how to do assignments when depressed

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• School Stuff
• Surviving School

How to Handle School when You Have Depression

Last Updated: January 11, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Natalia S. David, PsyD . Dr. David is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a Psychiatry Consultant at Clements University Hospital and at Zale Lipshy University Hospital. She is a member of the Board of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, the Academy for Integrative Pain Management, and the American Psychological Association’s Division of Health Psychology. In 2017, she received the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute’s Podium Presentation Award and scholarship. She received her PsyD from Alliant International University in 2017 with an emphasis in Health Psychology. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 92,275 times.

Anyone, regardless of age, can struggle with depression. If you are in school — whether you're in elementary school or earning a PhD — depression can make it difficult to focus on your studies. Depression can make it hard for you to concentrate on assignments and do well in classes. You may also struggle with being around other students in school and find it hard to relate to your peers. Adjusting your school routine and using coping mechanisms for depression at school can help you do well. You can also reach out to others for support and get professional help so you can succeed despite your depression.

Adjusting Your School Routine

• Research indicates a connection between depression and academic performance, and in some cases a connection between depression, self-esteem, and social standing. Consider if either these contribute to your depression. [2] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
• Other triggers might be stress related to upcoming tests or assignments, crowded halls, assemblies, grades, self-image, and peer pressure.
• It may be helpful to work on this list with a counselor or therapist, who can also teach you positive coping skills.

• If you are having trouble getting out of bed, try to focus on one important task you need to do at school that day, such as take a test or turn in an assignment. Keeping your focus on this one thing you must accomplish may help you feel motivated to get out of bed.
• Though it may be difficult to do, try not to give yourself time to dwell on how bad you are feeling. Get ready quickly for school by completing one task at a time. Doing this can keep you on track to getting out the door to school on time, ready to do your best despite your depression.
• If you know you struggle in the mornings, prepare everything you will need the night before. Put all your books in your backpack, lay out the clothes you plan to wear, and make your lunch.

• Once you are at school, set small specific goals for yourself. This could be handing in your assignment in class or getting to class on time. You may set a goal to say "hi" to one person in your class or to speak once during a class discussion. Keep the goals small and manageable so you do not feel overwhelmed.

• Organize the study plan based on your energy levels. For example, if you tend to be more of an active person in the morning, schedule difficult assignments for the morning. Then, do the less challenging assignments at night.

• Your teachers may offer to give you extensions on assignments, where you hand them in separately from your peers. They may also ask you if you’d prefer to have different dates or times for any tests or exams, especially if your depression is getting in the way of your time management.
• Do not be afraid to ask for extensions on assignments due to your depression. Most teachers will be understanding and work with you to ensure you do well in school.
• If your school has a counselor or student resource center, you should speak with them about making special accommodations for your depression. You may need to bring a note from a doctor.

• If you have to get to classes back to back, let your teachers know that you may be a few minutes late because you like to wait for the hallway to clear out to avoid feeling stressed.

• You can also join a sports club at school and exercise that way. For example, you may join the swim team or the track and field team at school.
• You can also do recreational sports like softball or basketball outside of school to integrate exercise into your routine.
• Your school may have a student gym that you can use for free.

Using Coping Mechanisms for Depression at School

• For example, you may use positive affirmations like, "I am strong and motivated to go to school today," or, "Today I am going to have a good day at school."

• To do deep breathing, close your eyes and inhale slowly through your nose for four counts. Then, exhale through your nose for four counts. Do this several times until you feel calm and relaxed.
• You can even do deep breathing while seated at your desk or walking to class.

• If you find yourself getting depressed before school, try listening to the playlist to help lift your mood. Though the lift may only be temporary, it may be what you need to get through the school day.

• You can also use the journal as a way to help track your progress as you deal with your depression. Note days when you felt good or energized and days or moments where you felt unmotivated or depressed.

• For example, you may join a club that focuses on a hobby or activity you enjoy, such as art, photography, debate, or dance.
• You can also join a club that focuses on something you want to get better at, such as chess, the performing arts, or math.

Reaching Out to Others For Help

• Your teachers can also refer you to resources at school to help you cope with depression. This could be an afterschool program or the referral to the school counselor.

• Your school counselor can give you tips on how to manage depression at school. They can also speak to your teachers for you and help you get accommodations for assignments so you can do well in your classes.

• You may confide in a family member or friend that you trust and comfortable being honest and open with. Let them know that you are looking someone to listen to you and support you, not to judge you or make you feel worse than you already do.
• Your family and friends may recommend that you speak to a mental health professional at school or through your doctor. Be open to hearing this advice.

• The mental health professional can help you make a treatment plan. The treatment plan will detail your medication needs, your therapy schedule, and any other details relating to your treatment for depression.
• The therapist may recommend time off or a temporary leave from school, depending on your condition and your needs. Discuss this with your therapist in detail so you feel comfortable making it part of your treatment plan.

Expert Q&A

You might also like.

• ↑ https://www.overcomedepression.co.uk/recognisingtriggersyourowndepression.html
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3779915/
• ↑ https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13042/6-tips-to-get-motivated-when-youre-feeling-depressed.html
• ↑ https://www.calmclinic.com/social-anxiety/student-school-life
• ↑ https://blog.oup.com/2007/04/coping_with_depression_at_school/
• ↑ https://www.students.org/2013/09/04/dealing-with-depression/
• ↑ https://www.metanoia.org/help/helpyourself.htm
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/school-counselors.html
• ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/teenagers-guide-to-depression.htm

About This Article

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Oct 5, 2021

Did this article help you?

May 10, 2023

Apr 13, 2023

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

12 Tips to Focus on Study when Depressed [Mental Health Tips]

We can’t focus on our work when we are infected by any problem in our lives. I’m going to discuss the top tips t o study effectively when depressed .

When talking about studies along with tension, depression, anxiety, or any other sadness, we can’t concentrate on our studies. Depression and/or anxiety can severely impact our capacity to focus on education. If we don’t work on how to deal with depression and anxiety, we can’t survive in our life.

Whether you are a student of a school, college, or university, or a reading lover, you need to know what is the problem that you can’t focus on your study. I will discuss how to deal with such problems to fully focus on your studies .

There are a lot of reasons for being distracted and discouraged. When we live in shared accommodations, such problems arise. On the other side, if we are living on our own, feeling isolated or detached from other people can also be problematic.

As I’m not going to discuss depression-like problems here, the solution to concentrating on the study is our goal. But, let us first discuss a little about depression and sadness to better understand and deal with such problems.

Depression: Depression is a common and serious medical condition, that negatively affects how you think, feel, and act. Being depressed causes feelings of sadness, out of focus, loss of interest, and pause in your goals. It can lead to a variety of negative emotions and physical problems. It can decrease our ability to work and distract us from our studies. Depression is a mood disorder. There is good news that this disease is treatable.

Read also: 11 Tips to Overcome Procrastination and Start Studying

Table of Contents

Tips to Focus Study when Depressed [Working Tips]

Can you study if you have depression? Really not! Depression makes it hard to study. Being focused on your work is the key to success.

We can achieve hard things and can solve any complexity when we hard work with concentration. Depression affects our studying. When we are depressed or sad, we can’t deliver 100% results that may be at our fingertips. We can’t complete jobs that are too easy for us in case we are depressed. Depression makes you even get very bad grades.

The same situation is for study, if we are depressed, anxious, sad, sorrowful, unhappy, regretful, dejected, downcast, or discouraged, we can’t focus on our study goals. Here I’m going to share some working tips and tricks for you to stay focused on your studies.

1. Dig Out Your Problem

The very first step to adopt is that you have to find out the problem of why you are being distracted from your study. When you succeed in finding out the reason for your depression, you can overcome it.

You may have one or more in your life that are mentioned above. Self-awareness is the first key to tackling such problems.

You may be facing a problem that does not actually exist in your life. You have to think positively, be positive, and be positive in every situation. Educate yourself on depression.

I assure you that if you succeed in finding out the major reason for your depression and sadness, you can get rid of this problem.

Are you going to overstudy? Don’t overschedule your study. Excess to everything is bad. You have to study smart, not hard. Adopt a Pomodoro technique for studying.

Read more: Tips to Make Perfect Study Timetable

2. Consult a Psychiatrist

When you fail to find out the problem by yourself, consult your psychiatrist. It is he, who can help you to diagnose your problem and can suggest you a better solution.

3. Warm Up Yourself Before Study Hours

Write down the syllabus part which you are going to study. Try to forget your past mistakes and use them as an experience and motivation.

Take a cup of tea. Use a notebook and clock to mark the points you have done. Use reminders for different goals.

4. Adopt an Appropriate Environment for Study

Arrange a peaceful place where you can study without any distractions i.e. noise, debates, children, TV, or Mobile.

With the presence of distractions, we can’t focus on our studies.

5. Try Alternate Tools to Study

Make your study interesting and easy. Use different tools like e-books, mobile apps for study, laptops, or arrange a group of friends to study.

When your study will be interesting, your focus will be on your study.

6. Plan Your Study Life

Plan your study: Make a timetable for your study and follow the routine.

Manage your time, get proper sleep, Play physical and digital games, eat healthy food, exercise daily, and best utilize your leisure time in good interesting hobbies. Plan out your week effectively.

7. Get Motivation

High motivation is a golden factor to beat stress. Even after losing, we don’t lose if we are motivated and confident.

Listen to motivational speakers in your leisure time. Meet with positively motivated friends.

Read more: Tips to Become a Topper Student

8. Cut Out Distractions

Deduct all time-wasting activities from your life. Avoid distractions like social media use and mobile chats during study hours.

To fully concentrate on your studies, you have to leave all distractions at that time.

9. Adopt Some Interesting Hobbies

Good hobbies help us to boost our energy and it releases our tension, depression, and sadness. So, if we plan some good and interesting hobbies, it will help us to focus when studying.

Listening to your favorite music, watching a movie, cooking, gardening, photography, and computer games are some examples.

10. Present Mentally Not only Physically

A very important point about studying with concentration is that you have to be present mentally not only physically.

If you are reading something but thinking about other matters, it can’t prove helpful for gaining knowledge. And when you don’t have knowledge after reading, it is just a waste of time. Your focus will be lost when not present mentally on the statement you are studying.

11. Tell Your Course Tutor About Your Difficulties

If you are a student of the school, college, or university then you can discuss your problem with the concerned teacher.

A teacher can help you to deal with your difficulty with the subject.

12. Share Your Problem with Your Close and Loyal Friend

A good loyal friend can help you overcome your depression.

If you think that the reason for your sadness could be solved by sharing it with your friend, then don’t wait for more to discuss it with your friend.

Causes of Depression that Don’t Allow Us to Focus on Studies:

There are a number of causes that vary from situation to situation. But here I will discuss some major reasons. You may or may not have some problems but you need to consider all these to find out your actual problem of distraction.

• The Burden of Work: One of the common reasons for depression in a student’s life is the burden of coursework. When a student can’t complete his/her assigned work, he/she may suffer from depression-like diseases.
• The Complexity of Subject: The complexity of the course subject is another reason for the depression. Every student is not interested in every subject. And some students take it too seriously. Taking too much seriously can cause a problem, not a solution.
• Differ in Expectations: It is a common reason for depression for every kind of person that our expectations differ from reality in life. If the topic doesn’t match with students’ interests, it can lead to a problem for them.
• Lack of Motivation: Good motivation can help us to survive and beat depression in study life.
• Lack of Confidence: If someone has a lack of confidence, he can suffer from depression even if there is no reason.
• Bad Hobbies: If a student is surrounded by bad hobbies and activities, those hobbies can push him to depression disease which can distract him from his studies.
• Sleeping Disorder: Sleep refills your cognitive tank. If you don’t get proper and regular sleep, it can affect your physical and mental health. And when you are mentally disturbed, you can’t focus on your study. Insomnia is a reason for depression.
• Bad Company: Bad friendships and other links to negative people can cause depression.
• Medical Conditions: Someone may become a patient of depression due to some critical condition of the disease.
• Family History: A bad family history can lead to depression for a student. Early childhood trauma, poorness, strictness, and so many other reasons may involve distraction in studying.
• Fail or Fall in Love: Falling or failing in love or relation is also a way of distraction from study. Cheating in love can depress and cause anxiety. People use drugs to release tension.

Some other causes include Lifestyle Issues, Studying Style, Psychological Factors, and Informal Needs as well.

