Thread by @SciBry

A lot of people don’t talk about just how traumatic it can be to attend a research conference.

If you’re dealing with anxiety, stress or imposter syndrome, a conference is all of your worst nightmares combined.

Dealing with people can be exhausting. On an everyday work day, you deal with some people, then you go to your office and sit at your desk for a bit, and then maybe you have another meeting.

But at a conference, you’re surrounded. You have to be on all the time.

If you think the following at a conference, YOU’RE NOT ALONE:

* Everyone else is smarter than me.
* Everyone else is enjoying themselves.
* Everyone else knows each other.
* Everyone else is cooking up new projects.
* Everyone else has dinner plans.

The big secret is: half the people at the conference are thinking THESE SAME THINGS.

Conferences are huge emotional labour for everyone involved.

But they’re REALLY important. They’re still one of the best ways to get truly new ideas, and to create new opportunities.

The good news is there are ways to figure out how to cope with the trauma of attending a conference.

Write your talk in advance, and practice your talk and Q&A session with some colleagues.

If there’s an expert in the field who you’re worried might ask hard questions of you, seek them out privately beforehand. Give them a preview. Get them to ask their questions privately.

Have dinner on your own or in your room. It’s OK! You haven’t blown any chances or networking opportunities. Get a good night’s sleep, and you’ll be able to focus on the talks more tomorrow.

Beware of jetlag. It doesn’t just make you tired. It can effect you emotionally, and can fill you with self doubt. Get there a day earlier if you can, and get tips from your more senior colleagues about how to recover faster.

Look through the attendee list in advance. If there’s someone coming who you know and trust, ask them beforehand to check in with you during the meeting to see if you’re OK, or to introduce you to the people they’re talking to

Invite yourself to meals or gatherings. It’s totally OK to lurk in the hotel lobby at 6pm, wait for a group to form, and ask yourself along. The only reason they will say “no” is if it’s a team/collaboration meeting (and you wouldn’t want to attend that anyway).

I started to HATE going to conferences. It was all just too stressful. I made excuses not to attend.

I still struggle, but I get a lot more out of them now than I used to, mainly because I realise almost everyone else is being traumatised too.

Not everyone has the mental energy or financial resources or time to attend conferences. There are LOTS of barriers to participation, and that’s a problem.

But if you can attend, then with practice and coping mechanisms, they can become a goldmine of new ideas and new friends.