It’s 2025, and now that holiday breaks are over, it’s time to return to the lab and prepare for the next twelve months of failing experiments, changing hypotheses, committee meetings, presentations, classes, exams, and looming self-,PI-, and/or institution-imposed deadlines for PowerPoints, papers, and grants alike. I don’t have to convince you that a Ph.D. is stressful. In fact, some will say that the imposter syndrome, generalized anxiety, and constant assessment and involuntary predictions of experimental and biological outcomes we all face on a regular basis are what make for a clever and well-rounded scientist. The academic expectations at an Ivy League institution can be especially daunting, but luckily, Penn has a multitude of resources available specifically for students to upkeep their mental, emotional, and physical wellness.
With the sun setting before 6 PM, Penn’s Walking Escort service is beneficial for those graduate students doing late night/early morning experiments on campus who would like a little extra peace of mind walking to and from the lab in the dark. They can be reached by calling 215-898-9255, and are available 24/7.
Penn’s Wellness Center has many resources available for promoting mental and emotional wellness, including drop-in appointments for individual therapy during business hours as well as a program called Let’s Talk, where students can share their stress and anxiety and work through their emotions in a free and confidential manner with trained professionals available at multiple locations on campus. The Counseling Office has 24/7 availability to get information and schedule an appointment at 215-746-9355.
But maybe you’re hoping to get ahead of the problem and are interested in learning how to take care of your mental wellness. Setting boundaries with yourself and others can diminish your chances of reaching burnout. Equally important is learning how to handle imposter syndrome and the daily life we all lead outside of graduate school (because at some point I’m sure we all forget that we are people besides graduate students, and that this brings with it its own set of challenges). Well, Penn also has resources to educate students on the process of mindfulness, which brings awareness to your current physical, mental, and emotional state and helps you process your thoughts and work through your anxieties. These include mindfulness workshops where you can learn how to listen to your body and mind to uncover some of the roots of your anxiety and stress. Additionally, these workshops teach you how to better take care of yourself through small daily practices, as well as big ones, like setting boundaries on the time you spend in lab or extracurricular activities you dedicate yourself to. These workshops take place on Wednesdays from 4 – 5:15 PM at Student Health and Counseling 3624 Market St First Floor West, and you can register here. You can also follow Wellness at Penn on Instagram for their Wellness' Mindful Moments and find additional tools to promote mindfulness here.
To promote self-care, several groups across campus either host workshops or events promoting wellness, or you might see opportunities to pick up self-care baskets across campus.
Further resources and programs aimed at helping Penn students with a multitude of goals include the SUPER Program (substance use, prevention, education, and recovery) and the recreation facilities. The SUPER program was created to aid students in their journey of recovery from problems with addiction- they have resources for finding AA and NA meetings, as well as their own SMART meetings for Penn students in recovery (Mondays at 5:30 at 3535 Market Street on the Mezzanine, Suite 50). The recreation facilities at Penn (https://recreation.upenn.edu/sports/2019/9/25/wellness-outreach.aspx), the Pottruck Health & Fitness Center and the Fox Fitness Center, both host their own wellness workshops! Additionally, they have resources for those looking for personal trainers and/or group exercise classes. Check out Pottruck to find a recovery room (with foam rollers, massage guns, and compression boots), a climbing wall, swimming pool and sauna, and 4 floors of lifting and exercise equipment! Links to these resources and events are down below.
I hope you’ll begin to investigate and use them like I have in recent years as a way to maintain mindfulness, delay burnout, establish better work-life balance, and become a more confident scientist and person.
Did you know? Wellness at Penn, in partnership with campus organizations, is excited to bring a free vending machine to students offering essential wellness products. Located on the 3rd floor of the ARCH building (3601 Locust Walk), the Over-the-counter meds & more!
✅ COVID-19 tests & hand sanitizers
✅ Menstrual products
✅ Harm reduction supplies (Naloxone & fentanyl test strips)
Access is FREE with your Penn ID! Available daily, 8 AM – 12 AM. Stay healthy, stay prepared!
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