Check Also: 22 Working Ideas to Earn Money Online for Students

How to Focus on Study When in Relationship/Love?

Love and friendship are a part of life. A good companion is a source of encouragement, motivation, and inspiration. But you have to set some priorities and limitations to focus on your study. You may be rejected or disappointed and depressed due to this reason. In this case, you can’t focus on your study. But adopting these tips can help to concentrate on your studies.

Give Priority to Your Study: You have to give priority to your study over your relationship. You have to set some limits and avoid girls in college or university because your first goal is to study not make relationships with girls. Read about, how to avoid girls in college or university.

Self Control is the First Cure: The control of your mindset and thinking is the key to avoiding useless things. You have to kill your emotions.

Don’t overthink about your love: You should avoid overthinking about your relationship or love. Don’t put it on your head every time.

1. Does depression make it hard to study?

Yes, we can’t focus on our studies when we are infected by any problem like depression.

2. Does depression affect your ability to focus?

Yes, you can not focus on any topic when affected by depression.

3. How does depression affect your studies?

Depression and Anxiety can harm your academic performance, hurt your health, and mind, and promote underachievement.

Read more: Over-Studying Effects | Bad Effects of Studying too Much

Related Posts

Tips to Educate Your Children at Home | Teaching Tips for Parents

Top Tips to Handle Naughty, Troublesome, and Difficult Students

16 Tips to Make Child Interested in Studying and Learning

5 thoughts on “12 tips to focus on study when depressed [mental health tips]”.

Pingback: 9 Tips to Study Consistently for Long Hours - Must Read

Pingback: Over Studying Effects | Bad Effects of Studying too Much

Pingback: Co Education in Islam | Is Co-Education Allowed?

Pingback: 8 Tips to Make a Study Timetable - [STUDY PLANNER]

Pingback: 11 Tips to Overcome Procrastination and Start Studying

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Get Motivated to Study When Depressed: 17 Effective Ways!

You might be wondering this question “ how to motivate myself to study when I feel sad or depressed.’’ Trust us, all of us have gone through this phase once in life. Depression is never easy. For studying under these circumstances, you need to constantly push and encourage yourself. 

To make your journey a little easier, we have made a guide on how to get motivated to study when depressed. Hopefully, it will help you!

Table of Contents

What Causes Lack of Motivation?

You can practically become petrified from acting if you lack motivation. The main causes of your lack of motivating drive to successfully complete your goals have been highlighted.

• Not having clear goals
• Self-doubting
• Not creating a proper plan
• Low self-esteem
• Mental health issues
• Unsupportive environment
• Not knowing your strengths
• Fear of taking challenges
• Giving up easily
• Inadequate sleep

Does Depression Make It Hard to Study?

Depression makes it hard to study because you can’t concentrate on anything. Finding the urge to study can be quite difficult when you’re depressed. Although there are various causes for the absence of motivation, it’s also possible that these symptoms are an indication of depression.

When you’re feeling down, it’s harder to think clearly, analyze things critically, and recall what you studied and learned. You can miss lessons and have trouble finding the time to effectively study if your sleep pattern has changed.

17 Ways to Get Motivated to Study When Depressed

To get motivated, you have to help yourself. You have to constantly convince and push yourself to study. Here are a few ways which might be helpful for you!

• Set up goals

Create a goal or choose a career for yourself. Figure out how you will ascend there. When you set up goals, you will automatically know that you have to study.

• Recall your goal

You have certainly fixed a goal for yourself. You want to reach there no matter what happens and studying is the way to achieve it. Remember your destination and study.

• Stick to your routine

Make a routine. Follow it strictly. After following it for a few hours, you will feel much more productive. It will bring back your zeal to study.

• Think about your battles

Think how hard battles you have fought. Think how much effort you had put to reach where you are. And Think about how strong you were and motivate yourself to fight again.

• Listen to podcasts

Try listening to motivational podcasts. Podcasts tell you about different life stories and give birth to a new perspective.

• Watch motivational videos

Thousands of motivational speakers are available whose videos will encourage you. It will help you to develop the confidence to study.

Meditation helps you understand the root of your despair and gives you a fresh perspective on your depressive traits. Finding a long-term solution is important to concentrate on your studies.

• Physical Exercise

You can squeeze in some time for exercise in between study sessions. Exercise breaks of up to ten minutes are sufficient to boost your motivation to study even more.

Walking makes you feel refreshed and helps your thinking become more organized. Simply go for a stroll if you feel like you are becoming depressed while studying or before studying.

• Take a shower

To relax your body and lessen the strain on your brain and muscles, you can take a shower. The brain functions better when exposed to a little cold, hence taking a cold shower is typically preferred.

• Talk to your loved ones

Talk to someone whom you trust with the deepest core of your heart. Tell them how miserable you feel and ask them how to overcome this. They will surely find ways for you to study.

• Try out a different place

Take a break from your regular study table. Try sitting in a different arrangement such as a balcony, library, rooftop, etc. Different environments will keep you distracted.

• Cook or order your favorite food

Before sitting for studying, cook or order your favorite food from your favorite restaurant. Munch and study. This will lighten up your mood.

• Spending time alone

Spend time with yourself. Figure out the reason behind your depression and question if it’s really worth it to be sad about it. Think about steps to get away from it and the importance of studying.

Fix a time for studying. Take a nap before it. A nap will keep you away from unwanted stress. You will wake up with a new spirit that will want to win the world!

• Do something you love

Sometimes taking time to do something you love can increase your productivity. When you do things you love, you feel validated and confident. This sparks motivation. 

• Listen to music 

Your old playlist will remind you of your old confident version. Listen to music that makes you happy. This will level up your enthusiasm before studying.

What Improves Motivation?

There are a few quick actions you can take right now to boost your motivation both now and in the future. We’ve gathered a variety of tips on how to boost motivation for your convenience.

• Avoid being distracted.
• Limit your multitasking.
• Exercise meditation and awareness.
• Take more naps.
• Decide to concentrate on the now.

How Do You Study Major Depression?

We know that the question “ why do I get depressed when I study ” is real. When you’re dealing with major depression, waking up is difficult let alone studying. However, you need to study to create a better future for yourself. Try this study hack!

• Select one chapter to work on.
• Start a 25-minute countdown.
• Give the task your energy and attention for 25 minutes.
• Take a 15-minute pause once the timer rings.
• Set a second 25-minute alarm for after the first 15 minutes are up.
• Continue until the desired amount has been reached in the assignment.

How Do Students Overcome Depression?

Overcoming depression is not easy for anyone. Students generally suffer a lot due to depression. Here are a few ways through which students overcome depression.

• Regular physical exercise
• Sleeping timely
• Practicing mindfulness 
• Talking with friends and family
• Eating good food
• Avoiding drugs or other intoxicating items
• Seeking help from a professional

Use the bits of advice above to relieve depression, and you’ll find it easier to stay motivated to study. It might seem difficult at first, but if you stick with it, you’ll notice that your feeling of motivation is gradually increasing.

When you go over that time, you naturally develop a strong mastery of how to get motivated to study when depressed . Good luck!

Related Articles

5 Best Laptop for Civil Engineering Students: Top Picks, Buying Guide

Is Criminal Justice Hard: Is It Truly Challenging? Explained!

How To Learn Thai Fast: Secrets to Rapid Mastery!

Is Business Law Hard: The Secret Behind

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Clinical psychology

Psychotherapy, personality, can’t do homework because depressed (9 ways to cope).

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

Depression and anhedonia 

Anhedonia is a condition where an individual suffers from the lack of motivation and pleasure to engage himself or herself in any activity.

To not be able to do homework because of depression is nothing to be shocked about. It is normal for anyone regardless of the presence of any mental illness to not feel like doing homework and assignment. But if you feel you cannot concentrate on anything that you are planning to do and end up feeling depressed then these ways may help you to cope up.

In an article published in the journal ” Psychology”, it has been mentioned that sustained physical activity can help a person with his or her bad mood by balancing out the chemicals in their body, restricting the frequency of crisis and offering means of catharsis.

Activities that you can do:

You can also take a bicycle ride surrounding your locality to get some fresh air and help yourself. 

2. Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is a mental state in which a person experiences the present moment without getting distracted by the memories of the past or the anticipations of the future.

3. W‌‌rite journal

Writing a journal when you cannot concentrate on your homework can help you get over anhedonia. 

These chat rooms are moderated by a volunteer who makes sure that the rules and ethics of the site is maintained.

Some common Chat rooms and forums 

Depression Sanctuary

Depression Sanctuary is a well-known nonprofit organization created to provide safe, moderated services for people with depression and anxiety. They  seek support from other like-minded people in these chatrooms. Membership is required to participate in the Depression Sanctuary chat rooms, but it’s completely free to join.

The are hosted at specific times. You have to make sure that you abide by the rules and regulations of the chatrooms and treat every member respectfully. The volunteers working over here also suffer from depression. Please be kind to them and treat them with respect.

.Depression Understood

HealthUnlocked runs in partnership with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) and offers a safe space for anxiety and depression support. 

Healthfulcha t is a trustworthy service for people who are succumbed to any sort of mental illness. They say “ Here, you will find a Depression Chat Room , depression forums, and a depression social network. It is the hope of HealthfulChat that these important forms of peer support, along with whatever medical attention you may be receiving will help bring you up out of the cloud of depression so that you can begin to enjoy life again. 

You should keep on trying until and unless you gain your concentration to do your assignments in time. Depression should not overpower your potential. Perseverance is the cornerstone of never giving up. Some might consider it being stubborn. But in reality, it is just a doggedness of pushing forward when times get tough and never giving up until you have achieved your dreams. One of the key facets of never giving up is hard work, patience, commitment and self-love

Conclusion 

Faqs : can’t do homework because depressed, can anhedonia be cured.

At present, there are no treatments aimed at anhedonia.

Is anhedonia a mental illness?

What is an example of anhedonia, does exercise help anhedonia.

Absolutely yes. The benefits of doing some physical activity on a regular basis keeps your body fit, mind energetic, increases blood supply to all the organs and decreases risk of becoming depressed and sad.

Can yoga help anhedonia?

Can lifestyle have an effect on depression, can’t force myself to do homework, who invented homework, why is homework bad, is homework a waste of time, why is homework bad for your health, how to deal with homework when depressed.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK201497/

Was this helpful?

Overcome depression and find joy in life again with betterhelp.

Don’t wait to start feeling better – sign up for BetterHelp today and take the first step towards a brighter tomorrow.

Related Posts

How not to gain weight on mirtazapine (9+ amazing tips), why is my postdoc making me depressed, can work on a 3-11 shift lead to depression (+how to cope).

• Skip to main content
• Skip to main navigation

Counseling & Psychological Services

• Off-Campus Referrals
• Health Information Management
• Protect Your Privacy
• Groups & Workshops
• Training Programs
• Mobile Team

Home / Responding to Distressed Students

Responding to Emotionally Distressed Students: A Faculty/Staff Guide

The following materials have been developed as a result of the combined efforts of counseling centers that comprise the Organization of Counseling Center Directors in Higher Education (OCCDHE). This guide is designed to assist faculty and staff in identifying and intervening with students who are in distress.

Informational Handouts

• Making a Referral to CAPS
• Characteristics of Distressed or Distressing Students
• Responding to Distressed or Distressing Students
• Responding to Student Emergencies
• Faculty and Staff Role in Helping the Emotionally Distressed Student
• The Verbally Aggressive Student
• The Violent or Physically Destructive Student
• The Student in Poor Contact with Reality
• The Suspicious Student
• The Anxious Student
• The Demanding, Passive Student
• The Substance Abusing Student
• The Depressed Student
• The Suicidal Student
• Warning Signs of Potentially Suicidal Behavior

I. Faculty and Staff Role in Helping the Emotionally Distressed Student

College years bring fond memories to many, yet thinking back carefully, we may also remember those days as having been quite stressful. Financial worries, leaving home and being on our own for the first time, and trying to do well academically contribute to stressful transitions to college life. UCSC students also experience these struggles. Students are involved, to varying degrees, with their development as independent adults. Most are in the process of developing careers, relationships, life goals and their own individual identities. Situational and developmental problems frequently interfere with academic performance. In the college community, about 10 percent of the students may be distressed by depression, acute anxiety, drug or alcohol abuse, or more serious conditions. We have developed a campus resource list that addresses many of these issues.

