How many times have you sat in front of your computer, taking notes that seem to fly out of your brain? Do you take breaks to eat and rest, or do you push yourself well beyond your limits?
Romanticized behaviours like overstudying can be detrimental to students’ mental health.
“Romanticizing” education refers to the concept of students working themselves to the bone until they eventually burn out. Recent social media trends have inspired many students to take up intense and unrealistic study habits.
Influencers often document themselves partaking in unhealthy behaviours such as pulling all-nighters, pounding back caffeine and studying for hours without sufficient breaks.
With more than 229,000 Instagram posts and 42,100 TikTok posts under the hashtag “studyaesthetic,” it’s no wonder that many students are left feeling inadequate.
While studyholism — an unhealthy obsession with academic excellence — may appear to be a characteristic of high-performing students, it is associated with both psychological and academic impairment.
A 2022 study among Italian adolescents found that studyholism actually resulted in negative academic outcomes.
Comparatively, active learning in the form of study engagement results in better mental health and academic function.
Setting unrealistic expectations will put you at greater risk of harm
Unrealistic expectations of academic success can lead to feelings of disappointment, failure, procrastination and burnout. All of the work you put into your academics could go to waste if you don’t allow yourself adequate rest.
Burnout is described as emotional exhaustion, reduced sense of personal accomplishment and depersonalization (detachment or indifference of the person experiencing burnout).
When students work tirelessly to maintain high academic excellence at the expense of rest and self-care, they are putting themselves at high risk for burnout.
Postsecondary students can experience burnout because of learning conditions requiring high levels of effort without encouraging effective coping mechanisms, according to research from The Journal of Higher Education.
The more effort a student expends, whether that be hours of studying, non-active learning or overexertion, the more likely burnout becomes.
Your grades don’t determine your worth
It’s no surprise that students in post-secondary education place plenty of self-worth on their grades and performance.
In today’s social media landscape, it’s also no wonder students are setting higher and higher standards for themselves.
The primary issue with linking self-worth to academic success pertains to the effects of receiving a dissatisfactory or under-par grade. It’s great to have goals, but when your confidence and dignity is defined by a number, a single bad mark is enough to cause serious stress for students.
Grades can hold power over a student’s self-worth and perception of self. Morgane Brading, a peer wellness educator at Wilfrid Laurier University, affirmed that the value of a grade can often negatively affect a student’s mental well-being and even their physical health in a 2023 article.
Students who crave academic validation will often spend hours cooped up in their rooms or the library in hopes of achieving a mark that fits their idea of perfection.
But the more you study under unhealthy circumstances, the less effective your studying becomes. This eventually leads to grades that do not reflect your standards, creating a negative cycle of self-worth.
How can you avoid ‘studyholism’?
- Prioritize your mental health
It’s vital to prioritize your mental health to achieve desirable results in many aspects of life, including personal, academic and professional settings, an Educational Administration report asserts.
While prioritizing mental health looks different for everyone, this could mean exercising, making a comforting meal or recognizing that you need to take a wellness break from work or school.
- Reduce your social media consumption
A Carleton University study found reducing social media consumption is linked to decreased anxiety. Social media can be particularly damaging because many users put out an unrealistic standard of perfection. When browsing social media, it is important to bear in mind the fact that social media is not the whole picture.
Students can prevent negative self-image by reducing their exposure to harmful “romanticized” social media content.
- Get involved
Current research in behavioural sciences positively describes the connection between academic achievement and co-curricular activities. Actively contributing to your education can also give yourself time to partake in something you enjoy and connect with like-minded peers.
Another study promotes finding a balance between your professional and personal life schedules to prevent burnout.
- If all else fails, take a nap!
Research shows that taking a nap roughly five to 15 minutes in length can immediately reduce fatigue and increase cognitive function. Consider that you may be studying for too long without breaks and take some time for yourself.
If you want one takeaway, let it be this: romanticizing the destruction of your mental health for an assignment has never, and will never be, worth it. Diminishing your own joy based on someone else’s success only robs you of happiness.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
