I'm sure printers can smell our fear when printing out important documents close to a deadline. Poor you for having to grapple with such thing when you really don't need it. But you WILL get it done, I know you will, just a little bit more time and you will be done and dusted!!

*gives the printer a virtual kick up the bottom*

oh my goodness you are so close!!! I really hope that the abstract is coming on well, will be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you!!

Today was such a struggle. I had a little bit to do to finish drafting a chapter, so I did that but after that I just couldn't get into doing anything :( It doesn't help that my OH is away on work for a week and the house just feels weird without him. I felt guilty about not working, but there wasn't much that I could do to motivate myself.

I think one of the crucial thing that we all have to keep an eye on is what Walminski said, not trying to do too much at once. *Maybe* it's ok to not work late into the night, *maybe* it's ok to take the rest of the day off if you just finished drafting a whole chapter.

I'm currently writting up my thesis, and I can tell you from personal experience, you don't even need a desk to do write up!

of course I didn't choose to do without my desk, but my elderly cat who is going senile gets very VERY upset if I work at a desk... any desk. After trying to work in lots of places around the house, it turns out that she is ok with me sitting on the bed to work, so that's what I've been doing! It took me a couple od days to get used to it, but I enjoy it now.

Hey Walminski, sometimes, we need to read read read in order to puke it all back again onto word.

I had the most wonderful day off yesterday, visiting gardens and National Trust places. Now it's back to reality and I've done 3 tomatoes so far, although my breaks in between are getting longer and longer each time.

I totally do the fantasising alternative life thing! In my fantasy, I own a small holding, growing vegs and chickens and making award winning jams & chutneys by day, crochet and knitting by night. Then I realise I still have to write this damn thesis before I can even make a start on that dream. *sigh*

Hi Keenbean, I'm a fellow bipolar person and I know that it is so so SO hard trying to carry on with normal life, let alone an academic career while dealing with bipolar.

I'm going to keep this short as I'm sure you don't want to here all the 'me too' stuff.

What I've found really helpful when I am on low is to sit out in the sun. Several bipolar books advice this as a way to moderate your mood. Obviously, you don't want too much sun because that'll trigger mania, but I tend to sit out in the sun at least an hour a day when I am low. I know it sounds a lot while you are trying to have a busy career, but it really is worth doing. If I am really low, or I can see my mood plummeting down quickly, I spend longer out in the sun.

Similarly, if I feel I am getting a bit too manic, then I stay in doors for couple of days and avoid the sun.

Also, while you are at your parents, do lots of stuff with them. I tried many time to 'take a week off', only to mope around, think too much and get even more depressed. Nowdays, I find a week off much more effective if I go out on day trips, do stuff in the garden, do little projects, etc. - things that makes me happy and feel better.

I just want to give you a big big hug!

It WILL be ok. You as a bipolar person know this all too well. You just get yourself through this one and the light is waiting for you.

how do you manage to write *and* listen to an audio book at the same time? I'm in awe!

You should've been a poet!

I know exactly how you are feeling. Last chapter I drafted was one of my lit review chapter, and after about a day spent on the chapter, I realised I knew NOTHING about the area. That was quite worrying! But I read and read and read for two weeks, and I actually enjoyed the process, because I was learning something new.

I also realised last week that I knew nothing on how to design a valid questionnaire for something I needed to do, so I spent three days reading up on everything I could find. Again, a bit stressful to realised I had a chunk of knowledge missing, but enjoyable learning new stuff.

Today I'm carrying on with the lit review that I like. I've just spend the first tomato fiddling round with a table I drew up yesterday and it looks much better now, not to mention much easier to understand!

Hope your day is going well :)

Sneaks, when I was apply for my divorce, I'm sure it said on the papers that forcing wife to watch rambo was legitimate grounds for divorce! ;-)

That'll be really great, I was weary of writing about my progress and what I was up to as I didn't want to come across as hijacking your thread, but yes it would be great to share progress with someone that is on the same deadline as myself.

I absolutely understand about your molehill -> mountain mode. I have this just about 5 days a week! Still, looking back, you know that the whole thing has gone through the molehill to mountain, back to molehill and back to mountain again, but each time, the gap between the two gets a little smaller ;-)

I *think* I will end up with 10 chapters for my thesis (yeah, that's how unclear I am!!). I've first drafted one of my lit review. I'm working on my second, which won't be as bad because this is the area I know pretty well and have two papers published on them. I'm giving myself until monday or tuesday for the first draft. I still have another (but similar area) lit review, and the methods.

As for the "my own stuff' sections, I have two studies that have been published, but I also have to CARRY OUT 3 more studies, with a whole bunch of programming and getting to grips with stats...

(shall I just go cry now?)

I have been writing today, on the chapter that I like writing about. It's amazing how much easier it is to write about something you like and are interested in! I wish writing was this easy for all the other chapters but alas...

reply to your thought of the day: Depends if they are nice or not!!

wooo scones... I have home made jams and marmalade, does it sound like a swap? :-)

Hi Walminski, we have the same deadline, although you are far ahead of me! I wish I could be at the stage you are at. You also have lots of strength, which I don't seem to have.

Have you done a week by week target of what needs to be done by the deadline? I've been working on mine now for 2 months and it has been a great motivator to get things done. (That doesn't change the fact that I have no idea how it's going to get done in 6 months tho!)

and you married him???? ;)

I second what Sneaks said. It's fine as long as you cite it in your text, and I usually cite the source again in the diagram title (but that might just be me...)

I just wanted to say what an amazing advice that is DundeeDoll!