Next best steps
Disclaimer: If you are feeling particularly tender about the events that have taken place at HHS or any of the other changes in the federal funding landscape since the beginning of the year, maybe mark this post and come back later. The focus of this post is on moving forward in this uncertain environment and will not feel helpful if you aren’t feeling ready.
Like many of you I’ve been monitoring all the goings on at the federal level with interest and frankly disbelief. With the most recent events at HHS, the NIH, and CDC I have been heartbroken to learn about the loss of grant funding by many of my friends and colleagues. These decisions represent the loss of years and perhaps decades of hard, slow work, intended to help us all live healthier and successful lives. In the last few weeks, I have found myself circulating between feeling sad and scared and angry and disappointed and being in general disbelief much of the time.
But here’s the thing, and I know this is going to feel hard (which is the reason for the disclaimer – so if you didn’t believe me before stop here), despite all this the only thing we have control over is our own NEXT BEST STEPS.
One of the benefits of my having to restart my research program multiple times in my career, is that I have gotten lots of practice with processing feelings and then figuring out where to go next. Though the science backing this is mixed1, 2, I have learned overtime that allowing myself to call out the exact feelings I am experiencing really helps me to process what happened more quickly than if I stew on the problem or pretend like nothing is happening. For example, “I am anxious about my future as a researcher if I can’t secure funding”, or “I feel stuck because I can’t continue my previous research program and don’t know what to do”. By naming my feelings I take them from being just inside my own head, where I am likely going to let them cycle into “doom loops”. By getting those feelings outside of my head I remind myself that all feelings (the good and the bad) are fleeting. I might be feeling sad right now, but that won’t last forever.
I have also learned that action always helps me feel better. In some cases, this means getting out for a walk or drinking a glass of water. In the case of my research program this means starting some aspect of a project. But WHICH part you might be asking yourself? Well, it depends (😉). If you have already answered the questions from this post and figured out how much time you have to get moving forward from this post, your next best step could be anything from creating a new project folder to house your articles, protocols, data, and manuscripts (10-15 minutes), to creating a new Zotero folder to house articles (5 minutes), to starting your literature searches (1-2 hours), to reading all of those great articles (2 hours +), to drafting your protocol (1 hour), to collecting your data (days to months) … you get the idea.
It is important to note here that you can start any one of these steps, stop, and try something else. The point here is not what you’re doing, but THAT you’re doing. I’ve learned that all the steps count and when taken together will move me and my projects forward. For me this realization took the pressure I was placing in myself off for getting the steps “right”. All steps are just steps.
For me the next best steps are those I can take with the knowledge I have at any given moment but never tie me down to one path or way of thinking. The next best steps move us forward but always create opportunity for us to change our minds and try something else.
Take good care of yourself, check in on your colleagues, and be gentle with each other. We will make it through this mess. Things will never be the same again, but my past has taught me that I can handle this, and so can you.
(Words 705)
Resources and references:
1. Emotional naming impeded both cognitive reappraisal and mindful acceptance strategies of emotional regulation - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9383041/
2. The costs and benefits of mindfulness and reappraisal in daily life - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37304564/