Lauren Bonefont

Second year PhD student

Second year PhD student at an institution in Florida

An unexpected illness: The effect of pushing myself to prove I can’t be broken

In February, days before my wedding, I started experiencing severe pain. Within a week, I had seen 3 doctors, gone to the emergency room, and was diagnosed with an infection called an abscess that required immediate surgery. I was constantly exhausted, but tried to maintain a schedule as normal as possible because I thought, “I should be getting better.” Clearly, as I sit here over six months later, still not completely well, I realize I had been doing things wrong for a long time.

The life-changing magic of work-life balance

How does one know if they have work-life balance? Is there a formula, an ideal? Has anyone calculated the optimal percent of time and energy that should be spent and focused outside of one’s career?