Hi everyone

My viva is next Wednesday and I'm finding that the fear is beginning to really bite. I had to run out of the supermarket today as I had a wave of nausea and dizzyness - I know its stress related. I've begun prepping for the viva - reading through and its all utter rubbish - I found a typo on pg 1 for heaven's sake! It doesn't seem to flow, it doesn't say anything - it all seemed ok when I wrote it - I can't work out what's happened - I even went and checked the word files for fear that I've printed off an earlier version rather than the completed thesis.

I've been in tears most of the afternoon - I don't know if this is normal, or if I'm going nuts or what - all I know is that right now I would do ANYTHING to get out of attending that viva with a thesis as poor as mine appears to be. I just don't understand why it looks so naff now - I worked so hard :-(

I know a lot of you are at the same stage as me, and even more who've I've watched come through this and out the other side - how did you cope/are you coping? It is normal for the work to suddenly appear fit to grace the pages of a nursery school book rather than a PhD thesis? Why is the fear so extreme when I still have another week to go? I worry that I'll be in the local secure establishment by this time next week!

Help!!!

Hi Stressed,

I think what you're feeling is completely natural - I've read accounts of people on here who have been through exactly what you're going through now. It's a huge momentous event in your life, and something you've been working on for 3+ years, so no wonder you're worried about it! I think we all feel like frauds, deep down, so you're not alone! I read through some of my work and think, OH DEAR! Your sups wouldn't have let you submit if you had no chance of passing, and you've worked really hard to get to this point. Try focusing on the positive, you're bright, you've finished your thesis, and this time next week you'll be Dr Stressed!

As I'm not quite there yet (I'm currently amending my draft) I can't give you any specific coping mechanisms, but it might be useful to try and get busy with something else for a couple of days. Put aside some time every day to go through the thesis and then after that do something fun/interesting to take your mind off it. Buy a DVD boxset of something you wanted to watch and chill out with some ice cream, go for a run, swimming, whatever. But it will drive you mad if you just think PhD for the next week and nothing else!

Best of luck for next week - we'll all be here to congratulate you! (up)