Maya Iza Azizan, PhD candidate, Northumbria University
I view well-being as staying ‘in the middle’ or ‘centred. ‘ This means avoiding both stress and boredom, balancing indulgent foods with fruits and vegetables, and delaying purchases of clothes, shoes, and bags. My new strategy is to wait until I finish a chapter or complete a task before buying something, as a treat to myself (though half of the time it’s only window shopping that I can afford at the moment).
To me, well-being means taking proper breaks during daily activities, such as dedicating time to eat and savour my food properly- away from my laptop or computer. It also involves listening to and engaging with the person speaking to me, whether that’s my son, husband, colleagues, PhD networks, or friends, and understanding the message they convey. Well-being also means refraining from checking my emails after logging off my laptop and avoiding Facebook for another five days. I don’t have Facebook notifications on my phone, so I rarely check it; besides, I only have 43 friends, anyway!
Well-being, for me, also involves incorporating enjoyable activities into my sometimes chaotic roles as a part-time worker and student and into my roles as a mother, wife, daughter, and daughter-in-law. These joys include outings with my son, writing my autoethnographic diary at a café or pub, and indulging in a good Netflix show after thesis writing. In essence, that’s my view on well-being. After 22 months into my PhD, I strive to balance work, study, and family life, with 38 months remaining in my PGR journey.
A key part of my routine is walking frequently. I walk to work or university almost four days a week, covering about 2.5 miles each way, totalling nearly 20 miles weekly. I wouldn’t say it has significantly reduced my weight, but it does offer me a peaceful 50-minute period before arriving at work or returning home, which I like.
I treasure it because I can see the colour of the sky in the mornings regardless of the weather. I see secondary school children in their uniforms waiting at the bus stop and think, “I hope the world will be better for them,” or I see primary school children walking with their parents to school and think, “I remember when my son was younger and how I was a parent to a small child back then.” I cherish it when I come home, as I walk past the main street and see the Asian, Middle Eastern, and African shop owners practising their trades – barbers, grocers, shawarma cafes, chippy takeaways, and sundry shops- welcoming their international customers as they come and go, while I return from a white-dominated institution in an office with bright lights, double monitors for each staff member, and a kitchen space where you can get boiling or cold water at the touch of a button.
My day job as an administrator is quite mundane. When I’m not in the office, I either research at the library or at home. Pursuing a PhD is relentless, so I prioritise my well-being through daily actions. I can’t rely on a ‘break’ seven months away or when summer arrives, which in this region might last only two weeks of genuine warmth and dry weather. It’s about appreciating my current routine- nothing spectacular, just small moments to feel grateful for what I have (even though I wish for more!).
As a part-time PhD student later in life, balancing work, family, and a long academic journey compared to a full-time programme is challenging. I need to push myself while avoiding early burnout, ensuring that both my physical and mental well-being sustain me through to (hopefully) a successful completion. Some days are especially tough as I juggle it all, but I remind myself that life remains vast and meaningful, regardless of the circumstances. So, no matter what happens, I must try not to take it too seriously.
