My Data Flared Out. So Did I

I've been modeling stellar flares for three years now. Watching simulated atmospheres get stripped away in days while my own mental atmosphere disintegrates in real time. 📉 Every run shows the same thing: violent magnetic reconnection, 180°F temperature drops, ozone depletion. The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e loses its protective layer. I know exactly how it feels. My advisor keeps asking for "more resolution." Sub-hour time steps. Better spectral data. As if running the simulation 847 times wasn't enough. As if the answer will change. The Halloween solar event of 2003 heated polar regions by 18°F. My latest grant rejection heated my anxiety by roughly the same amount. The parallels aren't lost on me. I study how stars destroy planetary habitability. Turns out grad school has similar effects on human habitability. Both processes happen faster than anyone expects. #LabBurnout #GradSchoolLife #ScienceFatigue #Science