Putting your mental health first

This is a topic I've visited in my past blog about stress and the effect of deadlines. I shared an article that argued about the importance of putting your mental health before your deadlines. This can be a major issue for some people. In our work-first-play-later culture, people are conditioned to thinking more about their work than they do themselves. But that's no way to treat a mental illness.

I recently encountered another article entitled, "Your mental health is more important than your grades" in the Huffington Post. Although I'm no longer in school, I have plenty of close friends (and family) pursuing higher education. A quick shout out to those friends and family for their future careers in nursing, teaching and (possible) psychology. The fact that a member of my family may one day be helping people with mental illness is a huge point of pride for me.

Moving beyond my personal interest, this article approaches deadlines in a new way. The article cites research that says more than half (62%) of students feel crippling anxiety when it comes to deadlines. Now, not all of those students have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, but you can bet that a good few of them have. And for those students, the stress only escalates. That boosted anxiety not only harms your mental health, but can lead to negative impacts on your physiological health. Do you know that one friend that seems to get sick before every test? That's what I'm talking about.

Here are some tips from the article on how to manage stress about education:

1. Remember education is a privilege. In many places across the globe, there are people who struggle to get a working education. The author suggests trying to get into the mindset that your education is something to be cherished. So, when those deadlines approach, think of them as a positive step toward your future, rather than something to be feared.
2. Perfectionism gets you nowhere. Those with anxiety tend to have issues with OCD or just a desire for perfectionism. This comes with the worry that we're never good enough. But we need to get in the mindset that we're always developing, and perfection just isn't realistic.
3. Don't give into "imposter syndrome." This is the fear that "I don't belong" or "They'll realize I'm not as good as them." The article says women are especially susceptible to this - and I would argue that those with anxiety are as well. You got to this point in your education, didn't you? You belong there. Though it may be a challenge, you can overcome this fear.

The author also suggests focusing on time-management and remembering you're not alone. However, I realize that those of us with anxiety issues can be 100% organized, but still out of our minds with worry about deadlines. That's just something to work on. Of course, having a plan definitely helps you stay on track to complete your goals. One suggestion I have is to not procrastinate. Yes, I said the "P" word. I'm sure you've heard it before, but I have personal experience with the power of not procrastinating. If you get your work done before your deadline hits, BOOM no more deadline for you. And less stress. Think about it.