When starting a doctoral thesis it is always useful to join a course which teaches you a way to get a doctoral degree! At the University of Potsdam we have the so-called Potsdam Graduate School (PoGS) which offers workshops and seminars for doctoral students. They can be about writing, managing time or (in my case) how to get our doctoral degree successfully. I signed in because one colleague of mine was recommending me to do it. She told me that (usually) the PoGS seminars were quite useful. I accepted the advice and assigned to the seminar.
The course was led by Julia Lindenmair and we had (with myself included) 8 participants all from different subjects (though I have to say three with relation to geosciences... geo is everywhere). It was the group dynamic which I personally really enjoyed. The group was consisting of independent persons at different stages of their PhD, with their own problems and solutions for these. We talked a lot about motivation and the phases of the promotion. For example, we created a time schedule for the three years and especially for one year and joined forces for overcoming crisis. I´m quite inexperienced when it comes to crisis during the doctor time, because I started just recently the doctor and was therefore the youngest person there. I learned that crisis can take very different forms, from the material crisis to the relevance crisis to the ending crisis. Every crisis seems as bad the one before. You have no time for a break-down. You have to push again. Find a way out, seek help and get-up again. We found solutions together. Especially self-doubts are difficult to be freed of. We have to tolerate each other, have to self-reflected and find kindness from others by exchanging thoughts with them. It doesn´t matter if you do it with your supervisors, your friends or family. For seeking comfort and appreciation it is your responsibility to reach for the help of other people.
For me, it was two useful days! I found new friends and hopefully we will meet again. We tried to form a doctoral support group. But in these times it isn´t as easy as it seems to get eight people together on the same table.