college student mental health

Dr. Hannah Roberts · August 8, 2024 ·

The First Year of College:

Procrastination and Academics

By: Ella-Mei Matias, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

“Procrastination makes easy things hard

and hard things harder.”

-Mason Cooley

As we near end of summer, many incoming freshmen are preparing for the huge life change of entering college. Among many other things, this often includes orientation events, moving away from home, entering a new environment, and facing new challenges. Understandably, this time can be stressful and may come with anxiety. One common worry that incoming freshmen have is about adapting to a new academic environment. Colleges and universities are typically perceived to be more rigorous than previous high school experiences. Fortunately, there are some key habits and mindsets you can build that can help ease this transition and help you adapt to college academics with ease.

Procrastination

One behavior to be aware of is procrastination. Many of us tend to procrastinate – a study found that 96.1% of undergraduate students have moderate to severe levels of academic procrastination (Ghasempour, 2024). It happens to the best of us, and often times, it’s happening subconsciously. Procrastination can seem difficult to combat, but understanding why we procrastinate can help us to act more mindfully. In fact, anxiety and stress are significant predictors of academic procrastination (Rezaei-Gazki, 2024). Add in the stress of this time of big life transitions, and incoming college students are often prone to procrastination (Prenderghast, 2023). Changing life circumstances, alongside these new academic standards and expectations leaves many students finding themselves underprepared or struggling to keep up with their assignments — which can further perpetuate feelings of stress.

When stressed, many of us might want to avoid the very thing that causes us stress (Lieberman, 2019). In fact, procrastination often stems from our negative emotions about doing a task and results when we engage in other activities to relieve the stress we have about completing the task (Rezaei-Gazki, 2024). Essentially, the act of procrastination is us prioritizing our short-term happiness over long-term results (Lieberman, 2019). Procrastination can lead to a variety of consequences, such as being negatively correlated with assignment grades, quiz scores, final course grades, and overall GPA (Rezaei-Gazki, 2024).

Interestingly, although many of us only view procrastination as hurting our academic performance, it has been found that habitual procrastination can also lead to emotional and mental consequences. In fact, one study found that procrastination can lead to negative emotional and cognitive repercussions, such as decreased self-confidence, decreased self-esteem, and raised anxiety levels (Ghasempour, 2024). Furthermore, as procrastination affects our performance on tasks, it can lead to an altered perception of our ability to complete a task (Shah, 2024).

As with many challenges in life, being prepared is a great way to approach your new academic environment. Here are some ways you can avoid procrastination and prepare for success in your newfound college-level academics:

Mindfulness & Mindset

Because procrastination is exacerbated by negative emotion regulation, there are some ways we can mindfully decrease this habit. One key way to decrease our procrastination is by altering the way we emotionally relate to the tasks we’re faced with. By reframing the way that we perceive a task and our emotions surrounding that task, we can feel more positive and hopeful, and talk back to our originally negative thoughts about completing a task that cause us to procrastinate (Lieberman, 2019). Instead of regarding a task as daunting and something we would rather avoid, we can focus on the positives of the task and find an intrinsic motivation to accomplish. For example, “finishing this paper will help me be better at my future job” or “I will feel good about myself if I finish this paper on time” or ” I want to do well in this class, so I will finish this paper”. By creating more positive emotions about the things we need to do, we can avoid the negative thoughts relating to that task, and therefore, reduce our procrastination.

Furthermore, because procrastination stems from prioritizing our short-term fulfillment over long-term benefit, it helps to focus on our priorities. For example, when faced with an un-fun task, think about how good it will feel to finish the task, instead of focusing on how long it will take or how hard it will be (Codina, 2024). It also helps to think about the relationship between our future aspirations and outcomes and how they relate to our well-being or life goals (Codina, 2024). In other words, by reframing our mindset to associate our current mood and goals with the things we want in the future, we can bridge the gap between long-term and short-term results, decreasing our procrastination behavior.

