“Terrifying!”.
 
That’s the word I hear most from ECRs considering a tenure track job offer. They, like most of us, once sat in a PhD interview saying this is exactly what they wanted. So what explains this reaction when it becomes reality?
 
We all find something scary. I feel it when chairing a meeting or pursuing a big new opportunity. Many people, inside and outside science, fear public speaking. And whose heart doesn’t beat faster on reading the email subject line “Decision on your manuscript”?
 
Why? And what does it do to us?

​We love science but not the stuff that comes with it: all those events that trigger anguish, insecurity, overwhelm and frustration. 

​The failed experiments, short-term contracts, spiralling administrative demands and reviewers who just don’t seem to get it. How can we keep a clear mind with all that going on?