Overcoming work anxiety as a graduate student

It's 2 am in the morning. I cannot sleep at this moment. The long weekend finally ends and tomorrow is another work day that comes with deadlines. I have been procrastinating with my papers for a while -- binge writing on the day of a due date.

It's not good to feel that my writing is a piece of shit. The word document is full of corrections and comments made by my advisor. This is completely expected, I tell myself. It's a part of the learning process.

I sit in front of my laptop. I take a deep breath. I am finally ready to move on to my next correction in my writing. Then, a sense of guilt mixed with incompetent feeling creeps in. I feel that I cannot write a single word. I feel that my writing will always be below average. The fear of failing and embarassment is keeping me away. I try to find something to distract myself. I try to comfort myself with music and mental images of cute cats. Doesn't work, and the clock is ticking.

I am writing this not because I want to re-experience this sense of guilt again. I want to find a solution. I also know that the only way to overcome anxiety is to confront my document directly. This is no way to escape. I am trying to write something about my feelings, my struggles, my thoughts, little by little, every day