In the past few days, I’ve had three clients schedule their dissertation defenses. This is, obviously, a time of high excitement (and high anxiety). It’s also a time of feeling strange, let down, and sometimes bereft. Anytime you reach a major dissertation milestone, you may experience feelings of being let down, having trouble letting go, or increased tension or worry. This is completely normal- nothing is wrong. Any major achievement or major change requires that we reorganize ourselves internally to accomodate the new reality- completing the dissertation or a major dissertation milestone is no different. A good strategy for dealing with these feelings is to take a 1/2 day or full day off, and spend that time having fun. Go out to breakfast or lunch. Go for a long walk. Talk to your friends. Play hooky. This will help you overcome the strangeness and provide a foundation for your next phase of goal achievement.
