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Wellbeing Reflection Tool

Fieldwork can be rewarding; however, it can also be challenging to your mental health and overall wellbeing. Whether you are preparing, conducting, or returning from your fieldwork, the Fieldwork Wellbeing Reflection Tool – click on the tool at the bottom – helps you check in with yourself and build resilience for future fieldwork. You can use the tool at any stage of the fieldwork process – in research and teaching settings.

How it works: You will move through a short, gamified series of questions to explore your fieldwork experiences. You will receive a summary with your reflections and insights to support your wellbeing journey. Completion takes 15-30 minutes, depending on how much you want to share. The tool needs to be used in one sitting. No personal data is saved.

Why use it? The tool helps you reflect on challenges and successes in fieldwork, start conversations about wellbeing with peers and supervisors, and identify strategies for your future fieldwork.

Try the Fieldwork Wellbeing Reflection Tool now:

  • Welcome to the Fieldwork Wellbeing Reflection Tool

    Fieldwork can be rewarding but also challenging to your mental health and wellbeing. Whether you are preparing for your fieldwork, conducting your fieldwork, or returning from it, this tool helps to reflect on and support your mental health and wellbeing journey.

    As you will move through a short series of reflective questions, you will explore your experiences around fieldwork. At the end, you will receive a summary with practical tips, insights and resources tailored to your needs.

    If you’d like to take notes or add your own thoughts or reflections, tap the notebook icon when it appears in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
    Let’s begin

  • What is your name?

    Please note that your responses are not stored. You will be able to save a copy of your answers at the end of the exercise

  • What is the best reflection of your circumstances?

    What is your experience with fieldwork so far?

  • >

    If you think about the idea of fieldwork, how are you broadly feeling about it now?

  • >

    How do you think your current feelings affect your relationship with fieldwork?

    Record your thoughts in your notebook by clicking on the notebook icon below.

    • How do you think your current feelings affect your relationship with fieldwork?

  • Understanding
    boundaries

    Fieldwork can blur the lines between your personal and professional life, especially when you are living and working in the same space, building close relationships, or navigating unfamiliar norms.

    Which of these boundary challenges feel familiar to you?

    This section encourages you to reflect on where you draw the line between public and private, and how those boundaries might shift in the fleld.

    • Understanding
      boundaries

  • In fieldwork,
    I find it hard…

    • Understanding
      boundaries

  • Remember

    Reflecting on the boundary challenges you’ve experienced helps build awareness of how fieldwork can impact your sense of self.

    By recognising where your personal and professional lives may overlap, you’re taking an important step towards setting healthier, more sustainable boundaries in the field.

    • Understanding
      boundaries

  • When does
    fieldwork begin?

    The actual fieldwork can only take place when it has received institutional approval. However, there is a sense of fieldwork before its formal start. It often begins in conversations, planning, and even the assumptions you carry with you.

    This section helps you reflect on the less visible starting points of your fieldwork journey.

    • When does
      fieldwork begin?

  • When does fieldwork feel like it starts for you?

    • When does
      fieldwork begin?

  • Remember

    The fieldwork journey often starts before official approval and continues afterward.

    • When does
      fieldwork begin?

    • Something to think about

  • Preparing for
    change

    Fieldwork might take you somewhere unfamiliar, a new country, city, or even just a different kind of space. It's normal to feel disoriented or out of place at times.

    This section explores what change – or even a cultural shock – can look like in the field, and how you can prepare for the emotional and practical adjustments that often come with stepping into a new environment.

    • Preparing for
      change

  • Where will you be heading for your fieldwork?

    • Close to campus

    • Far from campus

    • Unfamiliar place

    • Familiar place

    • Domestic

    • Abroad

    • Online

    • In contexts of lone fieldwork

    • In contexts of team fieldwork

    • In built environment

    • In non-built environment

    • Preparing for
      change

  • Which kind of change might be most challenging for you?

    • Preparing for
      change

  • Remember

    Feeling out of place is part of the experience, not a sign you don’t belong.

    Giving yourself space to adjust helps you engage more openly with the culture around you.

    • Preparing for
      change

  • Your
    wellbeing

    Amid the demands of fieldwork, it can be easy to put your own wellbeing last. Also, wellbeing depends on the preparation and the very specifics of the fieldwork.

    This section invites you to take stock of what you need to stay grounded, supported, and well, both in the field and beyond.

    • Your
      wellbeing

  • Which areas of your wellbeing and mental and physical health do you think will need the most care during fieldwork?

    • Your
      wellbeing

  • Remember

    Wellbeing is a shared responsibility. It's what makes meaningful, ethical, and sustainable fieldwork possible.

    • Your
      wellbeing

    • Something to think about

  • Travel, access
    and logistics

    Fieldwork often includes travel, paperwork, and unexpected logistics. It's not always the most exciting part, but it can have a big impact on how your research unfolds.

    This section helps you think ahead about the practical details that can shape your time in the field, from permissions and visas to transportation and accommodation.

    • Travel, access
      and logistics

  • Which of these might be challenging for you?

    • Travel, access
      and logistics

  • Remember

    Good planning won't always stop things from going wrong, but it can make all the difference when they do.

    Thinking ahead about travel, access, and logistics gives you the flexibility to respond calmly when things go differently than planned.

    • Travel, access
      and logistics

  • Who supports
    you?

    This section invites you to think about the people and resources you can turn to before, during, and after your time in the field.

    • Who supports
      you?

  • Who are you most likely to talk to if you're struggling during fieldwork?

    • Who supports
      you?

  • Remember

    Prioritising your wellbeing isn't a one-time task. It's an ongoing practice that helps you stay present and resilient throughout your fieldwork. It is important to think in advance about who is going to be your point of contact if you struggle with mental health during fieldwork. Setting boundaries with, for example, PhD supervisors and/or academic colleagues allows you to determine the topics that you are willing to discuss with them. Checking in with yourself regularly and seeking support when needed can make all the difference to your experience and the delivery of your work.

    • Who supports
      you?

  • Aftercare

    Memories, stress, and emotions may linger long after official fieldwork ends.

    This section invites you to consider how you'll look after yourself once you're back, giving space to process your experience and support your ongoing wellbeing.

    • Aftercare

  • Reflect on some practical tips that you think would help you navigate the transition and take care of yourself after fieldwork. Here are some prompts:

    • Aftercare

  • Remember

    Coming back can be just as emotionally complex as going into the field. Taking time to process your experience is part of doing thoughtful, sustainable research.

    • Aftercare

  • Congratulations!

    You've completed the Fieldwork Wellbeing Reflection Tool which could help you in your future fieldwork.

    Based on your choices, we've created a personalised summary with your responses, reminders, and support tips you can take with you.
    Download My Wellbeing Summary
    Start again

    This reflection tool has been co-produced by the Inclusive Field Hub team with Clearhead, funded as part of the Research England Enhancing Research Culture Fund, led by Professor Martin Zebracki.

Summary

Jointly produced by Professor Martin Zebracki, Dr Robin Hayward, and Tilen Kolar with Clearhead, funded by Research England Enhancing Research Culture  – as part of the project module Field Forward: Fostering Leadership Development for Wellbeing and Resilience in Field Research

The team is grateful for insights from peers at the University of Leeds who participated in focus groups that informed the tool's development.