There are personal mindset factors that can make us more vulnerable to procrastination. Interestingly, research shows that self-esteem and procrastination have a bi-directional relationship. As mentioned earlier, procrastinating can lead to a lowered self-esteem, but self-esteem also determines if we procrastinate. Specifically, having a low-self esteem can lead to an increased fear of failure – which can increase chances of procrastinating (Ghasempour, 2024). Having a strong feeling of competence, autonomy, and self-regulation helps to create a higher quality of motivation, and helps to limit and reduce the emotions that lead to procrastination (Codina, 2024). By taking time to be mindful and kind to ourselves with our self-talk, we can nurture our self-concept and increase our belief that we can complete the task, which improves our motivation.

Reframing our thoughts might seem easier said than done, but with practice, mindful reflection, and identifying internal motivators, you can reduce procrastination.

Organization

Procrastination can make it more difficult to stay on top of your academic demands, but these problems can be worsened without organization. During a time where you are juggling many unique classes, each with their own assignments and projects, organization is key to academic success. Everyone has a different method of organization that works for them. For example, some like to plan out their weeks, schedules, and assignments through an app, or by using a physical planner, or by keeping a to-do list. You can also ensure organization by setting weekly — or daily — goals for yourself, and managing your time. In order to be organized, you must know what to expect in your classes.

One key part of knowing what to expect in your classes is knowing when assignments are due, and planning accordingly. Personally, I was nervous about keeping track of all my different assignments for my various classes, so at the beginning of each class, I made it a point to look at the syllabus or go to office hours to ask my professor what the assignment course load would look like. For example, some classes may assign a smaller-weighted weekly assignment, and others may only assign three larger-scale projects for the whole quarter. Knowing what assignments are needed in each class for the term and how much work you are given can help you allot your time accordingly.

It can also be tricky to keep track of all sorts of different assignments for different classes. Many classes will often have a set day of the week when work is expected to be due, which can make it easier to plan your homework schedule. For example, if I knew that class A had two assignments due, one on Monday, and one on Wednesday, I would do those assignments on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively. And if I knew that class B has assignments due on Tuesday and Thursday, I would do that class’ assignments on Monday and Wednesday. This can vary with schedules and classes, but essentially, by learning the pattern of assignments in each class, you can plan your weeks in advance and create study habits based on which assignments you know to work on each day.

Scheduling That Works for You

Knowing what class work you can expect is helpful, but it can be tricky finding time to study amongst all the social activities, life adjustments, and classes during the busy and exciting time of college. Another way to to reliably get work done is by allotting time in your schedule so that you can do homework. By making your schedule fit with your life and setting aside designated homework times, you can seamlessly implement time for academics, no matter how busy you are.

There are a few key things you should keep in mind when considering what your homework schedule should look like. As I mentioned above, it helps to create a schedule based on what assignments are due on which days — but also consider:

Do you work better in the morning or in the evening?
Do you work better in multiple short sessions of work or fewer long sessions?
What locations you find yourself the most productive in?
Do you have any conflicting social plans coming up?

It is also important to look at your existing schedule and see what times you could set aside for homework that would be most compatible. For example, if I have a two hour break between two of my classes, I may decide to schedule that break to do some homework. Similarly, if my classes start later on a specific day, I may do homework on those mornings. The best way to stay on top of your academic load is by finding times to naturally incorporate work-time into your schedule that works best with your existing commitments, without trying to squeeze it in last-minute.

A time of such immense life changes can be daunting, especially when it comes to the changes in academic rigor that you’ll be facing. Ask for help if you find yourself needing it. Don’t let procrastination trip you up during your first semester of university (or anytime in your academic career)! Be gentle with yourself and remember that you are learning and adapting, and in time, you will find the ways that work best for you!

