ADCES24 Research Roundtables Series: Prioritizing Mental Wellness as a Researcher
Jun 13, 2024, 10:46 AM
By Melanie Xanttopoulos
Antonio Miranda, PhD, will share his findings in conversation this August at the ADCES24 Annual Meeting, where he is a featured contributor to the Research Roundtables Sessions. He can be reached for questions at [email protected].
Antonio Miranda, PhD, knows firsthand the pressures of academic life. A researcher of Health Behavior and Hispanic Health, Dr. Miranda attended graduate school during the pandemic, a particularly stressful time for students and faculty. As he worked toward his degree, Dr. Miranda began to lose the passion he felt for his research and even developed chronic panic attacks. Ultimately, these challenges taught Dr. Miranda the value of his own mental health – which he now treats as a priority. He learned that some of his greatest strengths as a researcher, including passion and drive to achieve, were also some of his greatest risks for mental crises. The workaholism and grandiosity that can at times be assets to academic achievement, he learned, can also lead to burnout, anxiety, depression or other more dire concerns.
Dr. Miranda will lead a discussion around mental health for researchers, addressing prevention and management of, and overcoming, stressful periods. Participants will reflect on the "four horsemen" of mental health for academics: 1) Imposter Syndrome/Grandiosity, 2) Anxiety/Depression, 3) Perfection/Workaholism and 4) Isolation.
Participants at Dr. Miranda’s Research Roundtable will discuss the value of all components of mental care. These include:
1) Non-academic peers: the family and friends who help us stay grounded and remind us that there is a world outside of our work.
2) Academic coaches: professionals such as those at the career center who help us put our tasks and time into perspective. Where might we be working too hard? What are we taking on that is taking up too much time? How can we make specific plans with an end goal and achievable steps in between?
3) Primary care providers: those who help us with our physical health – a healthy body helps with a healthy mind.
4) Mental health professionals: those helping identify determinants and diagnoses, while providing treatment. They help us make healthy life choices to improve or prevent states of stress. Researchers may benefit from a counselor or coach who can help with positive self-talk for public speaking or overcoming perfectionism and imposter syndrome. A psychologist or therapist can help cope with a multitude of intertwined stressors from life to work – as the body does not distinguish between types of stress.
Those in search of support may find helpful resources at their university counseling centers, from outside professionals, peers locally or online, or even podcasts and YouTube channels. Dr. Miranda recommends following Dr. Brené Brown, Dr. John Delony, and The Reciprocity Project. Dr. Miranda also has a forthcoming book titled Diary of a First-Generation College Student, that will address the balance between hard work and mental wellness. Readers can expect the title this summer.