At the beginning of the 20th century, education was accessible only to chosen people. Over time, the amount of information increased, and the learning process became available to the vast majority. The needs of the labor market changed, so higher education became more accessible. At the same time, its value decreased. Yet, this seemingly positive shift had a detrimental impact on society and the students.
The main feeling people experience today is tension. Most of them never manage to relax and enjoy life. The system forces them to rush forward and fight to be the best.
Studying becomes harder. The standards imposed by the educational system and universities get stricter. The constant stress is an invisible companion of everyone who sets foot on an academic path. Besides classes, they have extracurricular activities necessary to get better grades. Many of them have jobs to pay for their education.
Students, overloaded by homework and deadlines, need help getting through. Often, they could refer to writing helpers. For example, online essay writers from essay help service EssayHub are ready to write an academic paper for you. This help is necessary to remedy the negative impact of the present-day educational standards on students.
Money rules everything. Only those with impressive financial capabilities or incredibly high academic performance can pass the barrier. Despite general availability, only these people get through the university. Due to these factors, a person begins to strive for harmful unattainable standards. Those doing everything up to the standards may end up suffering from psychological disorders.
Endless Procrastination
Children who learn from an early age that they need to be the best in everything turn into adults afraid of failure. Instead of building on their inborn skills and talents, they try to avoid mistakes at any price. At first, they double-check everything: solve problems in several ways, rewrite essays dozens of times, and so on. And when fear enslaves them, they start to procrastinate.
Those easily distracted from the studying process may suffer from burnout, not the mere case of laziness. They may scan essay writing reviews from NoCramming and not even choose any website in the end. The more tasks these people get, the less efficient they become. This tendency may harm the entire learning process as well as a future career.
Distress
Unrealistically high standards for entering universities and getting decent grades set perfectionism trends for the students. Perfectionists get paralyzed by the grip of the rules. They always write out notes neatly, do 100% homework, and so on.
The stricter the requirements, the higher the level of distress. Some are so focused on their studies that they eat poorly, have too little sleep at night, and suffer from headaches.
Psychologists have proven that a person achieves maximum results by being in a state between apathy and anxiety. This is called the Yerkes-Dodson law. Yet, maintaining the necessary stress level under constant pressure is quite a chore.
The physical symptoms of stress like irritable bowel and headaches are widespread. High-stress levels may cause high blood pressure, ulcers, insomnia, fatigue, panic attacks, asthma, and other health issues.
Low Self-Esteem
Perfectionists often criticize themselves. They have biased opinions about their strengths and devalue their achievements. Due to self-doubt, such people may refuse a promising career proposal, expand professional boundaries, and even personal relationships.
These effects also lead to the following:
- Fears. A person is afraid of their failures and mistakes, fears being rejected or ridiculed. Even success can be alarming. Fear of the future generates uncertainty, which, in turn, increases doubts about the strengths and significance. Thus, a person becomes obsessed with small things that shade the big picture.
- Irrational convictions. Principles can mislead us. For example, a person has failed and believes that because of it everyone will turn away from them. But this is a misconception.
- Perfectionism. This tendency forces a person to postpone the matter and find excuses while striving to achieve high quality. For example, trying to complete an urgent task, a person concentrates on the little things – choosing a font, the perfect picture, etc.
- Unrealistic standards. All the previous factors lead to one – unattainable standards.
Young people feel annoyed that they do not meet the standards set for themselves. Often, these standards are imposed by the educational institutions, not the students. The latter, though, experience chronic anger and anxiety.
Present-day students get obsessed with correctness. Their main concern is time because there is so much to do. Because of this obsession, they always know what time it is. They feel depressed by the relentlessness of life and the emptiness of their accomplishments.
Yet, there are ways to mitigate the adverse effects of these phenomena on young minds:
- Control your inner critic, think about what you would say if it was your friend thinking the way you are.
- Shape your personal requirements, values, and expectations. It will help replace those imposed on you.
- Assess the situation. Write down all plans and state concrete goals.
- Learn to accept your weaknesses. We are all living people, and there is nothing shameful in exhaustion.
Positive Changes Are Around the Corner
Always remember that new industries and professions open the world where traditional academic education becomes obsolete. The decline in the quality of training specialists at the universities facilitates the devaluation of higher education in society. So, there are high chances that the pressure will decrease with time. You need to master stress management tools step by step.