Feel like you need support as a college student or you’re ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Codina, N., Castillo, I., Pestana, J. V., & Valenzuela, R. (2024). Time perspectives and procrastination in university students: exploring the moderating role of basic psychological need satisfaction. BMC Psychology, 12(1), NA. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01494-8

Ghasempour, S., Babaei, A., Nouri, S., Basirinezhad, M. H., & Abbasi, A. (2024). Relationship between academic procrastination, self-esteem, and moral intelligence among medical sciences students: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 12(1), NA. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01731-8

Lieberman, C. (2019, March 25). Why You Procrastinate (It Has Nothing to Do With Self-Control). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/smarter-living/why-you-procrastinate-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-self-control.html

Prendergast, C., & Miller, J. (2023, August 30). Moving Away To College? Here’s How To Cope With Anxiety About Leaving Home. Forbes Health. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/moving-anxiety-college/

Rezaei-Gazki, P., Ilaghi, M., & Masoumian, N. (2024). The triangle of anxiety, perfectionism, and academic procrastination: exploring the correlates in medical and dental students. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), NA. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05145-3

Shah, H., Ahmed, S., Raza, S. M., Irshad, M., Fahim, H., & Usman, T. (2024). Relationship between academic procrastination and self-efficacy amongst dental undergraduate students at a public university in Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, 74(4), 719. https://link-gale-com.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A788735286/AONE?u=calpolyw_csu&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=670a6b27

Dr. Hannah Roberts · July 15, 2024 ·

Summer Self-Care Series:

The Importance of Quality Sleep

by Taylor Ureta, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Sleep is an investment in the energy you need

to be effective tomorrow.

~Tom Roth

Every morning, at exactly 6 am, I wake up to the bright sunlight shining through my windows. Despite having all the blinds closed, my four-bedroom windows still allow enough sunlight to fill my room and wake me up. As a college student, this is one of many challenges I face when getting a good night’s sleep. With distractions keeping me from going to bed, and disruptions making it difficult to stay asleep, I often miss out on quality sleep. This endless cycle started to take a toll on me both mentally and physically. I had trouble concentrating in class, constantly felt unmotivated and sluggish, and my overall mood declined. Even my immune system took a hit. Over time, it became clear that my lack of restful sleep was not sustainable, prompting me to prioritize sleep. Here’s what I learned:

Sleep’s Impact On Your Mind & Body

Sleep is crucial for both our mental and physical health. When we don’t get enough rest, our bodies and minds can’t function at their best. One of the most compelling examples of how sleep affects our body is its impact on the immune system. Adequate sleep strengthens our immune defenses, helping the body to fight off infections and recover from illnesses more effectively. However, when we don’t get enough rest, our immune response weakens, making us more susceptible to illness and infections (Besedovsky et al., 2019). It’s clear that restful sleep is a crucial step when promoting immune defense and maintaining our physical health.

In addition, quality sleep supports brain function by allowing time for restorative processes that regulate mood and stress levels. Without restful sleep, these processes are disrupted, leading to irritability, disregulated mood, and a decreased ability to handle stress (Collier Villaume, 2024). Over time, chronic sleep restrictions can also contribute to worsened mental health, such as generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder. Therefore, it’s important to view sleep as a vital part of your mental health regimen, in addition to regular therapy sessions.

Sleep as a Form of Self-Care

Last week, we discussed how self-care can be a crucial aspect to effectively manage our mental health and promote our overall well-being. Sleep might not seem like a form of self-care, but it most definitely is – maybe even the most important form. The quality and quantity of your sleep can influence both your mental and physical state significantly (Díaz-Ramiro, 2020), and sets the foundation for all other forms of self-care. Without adequate sleep, we lack the energy and mental clarity to exercise, meditate, or even enjoy our hobbies. By prioritizing sleep and treating it as a vital part of your self-care routine, you can better meet your body’s need for rest and recovery. This simple yet powerful step may enhance your mood, boost your energy, and even improve your overall mental and physical health.

3 Tips To Help You Better Prioritize Sleep

The key to prioritizing sleep in your daily routine is to establish stable and realistic sleep habits. Here are a few to get you started!

Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help you get the right amount of sleep and keep your sleep schedule consistent. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, as recommended for adults by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) (Ramar, 2021). This routine will help you prioritize sleep and support your overall well-being.
Create a Calming Bedtime Routine: Establishing a relaxing nighttime routine can help signal to your body that it’s time to go to bed. This could include taking a hot shower, reading your favorite book, journaling, or practicing meditation. During your night routine, limit screen time as evening exposure to blue light can make it harder to fall asleep and lower sleep quality.
Optimize Your Sleeping Environment: It’s important that you optimize your sleep environment to make it as peaceful and comfortable as possible. It can be hard to ensure your room is kept cool, dark, and quiet, especially during the summer months. So consider investing in a fan, blackout curtains, silk sleeping masks, or even a white noise machine to further improve your sleep quality!

Sleep is crucial for your overall health and well-being, and should be prioritized in your self-care routine. To improve your sleep quality and duration, start by following any one of these tips! I personally love taking a hot shower, wearing my silk sleeping mask, and going to bed around 11 pm every night. These simple steps help me to prioritize my sleep and improve my overall mental and physical well-being!

Have more questions about sleep or feel ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Haack, M. (2019). The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease. Physiological reviews, 99(3), 1325–1380. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00010.2018

Collier Villaume, S., Stephens, J. E., Craske, M. G., Zinbarg, R. E., & Adam, E. K. (2024). Sleep and daily affect and risk for major depression: Day-to-day and prospective associations in late adolescence and early adulthood. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(2), 388–391. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.08.042

Díaz-Ramiro, E. M., Rubio-Valdehita, S., López-Núñez, M. I., & Aparicio-García, M. E. (2020). Sleep habits as predictors of psychological health in healthcare professionals. Anales de Psicología, 36(2), 242–246. https://doi-org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.6018/analesps.350301

Ramar, K., Malhotra, R.K., & Carden, K.A. (2021). Sleep is essential to health: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 17(10):2115–2119.

Dr. Hannah Roberts · July 11, 2024 ·

Social Media and Self-Esteem:

3 Ways to Improve the Way Social Media

Makes You Feel

By: Ella-Mei Matias, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo undergraduate intern, supervised by Dr. Hannah Roberts

Social media seems to consume us nowadays. From mindlessly scrolling, to relaxation, or even when using with friends, it’s everywhere. While social media offers many positive aspects, like allowing us to express ourselves or nurture our connections with others, it has many negative side effects. Aside from being highly compelling, it appears to be contributing to low self-esteem – especially for adolescent users. Why does this seem to be the case?

The Problem

While scrolling through various apps, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, or otherwise, we can see into the lives of hundreds of other people. In this scrolling, we can be exposed to many stimuli which can have negative effects – friends hanging out without us, influencers with items we want, or people with traits we wish we possessed.

The Comparison Aspect

Comparison is normal, and it helps us gauge our sense of self (Angela, 2021). For example, when playing a sport, you may compare your ability and skills to your teammates, or in class, you may compare your grades to others in order to assess your performance. While these comparisons help us understand ourselves better, social media leads to increasingly upward social comparison; we’re constantly shown the most positive aspects of others’ lives, and the best, edited versions of others. This form of comparison can negatively impact our self-esteem and can lead to lower mood, negative self-appraisals, and emotional problems. It can also lead to a need for social approval – via follows, likes, views, or comments.

How to Use Social Media in a More Positive Way

It’s clear that social media can have some detrimental impacts on our mental health, but what can we do about it? It’s been shown that the way social media affects us is based on the way we interact with and approach social media. Essentially, the best way to use social media is by being mindful about how we use it and creating a positive online environment – and remember, you can always turn off your phone! Here are some ways that you can be more mindful of your social media:

Engage Mindfully

Check-in with yourself: when using social media, ask yourself some questions. Is what you’re seeing online true to how people really are in real life? Why do you feel validated by social media? Do you feel better or worse after using social media? While scrolling online, you can do regular check-ins – is what I’m seeing helping or harming me? (Jacobson, 2022).
Focus on the positives: social media can be used for many positive purposes. You create your social media environment! Engage in meaningful connections and weed out anything in your feed that makes you feel negative.
Portray an authentic version of yourself: being true to yourself in the way you present yourself on social media can help you take it less seriously! Post for enjoyment, not because you believe it will get you likes.
Interact: it’s easy to mindlessly scroll and consume media, but this can unknowingly lead to feelings of disconnection or loneliness (Social Media, 2020). By interacting with media you are also more likely to be mindful about your social media usage.
Surround yourself with others who don’t use social media: after all, we tend to behave in similar ways to those we are close to!

