The psychological and the cognitive: two sides of one coin

I had great plans for the week – I had baptized it my Bernstein week – having decided I would devote the week to reading Bernstein's original work. So on Saturday I was at the OU doing all the preparations, along with a range of administrative tasks, having also decided that until I came to Cape Town in March, I would be working on Saturdays. Then came Monday morning, and I just didn't want to get out of bed. I had forgotten that my psychological well being influences my ability to work effectively on this PhD. If something upset or affects you at a psychological or emotional level, it's bound to spill over into all the other aspects of your life. Emotional well being I suspect is a cornerstone of completing a PhD successfully. So just like I have to nurture and attend to my intellectual and cognitive needs and requirements, I have to maintain a positive and healthy emotional state; Being aware that problems or concerns in the other aspects of my personal life will invariable affect my work levels and my ability to concentrate. But life happens right? This is something I always used to tell my students – you can't forget about life while you are studying – and in my case the PhD happens right alongside my life. Today talking to a friend about what it takes to do a PhD or indeed become a PhD student – I was saying that it's more about being able to preserver through the whole variable and challenging process, with all its highs and lows, than a testament of one's cognitive or intellectual astuteness. Yes, you need some level of cognitive ability – but it's so essential having the necessary character to see the project through to its completion. So Monday was a 'lost' day – I just couldn't get going – instead I watched movies – deflected my reality onto the lives of some make-believe characters on a screen. Tuesday and Wednesday have been a lot better. I suspect that this is also just part of the process, after all I am only human, and my emotions are the basis of who I am, so I should at least acknowledge them. But it does make me wonder about the extent to which my personal happiness could/might dictate my productivity and the lengths to which I am prepared to go to ensure a healthy and positive emotional disposition.