Many students realize that stress is interfering with their personal and academic goals and seek counseling services on their own. However, faculty, teaching assistants, and university staff are often the first to recognize that a student may not be functioning well academically and/or emotionally. Students may turn to you because of your position and the respect they hold for you as a faculty or staff member. Faculty/staff often handle these difficult situations themselves. While the number of such contacts may be small, their significance is not.

You are in an excellent position to spot the emotionally troubled student. This may be as a result of your position as department secretary, dean, receptionist, or faculty. You may observe that at certain times of the year, particularly during examinations and holidays, students experience increased anxiety. The student's behavior, especially if it is inconsistent with your experience of him/her, could well constitute an inarticulate attempt to draw attention to his/her plight, a "cry for help."

Signs Of Distress

• Nervousness
• Increased irritability, undue aggressive or abrasive behavior
• Excessive procrastination, poorly prepared work
• Infrequent class attendance, little or no work completed
• Depression, lack of energy
• Marked change in personal hygiene
• Withdrawal, fearfulness
• Dependency (e.g., the student who hangs around you or makes excessive appointments to see you)
• Indecisiveness, confusion
• Bizarre, alarming, or dangerous behaviors

Guidelines For Interaction

Openly acknowledging to the students that you are aware of their distress, that you are sincerely concerned about their welfare, and that you are willing to help them explore their alternatives can have a profound effect. We encourage you whenever possible to speak directly to a student when you sense that he/she is in academic and/or personal distress.

• Request to see the student in private.
• Briefly acknowledge your observations and perceptions of their situation and express your concerns directly and honestly.
• Listen carefully to what the student is troubled about and try to see the issue from his/her point of view without necessarily agreeing or disagreeing.
• Strange and inappropriate behavior should not be ignored. The student can be informed that such behavior is distracting and inappropriate.
• Your receptivity to an alienated student will allow him/her to respond more effectively to your concerns.
• Involve yourself only as far as you are willing to go. At times, in an attempt to reach or help a troubled student, you may become more involved than time or skill permits. Extending oneself to others always involves some risk but it can be a gratifying experience when kept within realistic limits.

Consultation

If you are unsure how to respond to a specific student, consult with one of the professional staff at Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Suggestions will be made for approaches you can take with the student. The CAPS Staff can also assist with the referral process.

CAPS is committed to helping students increase their skills and resources in meeting their academic and interpersonal challenges and in becoming responsible and productive adults. The professional staff consists of psychologists, marriage and family therapists, social workers and predoctoral interns with diverse backgrounds and training.

Our services include individual, group and couples therapy, as well as numerous workshops on topic such as stress management, assertion skills and confidence-building. Staff also offer training and consultation services to student organizations, academic departments and other university agencies that have a high degree of contact with students.

Making A Referral

If you feel that professional counseling might be beneficial, refer the student to Counseling and Psychological Services. Be direct in letting the student know that you believe a psychologist would be of help in this situation. Inform the student that the service is both confidential and free of charge. A mutual decision is best. Don't force the issue if the student takes a defensive posture - simply restate your concerns and recommendations. If the student is receptive, you can suggest that he/she call for an appointment at 459-2628. You may even offer to contact a CAPS staff member and provide background information. If the situation seems urgent, you can call the CAPS receptionist and request to speak with the staff member on call.

II. Specific Guidelines For Helping Distressed Students

A. the verbally aggressive student.

Students sometimes become verbally abusive when confronted with frustrating situations which they perceive as beyond their control; anger and frustration become displaced from those situations to you. Typically, the anger is not a personal attack, although it may be directed at you.

• acknowledge their anger and frustration, e.g., "I hear how angry you are."
• rephrase what they are saying and identify their emotion, e.g., "I can see how upset you are because you feel your rights are being violated and nobody will listen."
• allow them to ventilate, get the feelings out, and tell you what is upsetting them
• reduce stimulation; invite the person to your office or other quiet place if this is comfortable
• tell them that you are not willing to accept their verbally abusive behavior, e.g., "When you yell and scream at me that way, I find it hard (impossible) to listen."
• tell them they are violating your personal space and to please move back (if they are getting physically too close), e.g., "Please stand back - you're too close."
• help the person problem-solve and deal with the real issues when he/she becomes calmer
• get into an argument or shouting match
• become hostile or punitive yourself, e.g., "You can't talk to me that way!"
• press for explanation or reasons for their behavior - "Now I'd like you to tell me exactly why you are so obnoxious."
• look away and not deal with the situation
• give away your own rights as a person

B. The Violent Or Physically Destructive Student

Violence related to emotional distress is very rare and typically occurs only when the student is completely frustrated, feels powerless, and is unable to exert sufficient self-control. The adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," best applies here.

• prevent total frustration and helplessness by quickly and calmly acknowledging the intensity of the situation, e.g., "I can see you're really upset and really mean business and have some critical concerns on your mind."
• explain clearly and directly what behaviors are acceptable, e.g., "You certainly have the right to be angry but hitting (breaking things) is not O.K."
• stay in open area divert attention when all else fails, e.g., "if you hit me, I can't be of help."
• get necessary help (other staff, University Police, Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services.)
• remember that student discipline is implemented by the Dean of Students Office
• ignore warning signs that the person is about to explode, e.g., yelling, screaming, clenched fists, statements like, "You're leaving me no choice."
• threaten, dare, taunt, or push into a corner

C. The Student In Poor Contact With Reality

These students have difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality, the dream from the waking state. Their thinking is typically illogical, confused, disturbed; they may coin new words, see or hear things which no one else can, have irrational beliefs, and exhibit bizarre or inappropriate behavior. Generally, these students are not dangerous and are very scared, frightened and overwhelmed.

• respond with warmth and kindness, but with firm reasoning
• remove extra stimulation of the environment and see them in a quiet atmosphere (if you are comfortable in doing so)
• acknowledge your concerns and state that you can see they need help, e.g., "It seems very hard for you to integrate all these things that are happening and I am concerned about you; I'd like to help."
• acknowledge the feelings or fears without supporting the misconceptions, e.g., "I understand you think they are trying to hurt you and I know how real it seems to you, but I don't hear the voices (see the devil, etc.)."
• reveal your difficulty in understanding them (when appropriate), e.g., "I'm sorry but I don't understand. Could you repeat that or say it in a different way?"
• focus on the "here and now." Switch topics and divert the focus from the irrational to the rational or the real
• speak to their healthy side, which they have. It's O.K. to joke, laugh, or smile when appropriate.
• argue or try to convince them of the irrationality of their thinking, which may lead them to defend their position (false perceptions) more ardently
• play along, e.g., "Oh yeah, I hear the voices (or see the devil)."
• encourage further revelations of craziness
• demand, command, or order
• expect customary emotional responses

D. The Suspicious Student

Typically, these students complain about something other than their psychological difficulties. They are tense, anxious, mistrustful, loners, and have few friends. They tend to interpret minor oversights as significant personal rejection and often overreact to insignificant occurrences. They see themselves as the focal point of everybody's behavior and everything that happens has special meaning to them. They are overly concerned with fairness and being treated equally. Feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy underline much of their behavior.

• express compassion without intimate friendship. Remember, suspicious students have trouble with closeness and warmth
• be firm, steady, punctual, and consistent
• be specific and clear regarding the standards of behavior you expect
• be aware that humor may be interpreted as rejection
• assure the student that you are his/her friend; agree you're a stranger, but even strangers can be concerned
• be overly warm and nurturing
• flatter or participate in their games; you don't know the rules
• challenge or agree with any mistaken or illogical beliefs
• be ambiguous

E. The Anxious Student

These students are highly anxious about the unknown and may perceive danger is everywhere. Uncertainty about expectations and interpersonal conflicts are primary causes of anxiety. High and unreasonable self-expectations increase anxiety also. These students often have trouble making decisions.

• let them discuss their feelings and thoughts. Often this alone relieves a great deal of pressure.
• reassure when appropriate
• remain calm
• be clear and explicit
• make things more complicated
• take responsibility for their emotional state
• overwhelm with information or ideas

F. The Demanding Passive Student

Typically, the utmost time and energy given to these students is not enough; they often seek to control your time and unconsciously believe the amount of time received is a reflection of their worth.

• let them, as much as possible, make their own decisions
• set limits on the time and energy you are willing to spend with the student
• let them use you as their only source of support
• get trapped into giving advice, "Why don't you, etc.?"

G. The Substance Abusing Student

Given the stresses of university life, students are especially susceptible to drug abuse. A variety of substances are available that provide escape from pressing demands. These drugs soon create their own set of problems in the form of addiction, accident proneness, and poor health. The most abused substance--so commonplace we often forget that it is a drug--is alcohol. Alcohol and other drug-related accidents remain the greatest single cause of preventable death among college students.

• be on the alert for signs of drug abuse: preoccupation with drugs, inability to participate in class activities, deteriorating performance in class, periods of memory loss (blackouts)
• share your honest concern for the person
• encourage to seek help
• get necessary help in instances of intoxication
• ignore the problem
• chastise/lecture
• encourage the behavior

H. The Depressed Student

Typically, these students get the most sympathy. They show a multitude of symptoms, e.g., guilt, low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, and inadequacy as well as physical symptoms such as decreased or increased appetite, difficulty staying asleep, early awakening, low interest in daily activities. Depressed students are frequently lethargic, but sometimes depression is accompanied by agitation.

• let student know you're aware he/she is feeling down and you would like to help
• reach out more than halfway and encourage the student to express how she/he is feeling, for he/she is often initially reluctant to talk, yet others' attention helps the student feel more worthwhile
• tell student of your concern
• say, "Don't worry," "Crying won't help," or "Everything will be better tomorrow."
• be afraid to ask whether the student is suicidal if you think he/she may be

III. The Suicidal Student

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. The suicidal person is intensely ambivalent about killing himself/herself and typically responds to help; suicidal states are definitely time limited and most who commit suicide are neither crazy nor psychotic. High risk indicators include: feelings of hopelessness and futility; a severe loss or threat of loss; a detailed suicide plan; history of a previous attempt; history of alcohol or drug abuse; and feelings of alienation and isolation. Suicidal students usually want to communicate their feelings; any opportunity to do so should be encouraged.

• take the student seriously - 80 percent of suicides give warning of their intent
• acknowledge that a threat of or attempt at suicide is a plea for help
• be available to listen, to talk, to be concerned, but refer the student to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center or other appropriate agency for professional help
• administer to yourself. Helping someone who is suicidal is hard, demanding, and draining work
• minimize the situation or depth of feeling, e.g., "Oh it will be much better tomorrow."
• be afraid to ask the person if they are so depressed or sad that they want to hurt themselves (e.g., "You seem so upset and discouraged that I'm wondering if you are considering suicide.")
• over commit yourself and, therefore, not be able to deliver on what you promise
• ignore your limitations

IV. Warning Signs of Potentially Suicidal Behavior

If you observe any of the following warning signs that might indicate suicidal risk, communicate them to a mental health professional as soon as possible.

• Expression of desire to kill him/herself or wishing to be dead
• Presence of a plan to harm self
• Means are available to carry out a plan to harm him/herself
• Suicide plan is specific as to time, place, notes already written
• High stress due to grief, illness, loss of new job, academic difficulty, etc.
• Symptoms of depression are present, such as loss of appetite, sleep, severe hopelessness or agitation, feeling of exhaustion, guilt/shame, loss of interest in school, work or sexual activities, change or deterioration of hygiene
• Intoxication or drug abuse (including alcohol)
• Previous suicide attempt by the individual, a friend or a family member
• Isolation, loneliness or lack of support
• Withdrawal or agitation
• Preparation to leave, giving away possessions, packing belongings
• Secretive behavior
• Major mood changes, e.g. elation of person who has been depressed, extroversion of previously quiet person
• Indirect comments implying death is an option, e.g., person implies he/she may not be around in the future
• Report an accessibility barrier
• Land Acknowledgment
• Accreditation

Last modified: February 15, 2018 128.114.113.82

I Can’t Concentrate

Depression and/or anxiety can severely impact our capacity to focus on the important things in our life, including our course. It is very easy to quickly fall behind with our studies, creating more problems for us to deal with.

One of the many great videos from www.itgetsbrighter.org

Student life tends to be hectic, with lots going on. If you are living in shared accommodation, it can be noisy, and difficult to avoid distraction from others. Likewise, if you are living on your own, feeling isolated or detached from others can also be problematic.

