I Changed 7 Supervisors Till Now—Can I Breakdown, If You Don’t Mind?

Have you ever felt like you're screaming, but no one can hear you? Like you're drowning in expectations, responsibilities, and never-ending challenges, yet you still force yourself to keep going because stopping isn’t an option?

That’s where I am right now.

I started this journey full of ambition, ready to dive into my research and contribute something meaningful to the world. But what I didn’t expect was to be thrown into a storm I never saw coming. Seven supervisors. Seven different transitions. Seven times I had to adjust, prove myself again, start over, hold my breath, and hope that this time, just maybe, things would finally settle.

They never did.

With every change, I lost time, energy, and pieces of myself. Some supervisors supported me, and to them, I will always be grateful. But others—others saw my struggles and ignored them. Some even made things worse, criticising me without guiding me and tearing me down instead of lifting me up. And the hardest part? I still smiled through it all.

No one saw the battles I was fighting behind the scenes. The personal struggles. The sacrifices. The nights I stayed up, not just working on my PhD, but questioning whether I could even do this anymore. Whether I was enough.

And now? I have reached a breaking point.

I feel completely drained—mentally, emotionally, financially, and physically. The weight of everything is suffocating. And yet… I haven’t given up. I don’t even know how I’m still holding on, but I am.

Not because I have the strength. Not because it’s easy. But because I’ve come too far to let this struggle define me.

So, if you see someone who looks like they have it all together, remember—some of us are breaking behind closed doors. Some of us are holding on by a thread, hoping for a moment of relief.

I don’t know what happens next.

I don’t know how much more I can take while really I am breaking down under all of this stress around, but I do know this—I’m still here. And for now, that’s enough.

Now, I’m curious—how many supervisors did you change during your PhD? Surely, no one has had as many as me! But I know every journey comes with its own struggles. Let’s share, connect, and remind each other that we’re not alone. Drop your experiences in the comments—I’d love to hear them!

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