to address many of the needs and challenges of trying to operate, and remain, in academia.

These neat pocket guides fill specific and significant gaps in current literature. Each book offers insider perspectives on the often implicit rules of the game -- the things you need to know but usually aren't told by institutional postgraduate support, researcher development units, or supervisors -- and will address a practical topic that is key to career progression. They are essential reading for doctoral students, early-career researchers, supervisors, mentors, or anyone looking to launch or maintain their career in academia.

1 Getting started, being well

Hello there!

I’m using the term ‘academia’ to cover a wide range of possibilities. You might be based in a university – an undergraduate, postgraduate or postdoctoral student; studying full or part time, with funding or paying your own way. You may be a cleaner, security guard, administrator, manager or other support staff; or working as a counselor, advisor, lecturer or professor. Your work may be full or part time, or sessional. Equally you could be based in the third sector, industry, health or social care, development; or self-employed as a consultant or tutor. You might be an Independent Researcher, Para-Academic or be working in an alternative academic #altac role. You may be at the start of your studies, an early career researcher or anticipating retirement. You might be a minority or marginalised scholar or staff member. You could be based in the place you grew up in or have since travelled far away. You might have moved several times and spent most of your working life speaking a second language, or you may be holding down several jobs to make ends meet. You might be worried about keeping your job, be on a zero hours contract or currently job seeking. Whoever you are and however you found yourself in academia, or in the pages of this book, you are welcome.

A note about content

I’m guessing you are reading this book because you or someone you care about needs help. This book addresses a range of complex and frequently sensitive and difficult issues. We all react in different ways and I don’t want to presume what you might cope or struggle with, so I have not used trigger warnings for each potentially distressing topic. Instead, to help you feel in control while navigating this book, the contents (p. xi) and index (p. 255) show what is covered where, and there are clear subject headings and in-chapter descriptions of what’s ahead so you can anticipate or avoid sections if necessary. Each chapter includes links to trustworthy external sources of support, and all chapters are separated into smaller sections to help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. If you are in crisis currently you may find it more comforting to work through the book backwards from Chapter 7 and/or use this book in consultation with any support services you’re using.

Chapters and issues you may wish to approach with care

Racism, ableism, LGBTQ+ phobia and sexism are addressed throughout, with particular emphasis in Chapters 1, 3 and 5. Suicide is discussed at the end of Chapter 1, including a safety plan to help you address any suicidal thoughts and feelings. Chapter 1 also describes numerous issues in academia including precarity, stress, abuse, prejudice, overwork and exclusion; and Chapter 4 lists what you may need to help navigate academia, which is designed to support you yet might still feel overwhelming. Bullying, conflict, death, poverty, racism and violence are presented in alphabetical order in Chapter 5. Mental and physical health symptoms and coping strategies are discussed in Chapter 6, including references to drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and self-harm, and with information about venting included at the end of that chapter.

Run a diagnostic

Take some time before you begin this book, and before each new chapter or activity, to ensure you’re feeling up to it, and also allow yourself space to decompress. Trust yourself and seek help now if you need it, or at any time while using the book. It’s fine to stop or leave things if they’re upsetting you.

Don’t be discouraged

If you’re new to academia or have never experienced problems within it you might find the descriptions presented here frightening or off-putting at times. Yes, bad things are happening, but that does not automatically mean they will happen to you. Please remember this if you are neurodiverse and/or anxious, and (like me) prone to fixating on negative events that have not yet happened. I work from a standpoint that it’s best to be prepared, so if adverse events do happen you can try to cope while knowing where to go to get help if you need it. And I’ve deliberately included reassuring and uplifting ideas to ensure even if you can’t change things, you can feel stronger.

Getting the best from Being Well in Academia

The aim of this book is to help you feel stronger, safer and more connected. Not everything suggested here is going to work for you. Try being open to new ideas while also being flexible about whether and how you use them. I’d encourage you to ‘take it, break it and remake it’ (Boynton 2016, p. 18) – where you may accept any information that’s right for you; adapt it if it’s appealing but doesn’t quite match your situation; or change it to better suit your needs. Look for links! The interlinking circle icons in the margins direct you to related information elsewhere in the book.