Problems with concentration will affect most students at one time or another, but depressed or anxious thinking habits set up a kind of internal ‘noise’ that can cause these problems to become intense or chronic. Take a look at the pages in the Making Changes and Self-Support section for more information.

Very few students sail through their degrees without a few study problems. Addressing issues sooner rather than later is vital in order to prevent study problems from getting you down. If we are experiencing depression or anxiety, it can feel so much harder, with everyday tasks presenting real challenges. If it feels too much to get out of bed or have a shower, focusing on academic work can sometimes feel impossible.

There are things we can do to help support ourselves at this time.

Problems With The C ourse

One of the commonest problems for students when they first start on a course is realising that it isn’t what they expected, or not suited to them in some way. Also, as people progress through their course, they may find it does not develop in the way they had hoped, or lose interest in their subject as time goes on. Depression and anxiety can also significantly, and falsely, contribute to people not enjoying or engaging with their studies.

Universities and colleges have an interest in students being on the right course for them, and will usually offer support in addressing problems of this nature. It is always important to speak with a Personal Tutor, or another member of staff in your department. We can often feel anxious about doing this, but people will usually find that approaching someone can be an important first step in dealing with problems.

Leaving Things to The Last Minute…

Procrastination is another very common student issue, which can be closely linked with any or all of the other issues discussed on this page. It is also a very common part of the depression habit spiral – the more things get put off, the more overwhelming they seem. Procrastination is particularly linked to the depressed thinking habits of perfectionism, self-bullying and all-or-nothing thinking.

There are a number of things we can do to support ourselves in getting things done. Have a look at the Making Changes information on this site for some ideas.

Time Management

Having to juggle a number of different demands can be extremely difficult; these might include study, work, family or other commitments, for example. Some university or college courses are quite structured, but many only specify a few lecture or seminar commitments a week, while expecting students to organise much of their own study independently. Making the mistake of seeing non-lecture time as ‘free’ time can leave students feeling lost and aimless, making space for depression to flourish. Alternatively, rushing around from one thing to the next without proper rest can suddenly lead to a depressed ‘burnout’.

There are a number of things we can do to support ourselves in managing the demands and expectations we encounter. Have a look at the Making Changes information on this site for some ideas.

Performance and Exam Anxiety

A little adrenaline helps performance, but over-worrying is a very good way to reduce efficiency and effectiveness, as well as exhausting ourselves. Depressed thinking habits and raised stress levels can get in the way of you doing your best in your studies. Getting your time management and concentration sorted is a good starting point. Use the study skills support and resources offered by your academic or student services department.

Planning and Practical Action

The most important first step for managing depression and anxiety is to focus on what you can practically do to support yourself. Basic planning and time management can help us feel more in control of things. There is a wealth of detailed advice provided by universities, colleges, and student organisations, for planning your student life effectively. Try these tips as a starting point:

• Get a good quality planner or diary with enough space to record all your commitments, or download from an app store a good quality ‘To-Do’ app and planner to use on your phone. These will often sync across to tablet and desktop computers too, meaning you have up-to-date information available across a number of sites.
• Use the planner to record all of your study commitments and deadlines, as well as other appointments or social events.
• Take some time to plan out your week effectively, so that you assign realistic and achievable blocks of time to study, leisure, work, and exercise. This is especially important if your course involves a lot of independent study and fewer organised contact hours. Remember that studying is not the only thing you need to be making time for!
• Plan your time for assignments, so you are realistic about what might be involved. Again, talking to a tutor about this might help. Starting is the hardest part, so plan to just make a very small step as your starting point (getting a book out of the library, for example).
• Or if the writing part is what you find hard to start, then jot down some random thoughts and sentences straight away without thinking too hard about it – once you have something down on the page, it is easier to shape a plan for going forward from there.
• Most universities will offer study skills courses or web resources. It is also worth talking to someone in your department, as departmental-specific resources may be available. These can be helpful, particularly when depression and/or anxiety are sapping your resources. Sometimes putting basic strategies in place can help considerably.

Tell Your Course Tutor About Your Difficulties

It is very important to tell your tutors about any struggles you are facing with your mental health, including depression and anxiety. Universities and colleges have a responsibility under law to ensure that students are appropriately supported and that, wherever possible, ‘reasonable adjustments’ can be made. Different institutions will do things slightly differently, but talk to your tutor and go to the Student Services centre (or equivalent in your institution) and explain the difficulties you are experiencing. They will treat your information confidentially and will talk to you about how you might be supported on your course. Support can include study skills, additional time in examinations or other deadlines, or more face-to-face support, for example.

What you will be offered will depend on your circumstances and what the institution has available. However, the important message here is to tell someone about what is happening.

POPULAR PAGES

What is Depression

What is Anxiety

Making Changes

Supporting a Friend

I am Concerned about Suicide

UNDERSTAND DEPRESSION

HELP OTHERS

CAMPAIGNING

A Charlie Waller Trust project in memory of Matthew Wood and Matthew Elvidge

www.charliewaller.org

Responding to a Student's Depression

Recognizing rita, helping students with depression, establish a touchstone teacher, teach study strategies, promote social interaction, communicate with the student's family, confront the issue of suicide, replicating this approach.

Premium Resource

Figure 2. Strategies to Help Students with Depression

Give frequent feedback on academic, social, and behavioral performance.

Teach the student how to set goals and self-monitor.

Teach problem-solving skills.

Coach the student in ways to organize, plan, and execute tasks demanded daily or weekly in school.

Develop modifications and accommodations to respond to the student's fluctuations in mood, ability to concentrate, or side effects of medication. Assign one individual to serve as a primary contact and coordinate interventions.

Give the student opportunities to engage in social interactions.

Frequently monitor whether the student has suicidal thoughts.

Develop a home–school communication system to share information on the student's academic, social, and emotional behavior and any developments concerning medication or side effects.

Brigham, R., & Brigham, M. (2001). Current practice alerts: Mnemonic instruction . Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.

Burke, K. C., Burke, J. D., Regier, D. A., & Rae, D. S. (1990). Age at onset of selected mental disorders in five community populations. Archives of General Psychiatry, 47 , 511–518.

Cash, R. E. (2003). When it hurts to be a teenager. Principal Leadership, 4 (2), 11–15.

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Davern, L. (2004). School-to-home notebooks: What parents have to say. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36 (56), 22–27.

Forehand, R., Brody, G. H., Long, N., & Fauber, R. (1988). The interactive influence of adolescent and maternal depression on adolescent social and cognitive functioning. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 12 , 341–350.

Hammen, C., & Rudolph, K. D. (2003). Childhood depression. In E. Mash & R. Barkley (Eds.), Childhood psychopathology (pp. 153–195). New York: Guilford Press.

Kashani, J., Rosenberg, T., & Reid, J. (1989). Developmental perspectives in child and adolescent depressive symptoms in a community sample. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146 , 871–875.

Kovacs, M., Feinberg, T. L., Crouse-Novak, M. A., Paulauskas, S. L., & Finkelstein, R. (1984). Depressive disorders in childhood: I. A longitudinal prospective study of characteristics and recovery. Archives of General Psychiatry, 41 , 229–237.

Lewinsohn, P. M., Hops, H., Roberts, R. E., Seeley, J. R., & Andrews, J. A. (1993). Adolescent psychopathology: I. Prevalence and incidence of depression and other DSM-III-R disorders in high school students. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102 , 133–144.

Mitchell, J., McCauley, E., Burke, P. M., & Moss, S. J. (1988). Phenomenology of depression in children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27 , 12–20.

Perkins, D. N. (1993). Person plus: A distributed view of thinking and learning. In G. Salmon (Ed.), Distributed cognition: Psychological and educational considerations (pp. 88–110). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

Trammel, D. L., Schloss, P. J., & Alper, S. (1994). Using self-recording, evaluation, and graphing to increase completion of homework assignments. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27 , 75–81.

Wolfe, L. H., Heron, T. E., & Goddard, Y. I. (2000). Effects of self-monitoring on the on-task behavior and written language performance of elementary students with learning disabilities. Journal of Behavioral Education, 10 , 49–73.

Wood, S. J., Murdock, J. Y., Cronin, M. E., Dawson, N. M., & Kirby, P. C. (1998). Effects of self-monitoring on on-task behaviors of at-risk middle school students. Journal of Behavioral Education, 9 , 263–279.

R. Marc A. Crundwell is a school psychologist with Greater Essex County District School Board, Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Kim Killu is associate professor of special education, School of Education, University of Michigan–Dearborn.

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

Let us help you put your vision into action., related articles.

The Power of “Habits of Mind” to Increase Emotional Awareness

The Value of “Expressive Flexibility”

Self-Care Is More Than a Buzzword

Tell Us About

The Power of Educator EQ

From our issue.

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Best Family Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

Small Ways to Feel Better When You're Depressed

• What Does Depression Feel Like?
• Identify Your Emotions
• Cope With Your Emotions
• When You Feel Lonely
• When You Feel Emotional
• When You Feel Unappreciated
• When You Feel a Loss of Interest
• When You Feel Irritable
• When You Feel Tired
• When You Feel Worthless
• When You Feel Anxious
• When You Feel Unhappy
• When You Feel Helpless
• When You Feel Hopeless

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Learn How Depression Affects You

Practice identifying emotions, explore ways to cope, take small steps.

• Next in Small Ways to Feel Better When You're Depressed Guide What Does Depression Feel Like?

Depression is more complicated than most people think. It’s not just about being sad and it certainly isn’t about being lazy. But those are common misconceptions that sometimes prevent people from seeking treatment and getting the help they need to feel better.

Even when you’re experiencing depression, it can be tough to identify how you’re feeling and it can be hard to take steps to improve your mood and outlook in the moment.

That’s why we put together this article—to help you on your journey in coping with your symptoms . A better understanding of how you’re feeling and what action you can take can empower you to live your best life even when you’re feeling depressed.

Some people experience more irritability than sadness when they're depressed, other people report feelings of guilt and hopelessness . And while some people report their emotions stay pretty constant, other people say their depression causes their emotions to shift pretty quickly.

Before you can make decisions about how to best cope with depression or what types of treatments you want to try, it’s essential to gain a better understanding of the emotions you’re experiencing.

Then, you can develop a plan for dealing with each of those emotions you're encountering. What works to calm you down when you’re feeling anxious might not be helpful when you’re feeling unappreciated .

Research has also shown that depression can affect how people interpret emotions. One study found that depressed people were less able to accurately recognize happiness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise. Another study found that depressed people are good at recognizing sad facial expressions, but struggle with other emotions, including happiness and surprise.

Some strategies that can help you better identify what you are feeling include the following:

• Keep a journal : Write down what you are experiencing and feeling in an emotional journal. As you write, you may find it easier to recognize your feelings. This can also help you spot patterns in your emotional responses.
• Track a single emotion : It can also be helpful to track a single emotion over time. Start noticing when you feel something, whether it's sadness, joy, or gratitude. With practice, you can better identify the feeling and what is causing it.
• Expand your emotional vocabulary : Recognize that emotional responses can be complex and mixed. Finding new ways to talk about emotions can add greater depth and understanding. Rather than just describing yourself as "sad," you might characterize what you feel as glum, dejected, regretful, downhearted, or sorrowful.

Identifying these emotional components you're encountering can help you develop strategies to feel better sooner. And while everyone's experience with depressive symptoms is a little different, developing a better understanding of the emotions you're encountering can help you determine which coping skills work best for you.

In addition to identifying your emotions, it is important to start taking steps toward changing those feelings. Treatments for depression are typically multi-faceted and can include medication, psychotherapy, and lifestyle changes. Some self-help strategies that can improve your ability to cope include:

• Creating a daily routine : Sticking to a consistent routine can be helpful when you are dealing with stress and depression. Having structure in your day also makes it easier to stick to healthy habits that can combat feelings of depression.
• Giving yourself things to look forward to : Research has shown that anticipating positive future events can positively affect well-being. It is essential to find things to look forward to, no matter how small.
• Getting regular exercise : Exercise can be helpful in both the prevention and treatment of depression . One study found that low, moderate, and high-intensity exercise effectively treated mild to moderate depression.
• Setting limits on social media/technology use : Spending too much time glued to your smartphone or tablet can also harm mental health, particularly when that time is spent scrolling through social media. In one study, social media users experienced a 70% increase in self-reported symptoms of depression.
• Spending time with others : While depression may cause you to want to withdraw from your loved ones, research has shown that decreased social support has a negative effect on depression symptoms. If you've withdrawn or isolated yourself, start taking steps to reach out to trusted friends and family members.
• Enjoying the outdoors : Evidence has shown that spending less time outdoors is linked to worse well-being and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. You can combat this by making a conscious effort to spend a little time outside each day. Something as simple as walking around your neighborhood can help increase your outdoor time and improve your emotional well-being.

