The Hulk and Dissertations
On May 10, 1962, the first issue of The Incredible Hulk was published. Chances are you’re familiar with the big green guy and his mild-mannered “host,” Bruce Banner. So, when it comes to your dissertation are you more Bruce Banner or raging Hulk?…
In most versions of his origin story, the Hulk is the alter-ego of a mild-mannered scientist named Bruce Banner. After being exposed to gamma radiation, Bruce Banner morphs into the Hulk, a big, green, angry humanoid, whenever he encounters physical or emotional stress. This turns out to be fairly inconvenient for Banner most of the time, as you can well imagine.
So, why have the Hulk and Bruce Banner remained so relevant to readers and movie audiences for so many years? I’d say it’s because we all recognize a little Hulk and a little Bruce Banner in ourselves.
When you’re with your family & friends, going to work every day, and just generally going about your life, you’re probably much more like Bruce Banner.
But for each of us, there are some stressors that just push us over the edge. Luckily, we don’t turn into giant green hulking humanoids with a rage issues. (I hope!) But, it’s quite the rare person who doesn’t become grouchy (or worse) now and again. Unfortunately, when we’re under stress we tend to vent our anger at those closest to us, like coworkers, friends, family, and even ourselves. This can lead to hurt feelings, regret, and self-defeating behaviors.
And, of course, as a doctoral student one of the biggest stressors you face is your dissertation!
So, how can you maintain Bruce-Banner level detachment and keep the Hulk at bay throughout the dissertation process? Here’s a couple of tips that go hand-in-hand:
- Planning: Effective planning is the number one thing you can do to keep your stress level down. Uncertainty is one of life’s biggest stressors. So, if you create realistic plans, you’ll face much more at ease, whatever the situation you find yourself in. Milestones will get completed on your dissertation. And, the whole process will be much less negative impact on your professional life, your social life, or your family life.
- Sleep: This one is related to planning, because you’ve got to plan in order to ensure that you get enough sleep. Sleep is important for emotional regulation and cognitive performance. When you get enough sleep on a regular basis, you’re better prepared, both emotionally and cognitively, to handle unexpected obstacles and reversals. So, you’re able to get your plan back on track quickly…without losing any sleep!
Don’t let yourself get caught in the trap of endlessly sprinting to complete an unrealistic plan. It’s exhausting. Although you might be able to sprint your way through the final week of your dissertation, you certainly can’t function if you’re in a sleep-deprived, flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants state for weeks, or months, or even years.
That’s what causes the Hulk to pop up all the time, and it’s not pretty!
If you’re struggling to keep the Hulk at bay whenever you even think about your dissertation, click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.
