At some point in graduate school, the biggest challenge is to fight demoralization. It is not the work that is the hardest part. Not anymore. The hardest part is to keep going even though extremely demoralizing forces are at work.

Yep, this is the dark place. When the will to live can start approaching zero.

I could not have successfully finished my Ph.D. without the love and support of my son who is a cat. The unconditional love and emotional support of an animal may be the game-changer that you need in your Ph.D.

Obviously, only get one if you are going to be able to take care of it. I did a foster-to-adopt option with a rescue shelter. I went from knowing nothing about cats to cat mom. It’s seriously the best thing ever.

Check out this post if you are considering adopting a cat to fight demoralization.

Things you need to buy if you are adopting a cat

You might also need to deprioritize your PhD in order to remain healthy and successfully finish graduate school.

It is OK to take a break for mental health during a Ph.D. and take care of yourself and put yourself first even though a Ph.D. can tend to be an all-consuming process.

You are definitely more important and your life is absolutely MORE and BIGGER than getting a Ph.D.

Getting a Ph.D. is totally optional. You can finish the Ph.D., OR NOT.

Everything you have done so far will still matter and still count for something.

You will not be a failure. Plenty of people do just fine without PhDs.

You have still learned and your accomplishments so far will not vanish if your Ph.D. does not work out.

Whether you finish your Ph.D. or not depends on how you are feeling, but your health and safety come first. What is more, you will discover that deprioritizing your Ph.D. will actually help you to succeed!