Your depression will try to convince you that nothing will work to help you feel better . It’ll tell you there’s no use in trying any formal treatment, and any steps you take to improve your emotional state will be useless.

It may tell you there's no sense in taking medication because it won't work. Or, your depression might try to convince you that you shouldn't talk to a therapist because talking won't help. Consequently, you might not take any action that could help you feel better.

That’s what depression does to your brain—it makes you think unrealistically negative thoughts.

Try New Strategies

But, the truth is, you won’t know if various strategies work until you try them. You don’t have any take huge leaps to help yourself feel better (that’s likely to feel overwhelming when you’re depressed). Instead, you can try small steps to see if specific strategies help you feel better.

How to Combat Defeating Thoughts

A great mantra to create for yourself: “Let’s try.” Even as your depression tries to talk you out of doing something, remind yourself, you won’t know if it could help until you at least give it a try.

To do so, however, you'll have to go against what your brain is telling you. For example, depression might try to convince you to just stay in bed all day. But staying in bed is likely to keep you stuck in a depressed mood.

Push Yourself

You might have to push yourself to get up, get dressed, go for a walk, or call a friend. While you might think none of things will help you feel better (or you might even think they'll make you feel worse), getting active might decrease your symptoms a little if you're willing to try.

Find What Works for You

Think of various coping strategies as experiments. Some of them may help you feel better and others might not necessarily work for you. But the more experiments you try, the better equipped you'll be in identifying which strategies best reduce your symptoms.

Press Play for Advice On Positive Thinking

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to create a personal mantra to boost positive thinking. Click below to listen now.

Subscribe Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

A Word From Verywell

While it’s important to have professionals who are helping you manage your depression, like a physician and a therapist , there are also many strategies you can try at home to alleviate your symptoms.

In this special series, we’ve gathered some tips and strategies for coping with the various emotional aspects of depression. If you give them a try, you might discover that they help you experience some relief from your symptoms of depression.

Dalili MN, Penton-Voak IS, Harmer CJ, Munafò MR. Meta-analysis of emotion recognition deficits in major depressive disorder .  Psychol Med . 2015;45(6):1135-1144. doi:10.1017/S0033291714002591

Gollan JK, McCloskey M, Hoxha D, Coccaro EF. How do depressed and healthy adults interpret nuanced facial expressions ?  J Abnorm Psychol . 2010;119(4):804-810. doi:10.1037/a0020234

Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA.  The importance of creating habits and routine .  Am J Lifestyle Med . 2018;13(2):142–144. doi:10.1177/1559827618818044

Luo Y, Chen X, Qi S, You X, Huang X. Well-being and anticipation for future positive events: Evidences from an fMRI study .  Front Psychol . 2018;8:2199. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02199

Helgadóttir B, Hallgren M, Ekblom Ö, Forsell Y.  Training fast or slow? Exercise for depression: A randomized controlled trial .  Prev Med . 2016;91:123-131. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.011

Escobar-Viera CG, Whitfield DL, Wessel CB, et al. For better or for worse? A systematic review of the evidence on social media use and depression among lesbian, gay, and bisexual minorities .  JMIR Ment Health . 2018;5(3):e10496. doi:10.2196/10496

Grey I, Arora T, Thomas J, Saneh A, Tohme P, Abi-Habib R. The role of perceived social support on depression and sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic .  Psychiatry Res . 2020;293:113452. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113452

Jimenez MP, DeVille NV, Elliott EG, et al. Associations between nature exposure and health: A review of the evidence .  Int J Environ Res Public Health . 2021;18(9):4790. doi:10.3390/ijerph18094790

By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

13 Helpful Worksheets for Combating Depression

However, when a depressed mood or unbearable sadness is present for a long time – a couple of weeks or months – then it might meet the criteria for depression.

Depression affects over 264 million people worldwide. Between 76% and 85% of those experiencing depression do not seek or receive treatment for their disorder (World Health Organization, 2020a).

This article provides a starting point to understand depressive symptoms and also offers helping professionals resources to assist their patients with recovery.

Please note that the resources provided in this article are not a substitute for treatment from a medical professional. If you are suffering from depression or know someone who is, we recommend you seek help. Guidance is provided at the end of this article.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free . These science-based exercises will equip you and those you work with, with tools to manage stress better and find a healthier balance in your life.

This Article Contains:

2 worksheets to help combat depression, handouts for cbt sessions, 2 group therapy worksheets, depression worksheets for teens and youth, 4 worksheets on coping skills, positivepsychology.com’s toolkit resources, a take-home message.

Individuals who experience depression often deal with difficult emotions and engage in unhelpful thought patterns that worsen their depression. One of those responses that is widely recognized is excessive guilt .

Excessive guilt is one of the distinctive symptoms of depression, as it is often exaggerated and experienced out of context (Pulcu, Zahn, & Elliott, 2013).

Typically, individuals with major depressive disorder feel guilty for their emotions and are often upset at themselves for being affected by depression, as they feel they are worthless for being in a depressive state.

One of the most common types of guilt experienced by individuals who have depression is called omnipotent responsibility guilt , which is defined as “taking responsibility for events which may be out of one’s control and feeling guilty about their consequences” (Pulcu et al., 2013, p. 312).

Often, individuals with depression take responsibility for situations they have little or no control over, causing them to feel a sense of overwhelming guilt, even when they had nothing to do with the outcome.

Understanding what parts of a situation you can control or influence is an essential part of seeking treatment for depression. The Control–Influence–Accept Model (Thompson & Thompson, 2008) originated as a means to help people be more productive at work.

However, the basic principles of the model aim to identify pieces of a situation that you can control or influence, as well as aspects of a situation you may have to adapt to or accept.

If these sound like issues you are struggling with, feel free to consult the following worksheets:

1. Control–Influence–Accept Model

This is a good activity for individuals with depression to help break down situations. The model allows better visualization of different aspects of a situation and what specifically can be controlled, instead of worrying about all the possible outcomes.

2. Guilt and Shame: Emotions That Drive Depression

Guilt and shame are two emotions that drive your emotions when depression manifests. This exercise will help you identify guilt and shame that drives your depression and provides suggestions for channeling those emotions to facilitate more positive thinking  patterns.

CBT operates on the principle that emotional reactions and behaviors are influenced by cognitions (Westbrook, Kennerley, & Kirk, 2011).

Our behavior is governed by these cognitions, meaning that someone with anxiety might display more anxious behavior or engage in negative thinking patterns.

When an individual is affected by depression, they can experience cognitive distortions that are negatively biased errors in thinking. When individuals experience automatic thoughts, they are typically consistent with their core beliefs about aspects of themselves, others, and the world (Rnic, Dozois, & Martin, 2016).

Therefore, individuals who are experiencing depressive thoughts or symptomatology tend to have negatively charged core beliefs, which activate negative automatic thoughts. The cycle of negative thinking causes the symptoms of depression to continue and consolidate negative thoughts as part of an individual’s emotional response.

Our worksheet on Unhelpful Thinking Patterns categorizes the unhelpful thinking patterns that are present when someone is experiencing depression. It also provides strategies for individuals to reconstruct their thinking and identify the negative thinking patterns they might engage in.

Because of negative thinking patterns or cognitions, individuals often develop negative beliefs about everyday situations. This may cause them to change their behavior.

This worksheet on Behavioral Experiments to Test Beliefs encourages you to challenge your negative thoughts or beliefs. You are assisted to develop a hypothesis from your beliefs and test whether your negative core beliefs actually come true.

It is a useful worksheet if you are trying to confront negative beliefs about a specific situation, such as going out in social situations, or struggling to leave home. Having a concrete situation will allow you to better challenge the negative thinking patterns you might experience.

Download 3 Free Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients with tools to manage stress better and find a healthier balance in their life.

Download 3 Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

• Email Address *
• Your Expertise * Your expertise Therapy Coaching Education Counseling Business Healthcare Other
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Delivering CBT in a group therapy format is sometimes recommended for those who may benefit from a group to relate to when dealing with symptoms and situations specific to depression.

Individuals may also benefit from group cohesion and can potentially use the group as an arena for challenging their negative thoughts and behavior (Thimm & Antonsen, 2014).

1. Awareness of the mind

One of the most important goals in group therapy is for participants to get comfortable telling their story and learning about themselves. I Am is an introductory activity for people doing group therapy. Filling out the prompts helps them define themselves, specifically their boundaries and strengths.

The ultimate goal of the ‘I Am’ exercise is for the individual to gain an awareness of their own mind. They can then share this activity with other participants so they can all get to know each other better, form a trusting bond, and promote a safe space to discuss their depression.

2. Contributing events

Often, people with depression can identify a series of events that may have contributed to the development or worsening of their condition.

My Depression Story is designed for individuals taking part in group therapy. It encourages participants to make a timeline of their lives, highlighting key moments that have shaped their individual perceptions. It then asks them to do the same thing with their depression so they can better understand what the contributing factors may have been.

By sharing these events with the group, they can determine how depression has affected their perceptions and figure out a healthier way to map out their goals from now on.

According to the World Health Organization (2020b), one in six youths between the ages of 10 and 19 are affected by a mental illness. Moreover, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.

Therefore, it is essential to have resources and information for teens and their parents so they can identify the symptoms of depression. If you suspect your teen is experiencing depressive symptoms or you simply want to learn more, read on for resources you could use.

Recognizing the warning signs of depression is one of the most important preventative measures a parent or guardian can take to ensure that their teenager gets the help they need.

Our Depression Fact Sheet for Teenagers is designed to break down the symptoms and behaviors that characterize depression specific to teenagers. It also provides resources for teenagers to consult if they have a friend who is experiencing these symptoms and don’t know what to do.

Teenagers in particular may struggle to put their emotions into words, specifically when they are experiencing depression. This Letter to a Loved One About My Depression activity provides ideas for teenagers to help express their feelings. It even has a template that they can fill in and print if they are having trouble finding the right way to tell a parent or another loved one about their depression.

As discussed in the previous section, confronting negative thoughts is a central part of dealing with depression. The Depressive Thoughts for Teens worksheet acts as a companion to the Unhelpful Thinking Styles  worksheet.

It has specific activities for teenagers to break down their responses to various situations and an example to follow when confronting their negative thoughts. We encourage parents to complete this alongside their teenager to help them identify trigger situations and provide more productive problem-solving solutions.

An important part of facilitating long-term recovery from depression is to encourage coping skills that individuals can implement in their everyday lives when they feel overwhelmed or upset.

Coping strategies “consist of behaviors, primarily management and problem-solving techniques that are implemented to manage stressful situations” (Bautista & Erwin, 2013, p. 687).

Coping skills can either focus on targeting the problem (problem-based) or seek to make yourself feel better when the circumstances are out of your control (emotion-based).

The point of introducing these coping skills is not only to give individuals strategies to fight off depression, but also to discourage the use of unhealthy coping strategies (e.g., drugs, alcohol, avoidance, overeating, or overspending). These are strategies that provide instant gratification  but could have negative consequences if the unhealthy patterns continue.

1. Deep breathing

If you are looking for a technique that is easy to do and free of charge, consider exploring deep breathing. Three Steps to Deep Breathing gives you a quick overview of how to use deep breathing when you are feeling stressed, upset, or overwhelmed.

Our Power of Deep Breathing article also provides more details about how deep breathing can help you overcome stress and anxiety, and introduces practices where deep breathing is commonly used (e.g., yoga, meditation).

2. Coping style

Part of knowing how to implement coping skills into your daily routine is to understand what your coping style is and what strategies might work best for you. This Coping Styles Formulation activity helps individuals work with their therapist to identify the problem that is causing them distress.

By delving deeper into the events and actions that caused the problem, they may be able to better understand what coping style or skills they need to implement, especially if this is a recurring issue that causes distress.

3. Self-care

Another important part of coping is to implement self-care. Self-care is any activity that involves taking care of our mental, emotional, or physical health. Self-care not only leads to improved mood and reduced anxiety, but can also improve your self-esteem (Michael, 2016).

