Midterm season is here — the time has come for us to stop, drop and study.
With Mental Illness Awareness Week coinciding with midterms, it’s a timely reminder that grades shouldn’t come at the expense of mental health.
Mental Illness Awareness Week aims to reduce the stigma around mental health — a message that’s especially relevant now as students become overwhelmed with exams and assignments.
Mental health isn’t a taboo topic and shouldn’t be treated like one.
A study of post-secondary students found that 95 per cent of university students reported feeling overwhelmed, 86 per cent felt depressed, 83.7 per cent reported feeling anxious and 81 per cent experienced loneliness.
Sometimes — in the name of good grades — it’s all too easy to sacrifice work-life balance, staying cooped up in our rooms, while pushing ourselves to cram just one more essay.
I know I have.
But the point of university is to build connections and make memories, which lasts much longer than grades. A degree is a degree — it doesn’t reflect your value as a person. You can be on the study grind and still keep yourself healthy.
A good way to do this is to take purposeful breaks. These breaks — which can range from five minutes to an hour — have been shown to increase productivity and focus while studying. A purposeful break can vary from going on a walk with a friend to working out at the gym.
My personal favourite break is making myself dinner. I love to cook and if I’m making myself steak, you know I’ll be extra motivated after earning my break.
Doom-scrolling on TikTok and Instagram? Not a purposeful break.
Both the act of checking your phone and the content you consume on it lead to increased cortisol in the body which results in more stress and worse mental health.
Another great way to get some work done while also being social is by studying with friends. When you study with the right group of people, you aren’t the only one holding yourself accountable — your friends will too.
But when it comes to grades, you can’t compare yourself to others. According to social comparison theory, comparing yourself to others may be motivating, but can also lead to guilt, dissatisfaction and destructive behaviours.
The next time you get a mark back from your professor, worry about the grade on your paper, not your friend’s.
I totally get that you need to be thinking about your grades when applying to competitive post-grad programs. Western University’s medical school requires a minimum average of 80 to 84 per cent.
I’m not saying to sabotage your grades by missing deadlines or procrastinating studying for your exams. What I am saying is to prioritize your social life and mental health — or else you will burn out and that will only set you back in the long run.
So, as a wave of exams comes crashing in, remember that grades are important — but so are you.
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