Throughout the book you’ll be asked to focus on different areas of your life, identify where you may need support, where you can help yourself and where to find other places to assist you. To that end, your phone and/or a recording device, a computer/laptop and/or pens and pencils, plus a notebook, may be useful. If you’re spending any significant time on the book, ensure you’ve refreshments available and take breaks to stretch and reflect.

The following features are designed to help you take forward the ideas in this book:

– Reflections and actions – you’ll find these in boxes scattered throughout the text.

– Checklists and agreements – these are designed to help you recognise your situation and follow up with additional training or assistance, or to prevent problems from worsening while giving others crucial information to keep you safe.

– References within the text – citing books or papers that provide evidence for problems and/or solutions within academia to improve your working environment and protect your rights.

– Hashtags – directing you to conversations, support networks, awareness and activism on social media.

– ‘If you found this challenging’ – not all suggestions will work for you so you will frequently be asked to consider why that might be and consider alternative ideas.

– Find out more – recommended books, websites, podcasts, videos, charitable organisations and other sources of assistance.

Disclaimer

This book isn’t a replacement for legal advice, organisational transformation, or medical or therapeutic care. Sources of help that can assist you further are linked throughout. All resources and links are correct at time of publication.

Before you go any further, take some time to affirm how you will care for yourself by using the following adaptable statement:

My wellbeing promise

I have the right to:

• Tell someone if I feel I can’t cope alone. ^{Chapter 2}
• Reach out for help should I need it. ^{Chapter 3}
• Treat myself as kindly as I would a good friend. ^{Chapter 2}
• Be alert to warning signs of hunger, tiredness, stress and ill health, and act on them swiftly. ^{Chapters 2 and 6}
• Give myself time and space to relax and recharge. ^{Chapter 7}
• Take all the breaks and holidays I’m entitled to. ^{Chapters 4 and 5}
• Avoid, where possible, people/situations that are negative or harmful to me. ^{Chapters 3, 5 and 6}
• Permit myself to refuse to help others if I don’t have the energy to assist, and/or if they occupy a privileged position where they can find things out without my input. ^{Chapters 5 and 6}
• Accept compliments, care and kindness. ^{Chapters 2–7}
• Make informed decisions on what information to disclose when, and to whom. ^{Chapters 3, 4 and 6}
• Nurture and nourish myself. ^{Chapter 7}
• Celebrate and enjoy all my achievements, big or small. ^{Chapters 5 and 7}
• Seek healthcare, claim benefits and accept all accommodations I’m entitled to.^{Chapters 2, 6 and 7}
• Protect my time. ^{Chapters 5 and 7}
• Maintain my boundaries and not feel responsible for other people’s actions, thoughts or behaviours. ^{Chapters 4 and 5}
• Assist others when I can. ^{Chapter 2 onwards}

Now add your own promises …

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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You can update this promise regularly to suit your situation. You may also use it in teaching, research or support groups to help other people feel empowered.

This chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book, noting some of the current opportunities and threats that lie within academia while inviting you to consider your situation and needs.

‘Your fork goes in your left hand. When you go to university you’ll need to know this.’ That’s my parents trying to get me to use cutlery. I’m about five and I don’t like forks. But they’ve got ambitions for me and, as first-generation college students, they’re acutely aware of the barriers to accessing education. Unsurprisingly, I grew up seeing academia as a mannered, exclusive, special place where wonderful things can be learned and opportunities offered – so long as you held your fork correctly.

When I’ve asked other people what’s brought them to study or work in academia they’ve noted the following ideas. Circle or shade any that apply to you:

I came to …

fulfil my love of learning	improve my job prospects	discover things about myself
build on my existing skills	prove to myself or others I am smart	travel
feel less alone	broaden my horizons	give me something to do now the kids have left home/during retirement
earn a wage	achieve something I always wished to do	stretch myself
accept challenges	see the world differently	improve my situation
try new skills	discover new things	make friends
help other people	share knowledge	have fun

Having reflected on why other people came into academia, how about you? Why are you here?

Write a love letter to academia

Building on the ideas given above, write or record a letter describing the things you believed about academia before...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Getting started, being well
• 2. Creating your support network
• 3. Giving and receiving care
• 4. What help do you need?
• 5. Threats to your wellbeing
• 6. Warning signs and symptoms
• 7. Looking after yourself
• 8. Letting go, moving forward
• Index