This Self-Care Checkup gives ideas for self-care and allows you to rate how often you engage in each activity. This worksheet also divides self-care into emotional, physical, social, professional, and spiritual self-care. It will reveal which area of your life needs the most attention and help you implement the strategies as needed.

4. Self-love

Additionally, this Self-Love Journal is helpful for daily self-care, as it gives you an opportunity to think about the moments and aspects of yourself that are positive, rather than focusing on more difficult things that are happening.

17 Exercises To Reduce Stress & Burnout

Help your clients prevent burnout, handle stressors, and achieve a healthy, sustainable work-life balance with these 17 Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises [PDF].

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

We have an excellent selection of resources that can assist those battling depression. For therapists, the following masterclasses and worksheets will equip you to be better able to support your clients.

Self-Acceptance Masterclass

The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© is an excellent tool for practitioners and individuals who are struggling with accepting themselves. Often, a strong driver of depression is an individual’s difficulty with loving and accepting themselves for who they are.

This course focuses on building a healthy relationship with yourself first by using science-based activities to help build your self-esteem. This is also an excellent resource for practitioners who have a client who is struggling with depression and low self-esteem.

Meaning & Valued Living Masterclass

This masterclass on Meaning and Valued Living aims to help individuals find meaning in everyday life. People with depression often struggle to find meaning or value in themselves or their everyday actions, as they are caught in a cycle of negative thought patterns and experiences.

This course aims to help them regain a sense of purpose and find value in the contributions they are making, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.

17 Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others manage stress without spending hours on research and session prep, this collection contains 17 validated stress management tools for practitioners. Use them to help others identify signs of burnout and create more balance in their lives.

Depression can be a difficult condition to overcome, especially when you feel lonely or isolated. Changing your thinking and behavior can be a daunting task, as it is often less intimidating to stick with something you are familiar with, even if it has a negative impact on your daily living.

Reading this article is a great first step to understand depression and struggles with negative thoughts. Be kind to yourself, and remember that every small step you take along your self-improvement journey is an important one and should be celebrated.

Reach out to a professional, close friend, or family member to help you with the next steps. Getting out of the hole is a challenging journey, so asking for help and someone to be on your side is the best decision you can take. You don’t have to do this alone.

If you are struggling with severe symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts, please call the following number in your respective country:

• USA: National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988
• UK: Samaritans hotline at 116 123
• The Netherlands: Netherlands Suicide Hotline at 0900 0767
• France: Suicide écoute at 01 45 39 40 00
• Australia: Lifeline at 13 11 14
• Germany: Telefonseelsorge at 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222

For a list of other suicide prevention websites, phone numbers, and resources, see this website or consult Open Counseling’s list of International Suicide and Emergency Hotlines . Resources are listed by country, and you can click on the ‘more hotlines’ and ‘in-person counseling’ tabs to get further help.

Please know that there are people who care and treatments that can help.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free .

• Bautista, R. E., & Erwin, P. A. (2013). Analyzing depression coping strategies of patients with epilepsy: A preliminary study. Seizure , 22 , 686–691.
• Michael, R. (2016, August 10). What self-care is and what it isn’t. Psych Central. Retrieved April 23, 2021, from https://psychcentral.com/blog/what-self-care-is-and-what-it-isnt-2#1
• Pulcu, E., Zahn, R., & Elliott, R. (2013). The role of self-blaming moral emotions in major depression and their impact on social decision making. Frontiers in Psychology , 4 , 310–319.
• Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J. A., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive distortions, humor styles and depression. Europe’s Journal of Psychology , 12 (3), 348–362.
• Thimm, J. C., & Antonsen, L. (2014). Effectiveness of cognitive behavior group therapy for depression in routine practice. BMC Psychiatry , 14 (292), 1–9.
• Thompson, N., & Thompson, S. (2008). The critically reflective practitioner . MacMillian International Higher Education.
• Westbrook, D., Kennerley, H., & Kirk, J. (2011). An introduction to cognitive behavior therapy: Skills and applications (2nd ed.). SAGE.
• World Health Organization. (2020a). Depression . Retrieved April 21, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
• World Health Organization. (2020b). Adolescent mental health . Retrieved April 22, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

A well thought through piece of work. Relevant for today, and going forward. The information here is applicable to people of all faith or no faith. A wealth of resources, which is useful for me in varying capacity.

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Overcome Languishing & Flourish: A Positive Psychology Guide

Amidst the turmoil of the recent pandemic, one positive psychology construct has captured more attention than any other. As societies worldwide had to endure lockdowns [...]

7 Trauma Response Types & How to Recognize Them

Over-sharing. Over-explaining. Trauma dumping. Hyperindependence. Hypersexualization. People pleasing. Do these sound like common traits your clients have? These may not be character traits but, instead, [...]

6 Best Diaphragmatic Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety

Our brain controls our breathing largely without conscious awareness. We shower, watch football, listen to music, and sleep while our respiratory system functions in the [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (53)
• Coaching & Application (58)
• Compassion (25)
• Counseling (51)
• Emotional Intelligence (23)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (21)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (20)
• Mindfulness (44)
• Motivation & Goals (45)
• Optimism & Mindset (34)
• Positive CBT (30)
• Positive Communication (22)
• Positive Education (48)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (19)
• Positive Parenting (16)
• Positive Psychology (34)
• Positive Workplace (37)
• Productivity (18)
• Relationships (45)
• Resilience & Coping (39)
• Self Awareness (21)
• Self Esteem (38)
• Strengths & Virtues (32)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (34)
• Theory & Books (46)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (64)

• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

3 Stress Exercises Pack

Apply code CARE20 to start therapy with 20% off .

How to get motivated when depressed: 8 manageable steps.

Try therapy tailored to your unique needs

Table of Contents

If you live with depression, then you already know that a lack of motivation is one of the most challenging parts to live with. Depression can cause symptoms like fatigue and loss of interest in activities that can sap you of all motivation to do anything. 

But there are ways that you can get your motivation and zest for life back, including addressing underlying depression symptoms and using self-help techniques.

Here, we’ll give you 8 actionable steps that can help you get motivated again, even during a depressive episode.

1. Start with small, manageable goals

Depression can often make us feel overwhelmed. Even tasks that are “easy” on the surface may feel insurmountable when you’re in a depressive episode. 

For example, you might typically keep your house tidy. But when you’re facing depression symptoms, even keeping one area clean might feel completely overwhelming.

To combat this, keep your goals small and realistic . A goal of “washing the dishes” may be difficult to gather motivation for when you’re depressed. Smaller steps might be to put all of the dishes in the sink, clear the dishwasher, or wash just one dish. 

Once you have your list of manageable goals, start with the smallest and easiest ones. 

You might be tempted to get the harder steps out of the way first – and if you’re feeling motivated enough to do so, then you can try this – but generally, starting with the easiest steps helps you gain a sense of mastery and accomplishment. This can help you feel more confident to tackle the other, more challenging goals on your list.

Revisiting the example above, if gathering all the dishes in the sink feels too overwhelming, start with something easier, like clearing the dishwasher. 

If it’s still difficult to feel motivated, start with something even more manageable, like taking just one dish out of the dishwasher.

2. Stick to your routine 

Having a healthy routine and sticking to it can be immensely helpful during a depressive episode. 

Routines consist of habits, and habits are behaviors that you can repeat without even thinking about it. When you’re depressed, it’s typically easier to stick to a familiar routine than to implement new habits.

It’s best to start building a healthy routine when you’re not in a depressive episode. Fill your regular daily routine with healthy habits, like taking a walk after work, journaling in the morning, winding down for bed an hour before you go to sleep, and calling friends on certain days.

When you already have a solid routine built up, it may be easier to stick with it, even when depression saps you of all motivation. – Saya Des Marais, MSW, Therapist-turned-mental health writer Click to post

3. Engage in Opposite Action

Opposite Action is a technique from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which is an evidence-based treatment method for people facing severe depression and suicidal thoughts. 

This technique teaches you how to regulate your emotions by changing your behavior.

The basis of Opposite Action is that every emotion comes with an “action urge.” 

For example, if you feel afraid, you may have the urge to run away. If you feel angry, you may feel the urge to yell or attack. If you’re ashamed, you may feel the urge to hide. 

In Opposite Action, you can change the emotion by acting in a way that’s the direct opposite to the action urge.

When you feel depressed, the action urges may be to self-isolate, to stay in bed, or to use unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance use. 

Using Opposite Action, you can: 

• First, acknowledge the emotion (depression, sadness, hopelessness, etc.) and the action urges associated. 
• Then, ask yourself if expressing the emotion in this way would be effective. Would these actions make you feel better?
• If not, use Opposite Action – do an action that’s the direct opposite of the action urge. For this example, some possibilities might be to reach out to friends, get out of bed, or avoid substances.
• Repeat Opposite Action until the emotion changes.

4. Reframe unhelpful and negative thoughts

Negative thoughts can often get in the way of motivation, especially when you live with depression. Depression can cause you to fall into unhelpful thinking traps. 

You might have thoughts like:

• I’m a loser. 
• I’m so lazy. I barely did anything today.
• Why can’t I just get up and do this?
• Even if I do this, it won’t make a difference.
• Nothing will ever make me feel better.
• My friends don’t want to see me anyway.

However, these thinking patterns are not rooted in objective truth, and can cause a lack of motivation to become even worse. It’s important to know how to challenge and reframe these thoughts that are getting in your way.

For example, you could reframe the above thoughts as:

• I’m just a human being with a mental health condition. I’m doing my best.
• I was able to brush my teeth and shower today. That’s an accomplishment.
• Depression is making me feel a lack of motivation. It’s important to be kind to myself.
• Based on scientific research as well as my own past experiences, I know that if I go spend time in nature, I may feel better.
• I have depression, but depression is manageable. There are effective treatments out there that have been found to help.
• I have no evidence that my friends don’t want to see me. They have only ever shown me love and support.

5. Use behavioral activation

Behavioral activation is a cognitive-behavioral (CBT) technique based on the idea that often, behavior precedes emotion. In other words, you might feel now like you’re too depressed to do anything – you don’t want to see friends, exercise, or go outside.

Behavioral activation teaches that you don’t need to wait for an emotion to change your behavior. In other words, you don’t need to “feel” like doing it to do it. Often, the behavior comes first – if you can see friends, exercise, or go outside even while feeling depressed, then you’re likely to feel better afterwards.

This is helpful for people with depression because depression and motivation can often get locked in a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. You don’t feel the desire to exercise or socialize when you’re depressed, so you don’t. But the longer you go without these healthy habits, the worse you feel – and you’re even less likely to engage in these habits.

Behavioral activation is one of the best ways to break this cycle. Try to do these healthy things anyway, even when you don’t want to. You don’t need to wait to feel better to change your behavior. – Saya Des Marais, MSW, Therapist-turned-mental health writer Click to post

6. Connect with a supportive environment

One of the best things you can do for your overall mental health is to connect with supportive people. Research shows that people who feel like their environments are supportive are more likely to be motivated. [1] Tezci, E., Sezer, F., Gürgân, U., & Aktan, S. (2015). A study on social support and motivation. ˜the œAnthropologist/Anthropologist , 22 (2), 284–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891879

In other words, you’re more likely to feel motivated when your closest loved ones are around you, cheering you on.

Unfortunately, social support and depression have a complex relationship and can get locked in a negative cycle. You need support the most when you’re depressed, but depression may make you feel unwanted or cause you to self-isolate. – Saya Des Marais, MSW, Therapist-turned-mental health writer Click to post

It’s important not to give into the temptation to isolate when you live with depression. Remember the behavioral activation technique – even if you don’t feel the desire to connect with others, doing it anyway can change your emotions. 

Reach out to loved ones. Schedule time to call them or spend time with them. Let them know your goals, and ask them to keep you accountable. This can help you stay motivated.

7. Reward yourself for small steps

It’s important to be your own cheerleader when it comes to depression. Celebrate every win, even the smallest ones. Reframe any negative thoughts that tell you that these small steps don’t count. Every step counts when you’re battling depression.

For example, maybe you’re in a depressive episode and have the goal of going to the gym and running 5 miles. You’re able to change into your gym clothes but feel too unmotivated and depressed to actually drive to the gym.

