Finally Got Data. Still Feel Empty

Three years of failed trials. Countless 3am protocol adjustments. Grant rejections that made me question everything. Then yesterday—perfect footage. Clean data. The kind of result that makes advisors smile and gets you invited to conferences. I stared at the screen for twenty minutes. Waiting to feel something. Anything. The camera captured everything except how hollow I felt. Success tastes different when you've forgotten why you started. When you've spent so long preparing for failure that victory feels foreign. My labmates celebrated. I nodded along, calculating how many more datasets I'd need for my thesis. How many more nights alone with equipment that works better than I do. The rare moment finally happened. I was too tired to be stunned. 📉 #Science #LabBurnout #GradSchoolLife