I am almost there people. I have defended the proposal, and collected most of my data. I have one more round of interviews to do, but data analysis is making me very unmotivated to even open up the word doc file. I do everything else other than think about how to approach the data.

I am doing a narrative analysis of four interviews and I am just clueless as to where to begin. I really like grounded theory because it is clear cut on what to do, but it is much more difficult to make sense of large chunks of narrative treads/ stories, especially when people tell stories within stories or half stories with no conclusion etc. There are no "self contained" stories like in the fairytales... or what research methodology texts suggest.

I sort of see the finish line, but I know I have a loooong way to go. I see hours, days, and weeks fly by and no work done. I go shopping, I cook more, I watch TV.. everything but open the word file!

Some suggestions please on conquering the fear of approaching the data...

I feel your pain Dave. I really like Phdbug's response. Great CV suggestion. I would agree with the others as well to consider going to the Counseling Center at the school. That's what they're there for.
1. If you are a spiritual person, pray or join a church. If you have family you can talk to, drive there and have dinners. During the summers, take road trips.

2. I would also encourage you to join, or create a Doc student group. At this stage people don't want to hang out all the time, I agree, but meeting with a group each week to discuss your research, and your progress can be a good boost for you. In time, you will find that this student group can lead to friendships. And, it is these same people that you can hang out with to release the stress and tension that YOU ALL are facing. You cant do this alone! The student group will help you get through it, and you might even find yourself pushing and motivating others in the process.

3. Find out if there are any teaching opportunities for you on campus. Preparing for class can be time consuming, which will lead to less time alone and at home thinking about why you should not be there.

4. Look to see which professors are doing interesting research, and ask to be a grad assistant. This might even lead to conference presentations, and even possibly a publication. At the very least, it will get you some experience conducting research, collecting and/or analyzing data.

5. Talk with your advisor. Thats why they are there! Of course don't tell him/her you are thinking about leaving, but ask about their research, and how you can help, or advise on ways to approach other professors in the department about their own work.

6. Think about the real purpose of the PhD. It is not a life of glitter and gold!! It is one of passion and interest. Do you love (LOVE) your topic? You are in your first year, but think about why you are passionate about your topic, and why your voice needs/ should be heard in academia.

7. Build in little rewards for yourself along the way. Buy a bike and go biking on the trail, take long walks/ drives, go to a resturan that you love and indulge. After a long day/night of studying, rent or go to the movies.

8. Hook up with the masters level students. See what they are up to, and where they go to have fun.

9. Join an online dating service if you are not seeing any potential date candidates on campus or in your professional organization. Take the stigma out of finding someone on line. No your not desperate, or ugly.. your just focused. Quite often, people in PhD programs are married or dating. There is nothing wrong with using an alternative source to finding "quality" people. My mother did it and is very happy, and I did it and I am very happy. The person I found was a tenured professor, and chair of the department at the neighboring university. Try it!

All and all, you cant do this alone! Use people to help you reach your goal!