It’s easy to judge yourself for this. You may have thoughts like, “ I’m a failure. I didn’t meet my goal. ” But these thoughts are likely to only make you more depressed. Instead, reframe and affirm yourself for the step you did take: “ I was able to change into gym clothes. That’s more than I could do yesterday. ”

Reward yourself for these small steps. This can build an upward momentum of action and keep you motivated to continue making progress. – Saya Des Marais, MSW, Therapist-turned-mental health writer Click to post

8. Seek professional help for depression and motivation

Lastly, don’t forget that depression is a chronic health condition that requires treatment just like any other. 

Often, when we’re depressed, we tend to judge ourselves as “just lazy.” We may think we should just be able to become motivated and pull ourselves out of depression with sheer willpower .

The truth is that, without the right treatment, depression doesn’t tend to get better. Although these tips can help you feel more motivated when you’re depressed, it’s also important to address the root cause of the lack of motivation: depression (and possibly other mental health conditions).

It’s not your fault that you live with depression, and you deserve support.

A therapist can help address underlying depression using tools like cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy . In therapy, you can learn different ways of managing depression symptoms and build an activity plan that you can stick to even when depression causes a complete lack of motivation.

A word from Calmerry

At Calmerry, we understand how debilitating depression can be and how it can sap your motivation and zest for life. 

Our team of licensed therapists is here to help you through this challenging time. With online therapy for depression , you can access professional support from the comfort of your own home, on your own schedule. 

Our therapists specialize in evidence-based treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, which have been proven effective in managing depression and regaining motivation. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to match you with your therapist within 1 hour.

Tezci, E., Sezer, F., Gürgân, U., & Aktan, S. (2015). A study on social support and motivation. ˜the œAnthropologist/Anthropologist , 22 (2), 284–292. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891879

Calmerry editorial process and standards

• Personalized online therapy Choose video, messaging, or both to fit your schedule and comfort. Get matched with your therapist within 1 hour. Learn more
• One 60-minute live video session See how online therapy works and get quick support with a single therapy session. No commitments. Learn more

Related articles:

Understanding Anhedonia: Why You’re Losing Interest In Things You Used to Enjoy

By: Saya Des Marais --> --> March 29, 2024

The Silent Suffering of High-Functioning Depression

By: Lindsay Renner Schwartz --> --> October 25, 2023

Types of Psychotherapy for Depression

By: Kate Dubé --> --> February 1, 2023

Latest articles

Does Calmerry Accept Insurance? – Exhaustive Answer

By: Calmerry Care Team --> --> June 18, 2024

What Is Masculinity? The Idea of the Male Identity in Modern Society

By: Jack Shaw --> --> June 13, 2024

How to Stop People-Pleasing and Start Feeling Your True Self

By: Dr. Jenni Jacobsen --> --> June 11, 2024

Calmerry is now trending on Product Hunt!

Homework Struggles May Not Be a Behavior Problem

Exploring some options to understand and help..

Posted August 2, 2022 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

• Mental health challenges and neurodevelopmental differences directly affect children's ability to do homework.
• Understanding what difficulties are getting in the way—beyond the usual explanation of a behavior problem—is key.
• Sleep and mental health needs can take priority over homework completion.

Chelsea was in 10th grade the first time I told her directly to stop doing her homework and get some sleep. I had been working with her since she was in middle school, treating her anxiety disorder. She deeply feared disappointing anyone—especially her teachers—and spent hours trying to finish homework perfectly. The more tired and anxious she got, the harder it got for her to finish the assignments.

One night Chelsea called me in despair, feeling hopeless. She was exhausted and couldn’t think straight. She felt like a failure and that she was a burden to everyone because she couldn’t finish her homework.

She was shocked when I told her that my prescription for her was to go to sleep now—not to figure out how to finish her work. I told her to leave her homework incomplete and go to sleep. We briefly discussed how we would figure it out the next day, with her mom and her teachers. At that moment, it clicked for her that it was futile to keep working—because nothing was getting done.

This was an inflection point for her awareness of when she was emotionally over-cooked and when she needed to stop and take a break or get some sleep. We repeated versions of this phone call several times over the course of her high school and college years, but she got much better at being able to do this for herself most of the time.

When Mental Health Symptoms Interfere with Homework

Kids with mental health or neurodevelopmental challenges often struggle mightily with homework. Challenges can come up in every step of the homework process, including, but not limited to:

• Remembering and tracking assignments and materials
• Getting the mental energy/organization to start homework
• Filtering distractions enough to persist with assignments
• Understanding unspoken or implied parts of the homework
• Remembering to bring finished homework to class
• Being in class long enough to know the material
• Tolerating the fear of not knowing or failing
• Not giving up the assignment because of a panic attack
• Tolerating frustration—such as not understanding—without emotional dysregulation
• Being able to ask for help—from a peer or a teacher and not being afraid to reach out

This list is hardly comprehensive. ADHD , autism spectrum disorder, social anxiety , generalized anxiety, panic disorder, depression , dysregulation, and a range of other neurodevelopmental and mental health challenges cause numerous learning differences and symptoms that can specifically and frequently interfere with getting homework done.

The Usual Diagnosis for Homework Problems is "Not Trying Hard Enough"

Unfortunately, when kids frequently struggle to meet homework demands, teachers and parents typically default to one explanation of the problem: The child is making a choice not to do their homework. That is the default “diagnosis” in classrooms and living rooms. And once this framework is drawn, the student is often seen as not trying hard enough, disrespectful, manipulative, or just plain lazy.

The fundamental disconnect here is that the diagnosis of homework struggles as a behavioral choice is, in fact, only one explanation, while there are so many other diagnoses and differences that impair children's ability to consistently do their homework. If we are trying to create solutions based on only one understanding of the problem, the solutions will not work. More devastatingly, the wrong solutions can worsen the child’s mental health and their long-term engagement with school and learning.

To be clear, we aren’t talking about children who sometimes struggle with or skip homework—kids who can change and adapt their behaviors and patterns in response to the outcomes of that struggle. For this discussion, we are talking about children with mental health and/or neurodevelopmental symptoms and challenges that create chronic difficulties with meeting homework demands.

How Can You Help a Child Who Struggles with Homework?

How can you help your child who is struggling to meet homework demands because of their ADHD, depression, anxiety, OCD , school avoidance, or any other neurodevelopmental or mental health differences? Let’s break this down into two broad areas—things you can do at home, and things you can do in communication with the school.

Helping at Home

The following suggestions for managing school demands at home can feel counterintuitive to parents—because we usually focus on helping our kids to complete their tasks. But mental health needs jump the line ahead of task completion. And starting at home will be key to developing an idea of what needs to change at school.

• Set an end time in the evening after which no more homework will be attempted. Kids need time to decompress and they need sleep—and pushing homework too close to or past bedtime doesn’t serve their educational needs. Even if your child hasn’t been able to approach the homework at all, even if they have avoided and argued the whole evening, it is still important for everyone to have a predictable time to shut down the whole process.
• If there are arguments almost every night about homework, if your child isn’t starting homework or finishing it, reframe it from failure into information. It’s data to put into problem-solving. We need to consider other possible explanations besides “behavioral choice” when trying to understand the problem and create effective solutions. What problems are getting in the way of our child’s meeting homework demands that their peers are meeting most of the time?
• Try not to argue about homework. If you can check your own anxiety and frustration, it can be more productive to ally with your child and be curious with them. Kids usually can’t tell you a clear “why” but maybe they can tell you how they are feeling and what they are thinking. And if your child can’t talk about it or just keeps saying “I don't know,” try not to push. Come back another time. Rushing, forcing, yelling, and threatening will predictably not help kids do homework.

Helping at School

The second area to explore when your neurodiverse child struggles frequently with homework is building communication and connections with school and teachers. Some places to focus on include the following.

• Label your child’s diagnoses and break down specific symptoms for the teachers and school team. Nonjudgmental, but specific language is essential for teachers to understand your child’s struggles. Breaking their challenges down into the problems specific to homework can help with building solutions. As your child gets older, help them identify their difficulties and communicate them to teachers.
• Let teachers and the school team know that your child’s mental health needs—including sleep—take priority over finishing homework. If your child is always struggling to complete homework and get enough sleep, or if completing homework is leading to emotional meltdowns every night, adjusting their homework demands will be more successful than continuing to push them into sleep deprivation or meltdowns.
• Request a child study team evaluation to determine if your child qualifies for services under special education law such as an IEP, or accommodations through section 504—and be sure that homework adjustments are included in any plan. Or if such a plan is already in place, be clear that modification of homework expectations needs to be part of it.

The Long-Term Story

I still work with Chelsea and she recently mentioned how those conversations so many years ago are still part of how she approaches work tasks or other demands that are spiking her anxiety when she finds herself in a vortex of distress. She stops what she is doing and prioritizes reducing her anxiety—whether it’s a break during her day or an ending to the task for the evening. She sees that this is crucial to managing her anxiety in her life and still succeeding at what she is doing.

Task completion at all costs is not a solution for kids with emotional needs. Her story (and the story of many of my patients) make this crystal clear.

Candida Fink, M.D. , is board certified in child/adolescent and general psychiatry. She practices in New York and has co-authored two books— The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child and Bipolar Disorder for Dummies.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

Solving Procrastination

Student Syndrome: Why People Delay Until Right Before Deadlines

The student syndrome is a phenomenon where people delay doing things until right before the deadline. For example, a student who postpones working on an assignment until the night before it’s due is displaying the student syndrome.

This behavior is called the “student syndrome” because of how common it is among  students . However, people other than students often also display it, for example when it comes to workplace projects .

Because the student syndrome is common, and because it can lead to various issues, such as worse performance and increased stress, it’s important to understand it. As such, in the following article you will learn more about this phenomenon and its causes, and see what you can do to deal with it in practice.

Procrastination and the student syndrome

The student syndrome is a form of procrastination , because it involves unnecessary delay, which is often unintentional, and which can be expected to cause negative outcomes for those who display it.

Accordingly, and because this behavior is highly characteristic of procrastinators, questionnaires that are used to diagnose procrastination often contain statements that reflect the student syndrome. This includes, for example, “When I have a deadline, I wait till the last minute ” and “I do not do assignments until just before they are to be handed in ”.

Examples of the student syndrome

A classic example of the student syndrome is a student who has a week to do a homework assignment, but delays getting started until hours before they have to hand it in.

Similarly, another example of the student syndrome is a student who postpones getting started on an important class project for an entire semester, and then rushes to complete it all the day before it’s due.

In addition, people other than students can also display the student syndrome. For example, a college professor might postpone grading papers until a few hours before the grades are due. Similarly, a manager who has to write an important workplace report might postpone working on it until right before the deadline for completing it.

Note : The student syndrome is often discussed in the context of project management, and the name for this phenomenon was coined in a 1997 book on the topic (“Critical Chain”, by Eliyahu Goldratt).

Dangers of the student syndrome

The student syndrome can lead to various issues, such as:

• Missed deadlines and opportunities. Waiting until right before the deadline to get started can cause people to miss the deadline, especially if the work takes longer to complete than they expected. This is because people who display the student syndrome often wait until they have the minimum amount of time left to complete tasks, which means that they have no safety margin if they misjudge how long it will take to complete the task, or if they experience any unexpected delays occur.
• Worse performance. Even in cases when people manage to complete their work on time despite the student syndrome, they often produce lower-quality work than they would otherwise, due to their rush to get things done under time pressure, or due to issues such as not having enough time to ask clarifying questions.
• Increased emotional, mental, and physical issues. For example, delaying until right before the deadline despite intending to get started earlier can cause people to feel frustrated and stressed. Similarly, staying up late in order to finish tasks the night before they’re due can lead to issues such as lack of sleep and exhaustion.
• Increased interpersonal issues. For example, if someone waits until right before the deadline to complete their part of a group project, their team members might get angry at them. Similarly, if someone always delays until the last possible moment before taking care of household chores, their partner might be frustrated with them.

In addition, note that procrastination is, in general, associated with various related issues , such as worse academic outcomes , worse employment and financial status , worse emotional wellbeing, worse mental and physical health, and a delay in getting treatment for one’s problems.

Prevalence of the student syndrome

There are no statistics regarding the prevalence of the student syndrome in particular. However, given that the student syndrome represents a common form of procrastination (involving an unnecessary delay in getting started on tasks), its prevalence can be estimated based on that of procrastination.

