I feel like Charlie in Flowers for Algernon, knowing he used to be smart. I think, “Remember when I was a good scholar and knew how to do things? I could talk & write intelligently about theory and methods.” This feeling actually makes me cry. I can be that scholar again, right?
@kimberlyhirsh You can indeed be that person again. I haven't been in your position, but when I went through menopause my brain disappeared and I became really dumb. I couldn't remember a phone number past the first digit (I could normally hold maybe 5), for example. Hormones! 👿 These days I feel like myself again.
@Miraz For me I think the combination of pandemic, politics, parenting, and some other family trauma has just eaten my brain right up.
@kimberlyhirsh That's a lot on top of your study too! Don't be too hard on yourself. And remember, it doesn't seem possible, but things will change.
@kimberlyhirsh Please know that you are not alone! I just had a "getting back on track with this dissertation" meeting with my advisor. I've been thinking a fair bit this week about how I need to work on rewriting my own narratives about the challenges of doing mental work right now from a story of hardship (as valid as it might be) to one of perserverance (and give myself credit for any progress, even the tiniest bit, in this difficult time). So much of right now is just doing everything we can with what resources we have, knowing that it might not be an optimal or even the upper 90% of ideal times for working on this but we're still making it happen.