Set Boundaries

Take social media breaks: sometimes a detox can help! This could be for any period of time that feels reasonable to you – 24 hours, or a week, you could even try taking a month off. Taking breaks from social media can help you realize how much you truly use it, and returning to social media after taking some time off can help you be more mindful about how you use it. During this time try and pick up some new hobbies!
Set boundaries: if you find yourself mindlessly consuming media, it can help to set rigid boundaries. This could include only going on an app for a certain amount of time in one sitting, turning your phone off or on airplane mode during certain times of the day, setting a time-limit for the day, or turning off notifications.

Focus on Real Life

Focus on your relationships: by prioritizing your relationships, and having a strong support system, you can decrease the ways that social media impacts your self-esteem. Focusing on the people you see face-to-face can help you to create a strong sense of self, supported by the people who know you best. It can also help decrease the likelihood of having problematic social media use.
Focus on your sense of self: by focusing on who you are without social media, you are able to create realistic and more genuine forms of self-esteem and ways of viewing yourself. When you confidently know who you are, you are less likely to be harmed by negative perceptions on social media (Akdag, 2024).
Realize it’s not real: social media only presents the most positive aspects of one’s life and is unrealistic – you won’t always look the same as someone who can review and edit photos or videos and people will usually only post images of themselves at their best (which isn’t realistic).
Practice gratitude: take some time to be grateful for what you do have! It can be easy to focus on what we don’t have when we are constantly shown idealistic online presentations, but taking time to reflect on what you already have is important (Mindful Social Media).

Feel like you’re struggling with your social media or ready to start therapy in California today? Schedule a session with one of our therapists! You can schedule online here!

We hope you enjoyed this blog post! Have more topics you’d like us to blog about? Contact us and we’ll be sure to include your topic in a future post.

References

Acar, I. H., Avcilar, G., Yazici, G., & Bostanci, S. (2022). The roles of adolescents’ emotional problems and social media addiction on their self-esteem. Current Psychology, 41(10), 6838+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01174-5

Akdag, B., & Unsal, C. (2024). The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem Bettveen Meaning in Life and Social Media Addiction. ADDICTA: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 11(1), 99+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.5152/ADDICTA.2024.23126

Angela. (2021, February 27). Why Do We Compare Ourselves to Others – Mind, Body and Soul. Mind, Body and Soul. https://wp.nyu.edu/mind/2021/02/27/why-do-we-compare-ourselves-to-others/#:~:text=Comparisons%20allow%20us%20to%20form

Bergman, M. (2024, January 10). Social media’s effects on self-esteem | social media victims law center. Social Media Victim’s Law Center. https://socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/self-esteem/

Hatun, O., & Kurtca, T. T. (2023). Examining the Relationship Between Social Support and Social Media Addiction: Role of Self-Esteem. ADDICTA: The Turkish Journal on Addictions, 10(2), 142+. http://dx.doi.org.calpoly.idm.oclc.org/10.5152/ADDICTA.2023.23033

Jacobson, R. (2022, September 2). Social Media and Self-Doubt. Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/social-media-and-self-doubt/

Mindful Social Media Use. (n.d.). Care-Clinics.com. Retrieved June 29, 2024, from https://care-clinics.com/mindful-social-media-use/#:~:text=Unfollow%20or%20mute%20accounts%20thatSocial Media: 6 Tips for Mindfulness. (2020, February 5). PrairieCare. https://prairie-care.com/resources/type/blog/social-media-6-tips-for-mindfulness/