by Kathy » Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:55 am
Well, maybe you are, and maybe you aren't...But...Give yourself a bit more time before you make a decision; you've had a massive upheaval - a new city, a new lab, new colleagues, new place to live. You've left behind the security of a PhD you liked and a wide circle of friends. Even moving house is supposed to be one of the more stressful life events on its own. It's not surprising you feel lonely and down. When you move to a new place, it takes time to carve out your niche and build up a social circle and so your whole life at the moment is work; this means that any dissatisfaction you experience is magnified, as you don't have the balancing influence of friends and out of work activities.
When you feel a bit down is, however, not the best time to make life-changing decisions. Try giving yourself 6 months, in which you try your best to meet new people (outside the lab, by the sound of it!) I acknowledge how difficult it is to meet people when you're out of the grad school situation, but try anything! Then, when your 6 months is up, and if you're sure it's not just the initial shock of the move that's making you unhappy, you can make a better informed decision and know you gave it a good shot. Best of luck!