Since arriving at the University of Illinois I have experienced the toll that stress can take on students’ mental health. From the beginning, students are pulled in many directions from excelling academically to building social connections. The stress associated with looming deadlines and uncertainty about the future have large implications. According to the New York Times, over 60% of students reported “overwhelming” anxiety in the last year and 40% reported depression that interferes with functioning. Another article published in Nature reported that graduate students around the world have rates of anxiety and depression six times higher than the general population. Moreover, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, universities are struggling to keep up with the increased need for mental health services.
As a graduate student with anxiety and depressive symptoms, I am encouraging professors to recognize that students are more than their grades and that academic performance doesn’t necessarily indicate future success. It is critical that professors recognize that mental health matters and should take priority over academic deadlines. Professors can normalize some of the stress associated with graduate work by periodically reminding students it is okay to feel anxious or depressed about high workloads or a poor test score. Finally, and perhaps most important, professors should know how to help students properly access mental health resources on campus and in the community. By following these suggestions, professors can make graduate education a positive learning experience despite the inherent stress.
Furthermore, as someone with a disability, anxiety, and depression, I recognize that productivity culture in both education and the workplace is incredibly toxic. What is toxic productivity you ask? According to HuffPost, “toxic productivity is essentially an unhealthy desire to be productive at all times, at all costs. It’s the need to go the “extra mile” at work or at home, even when it’s not expected of you”. My dad has been repeating the following phrases for years:
1. “Perfect is the enemy of good”
2. “Create, then recreate”
I believe they are prefect examples of the dangers of toxic productivity and how to combat its negative effects. The idea of completing copious of work without regard to mental health and disability factors is ableist and exacerbates a wide variety of disabling conditions. In social work, we talk self-care to absolute death. However, I’m realizing now more than ever that the deliberate act of self-care (whatever that means for you) is truly critical to any type of success.
The Chronicle of Higher Education: https://www.chronicle.com/
Learn more about toxic productivity: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/toxic-productivity-work_l_606655e7c5b6aa24bc60a566
