Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius
You are probably feeling the pressure as we pass the deadline to withdraw from your program or classes. Should I stay in this program or should I leave? Am I doing well enough to pass my classes? This can be overwhelming! However, what I find is that student perceptions of their inability to cope or their fear of failing can make this time of year much worse. Worrying about failing can absolutely freeze you and cause you to procrastinate. The irony here is that the procrastination generally leads to failure….just getting started and producing something to hand in can lead to success.
Today…
…try to focus on getting assignments started, or even completed. Try to just produce something, even if you don’t think it is your best work…just get started. Often by producing something, you may surprise yourself and find that you end up with something that just needs to be edited a bit!!! Try and shut your over-analyzing mind off and produce something…read a chapter, make notes, start/complete an assignment…whatever it is, just get going without evaluation.
Even if you are not as successful as you would like on an assignment, at least you made the attempt. Now you have something to learn from and you haven’t fallen victim to procrastination. It is easier to rise from unsuccessful situations than it is to improve upon the perception that you can’t do it at all. Stress becomes more manageable as you work through the to do list. Get going and be nice to yourself!
eLearn Modules…
You can always book an appointment with a Mohawk College Counsellor to help you get back on track and learn strategies to manage your stress and procrastination. Also, you can sign up for the SuccessCoaching@MohawkCollege eLearn modules through Self Registration in eLearn. I have more hints, tips and tricks that can help you stretch and grow in the area of Stress Tolerance.
Come on! Join me in this “become the most Stress Resilient version of you” journey!
Dr. Heather Drummond, Ed.D. (Counselling Psychology)
Success Coach * Professor *Counsellor @ Mohawk College
heather.drummond@mohawkcollege.ca