Studies show that procrastination is a very common phenomenon among students, as approximately 80%–95% of college students engage in procrastination to some degree, approximately 75% consider themselves to be procrastinators, and approximately 50% say that they procrastinate in a consistent and problematic manner. Furthermore, additional studies have found procrastination in various other student populations , including those in  elementary school ,  middle school , and  graduate school .

In addition, procrastination is also common in other populations, and it  chronically affects around 20% of adults.

Psychology and causes of the student syndrome

The student syndrome has many potential causes, which have to do with why people procrastinate in general. Most of these involve the following:

• Motivational problems. These can include issues such as abstract goals, discounting of future outcomes , difficulty in associating tasks with outcomes, and prioritization of enjoyable activities.
• Psychological obstacles. These can include issues such as anxiety , fear of failure , fear of negative feedback, uncertainty, and task aversion, as well as associated issues such as self-handicapping and resentment.

These issues can lead people to delay unnecessarily, even in cases where they intend and want to get started on their work. However, in the case of the student syndrome, as the deadline for a task approaches, people’s mental state changes in a way that prompts them to finally get to work.

For example, as the deadline for a school project approaches, the value of the future outcomes that are associated with it becomes clearer, whether it’s the reward of getting a good grade or the punishment of getting a bad one, which can push students to get started. Similarly, while a person’s aversiveness toward a task may cause them to procrastinate on it initially, the increased time pressure that they experience as the deadline approaches (e.g., due to the increased valuation of the associated outcomes) can become substantial enough that it pushes them to start working on the task, even if their aversion to it hasn’t changed.

Note that a person can display the student syndrome due to a combination of these causes. For example, this can happen if someone suffers both from task aversion and abstract goals.

Furthermore, some of these issues may be caused or exacerbated by other underlying issues. For example, a person’s anxiety may be exacerbated by sleep deprivation. Similarly, a person’s depression may lead them to discount future outcomes and consequently to feel entirely unmotivated.

Finally, some people display the student syndrome, at least in part, due to a preference for working under pressure. For example, this can involve someone deliberately putting off a task until right before the deadline because they feel that they concentrate better when they work under intense time pressure. This type of behavior has been conceptualized in various ways , some of which are controversial, including sensation seeking , arousal procrastination , arousal delay , and active procrastination .

Related concepts

A key phenomenon that underlies the student syndrome is temporal discounting , whereby people tend to discount outcomes that involve a delay. For example, people generally care less about rewards they’ll get in a week, than about rewards they’ll get in a day.

Since, as the deadline for a task approaches, generally so do outcomes that are associated with it (i.e., related rewards and punishments), people generally value task outcomes more strongly closer to the deadline, and consequently become more motivated. This can lead , at least partially, to preference reversal , and consequently to transition from procrastination to action.

Furthermore, people generally display hyperbolic discounting  in particular , which means that the further into the future an outcome is, the less the additional increase in time matters (e.g., the difference between an immediate outcome and one with a day’s delay is greater than between an outcome with a year’s delay and an outcome with a delay of a year and a day). Accordingly, the effects of discounting are more pronounced the shorter the remaining delay is, and this is most important when an outcome is expected to be achieved close to the deadline.

In addition, another related concept is purposeful delay , which in this context involves deliberately delaying until a deadline because doing so is expected to be more beneficial than not. This can happen, for example, when someone knows that a task might be canceled, so they believe it’s more efficient to wait until the deadline before committing resources to it. However, this type of behavior is not generally considered to be a form of procrastination, and would generally also not be considered a cause of the student syndrome.

Finally, the student syndrome and procrastination are also strongly related to the concept of a deadline action pacing style. This style involves completing most or all of the work in a short period of time just before deadlines, as opposed, for example, to completing them early or in a steady manner.

How to avoid the student syndrome

To avoid the student syndrome (i.e., to stop postponing things until right before the deadline), you should figure out what’s causing you  to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques , which will help you address the issue and take action in a timely manner.

The following are some of the anti-procrastination techniques that you can use.

Improve your planning:

• Set concrete goals for yourself. For example, instead of a vague goal, such as “study for my upcoming exam”, set a concrete goal, such as “on the week of my upcoming exam, go to the library every day after I finish my last class for the day, and spend at least 2 hours studying”.
• Break your tasks into small and manageable steps. For example, if you need to write an essay, you can start with steps such as figuring out the title, creating a rough outline, and finding five appropriate academic sources. Note that if the project in question is large, then you generally shouldn’t worry about figuring out all the steps to it from the start. Instead, start by identifying only the first few steps that you need to take, and then identify new steps as you make progress, to avoid feeling overwhelmed and getting stuck.
• Set intermediate milestones and deadlines for yourself. For example, if you have a single deadline for completing a large research paper, assign yourself additional deadlines along the way for completing specific parts of it.
• Identify your productivity cycles. People’s ability to handle certain tasks varies based on factors such as the time of day. For example, it may be the case that you’re best able to concentrate on difficult tasks early in the morning, before you’ve started dealing with emails or minor administrative aspects of your job. You should take this into account as much as possible when planning and scheduling your work.

Improve your environment:

• Change your environment to make it harder for yourself to procrastinate. For example, if you tend to procrastinate on writing essays because you keep browsing social media , turn off the internet connection on your computer before you get to work.
• Change your environment to make it easier for yourself to get started. For example, if you know that you’ll need to study for an exam tomorrow morning, organize all the relevant study material on your desk or in your bag before you go to bed.
• Change your environment to make it easier for you to keep going. For example, if you know that you’re likely to lose concentration if you get distracted while studying, go study in a quiet room and leave your phone outside.

Change your approach:

• Start with a tiny step. For example, if you need to write a paper, help yourself get started by committing to only write a single sentence at first. This can help you push yourself to get started on tasks, and often, once you do so, you’ll find it easy to keep going.
• Start with the best or worst part first. Some people find that starting with the most enjoyable or easiest task of the day helps them get going, while others find that getting the worst task out of the way first helps them avoid procrastinating over time. You can use either approach if you find that it works for you.
• Add a time delay before you procrastinate. If you can’t avoid procrastinating entirely, try committing to having a time delay before you indulge your impulse to do so. For example, this can involve counting to 10 before you’re allowed to open a new tab on the social media website that you usually use to procrastinate.
• Use the Pomodoro technique. This involves alternating between scheduled periods of study and rest. For example, you can study for 25-minute long stretches, with 5-minute breaks in between, and a longer 30-minute break after every 4 study sets that you complete.

Increase your motivation:

• Make your progress feel more rewarding. For example, you can gamify your work and try to achieve a streak of days on which you successfully manage to clear your to-do list, and potentially also give yourself some reward once you reach a sufficiently long streak.
• Make your work feel more enjoyable. For example, you can listen to music that you like while you work.
• Visualize your future self. For example, imagine yourself being rewarded with a good grade on a project that you completed on time, or conversely, imagine yourself having to handle the issues associated with missing the project’s deadline.
• Focus on your goals instead of on your tasks. For example, if you need to work on a task that you find boring, then instead of focusing on the task, try thinking about your goals for completing it, such as that you want to get a good grade.

Change your mindset:

• Give yourself permission to make mistakes. For example, if you’re working on an essay, accept the fact that your work likely won’t be perfect , especially at first. Furthermore, you can start by just writing a rough initial draft, and then go over it later to make improvements.
• Address your fears. If you’re procrastinating because you’re afraid of something, try to identify your fears and resolve them. For example, if you’re afraid that your writing won’t be good enough, you can say to yourself that your goal is to just start by getting something written down, and that you can always improve it later.
• Develop self-compassion.   Self-compassion can help reduce your procrastination, as well as various issues that are associated with it, such as stress. It consists of three components that you should promote: self-kindness , which involves being nice to yourself, common humanity , which involves recognizing that everyone experiences challenges, and mindfulness , which involves accepting your emotions in a non-judgmental manner.
• Develop self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the belief in your ability to perform the actions needed to achieve your goals. It can help you reduce your procrastination, as well as associated issues, such as anxiety. To develop self-efficacy, try to identify the various strategies that you can use to successfully complete your tasks on time, and think about your ability to execute those strategies successfully.

In addition, keep the following in mind:

• If you experience the student syndrome due to underlying issues such as ADHD , depression , or lack of sleep , you will likely need to resolve these issues first, using professional help if necessary, in order to avoid the student syndrome.
• You will likely need to use more than one anti-procrastination technique to completely avoid the student syndrome, but even just a few of them could make a huge difference when it comes to your ability to get things done on time.
• Different techniques work better for different people in different circumstances, so just because a certain technique works well for others, that doesn’t also mean that it will work well for you (and vice versa).

Overall, to avoid the student syndrome, you should figure out what’s causing you to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques to address these causes. Such techniques include, for example, breaking large tasks into manageable steps, setting intermediate deadlines for yourself, visualizing your future self, and addressing your fears.

How to reduce the student syndrome in others

When it comes to helping other people avoid the student syndrome, for example if you’re a project manager, a teacher, or a parent, there are three main approaches you can use:

• An externally guided approach. This involves implementing relevant anti-procrastination techniques to reduce people’s student syndrome, without actively involving them in the process. For example, this can involve setting a series of intermediate project deadlines for all students in a course.
• An internally guided approach. This involves helping people avoid the student syndrome by themselves, with little to no external guidance. External guidance in this case might include something as minimal as mentioning the problem of student syndrome and telling people about a relevant resource such as this article.
• A joint approach. This involves giving people external guidance while also encouraging them to play an active role in reducing their student syndrome. For example, this can involve going over relevant anti-procrastination techniques with people, and helping them choose and implement their preferred ones.

None of these approaches is inherently superior to the others. Accordingly, you should decide which one to use based on factors such as the number of people that you’re trying to help and the type of relationship that you have with them. For example, if you’re a teacher trying to help 200 students in a college course, then you will likely need to use a different approach than if you’re a parent trying to help just your kid.

In this regard, an important factor to keep in mind is how independent the people in question are. In general, the more independent they are, the more involved they should be in the process of avoiding the student syndrome, since this can increase their motivation and make the process more effective, while potentially also leading to more self-development and growth over time. Furthermore, giving people a sense of control can also help reduce other issues that may lead to the student syndrome, such as resentment and rebellion.

Note that almost any type of relationship can be beneficial when it comes to helping people avoid the student syndrome. For example, a teacher will likely be in a good situation to influence a student’s academic situation, while a parent will likely be in a good situation to influence the student’s home life.

Furthermore, it can sometimes be beneficial to reach out to other stakeholders who can help. For example, if you’re a teacher, and you think that a student’s parents might be able to help them stop procrastinating, you might be able to reach out to them and explain the situation.

Finally, the following is a list of specific things that you can do to help people avoid the student syndrome:

• Explain what the student syndrome is.
• Help them understand that they display the student syndrome, for example by asking them guiding questions about their past behavior.
• Show them that this pattern of behavior can cause issues for them, for example when it comes to their academic performance, their career prospects, and their mental health.
• Explain what causes the student syndrome, and help them identify the specific causes of this behavior in their case.
• Point them in the direction of resources that can help them deal with the student syndrome, such as this article, or the guide to avoiding procrastination .
• Implement anti-procrastination techniques on their behalf, for example by breaking apart large tasks into manageable steps and setting intermediate deadlines.
• When setting general deadlines for people, understand that giving people more time to complete a task will not necessarily make it more likely that they will complete it in a timely manner, and it may even be counterproductive in some cases. This is associated with the concept of Parkinson’s law , which is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time which is available for its completion”, and which signifies that the more time people dedicate in advance to a certain task, the longer it will take to complete it, even if it could have been completed in less time.

Overall, you can reduce people’s student syndrome in various ways, such as by helping them understand the causes of their behavior and helping them implement relevant anti-procrastination techniques. The specific approach that you should use depends on factors such as how autonomous the people in question are, how many people you’re trying to help, and what kind of relationship you have with them.

Summary and conclusions

• The student syndrome is a phenomenon where people delay doing things until right before the deadline.
• The student syndrome can lead to various issues, such as missed deadlines, low-quality work, interpersonal conflicts, and worse emotional wellbeing.
• People can display this type of behavior due to various causes, including a preference for working under pressure, motivational problems (e.g., discounting future outcomes), and psychological obstacles (e.g., anxiety), and some of these, in turn, may be caused or exacerbated by underlying issues, such as depression and lack of sleep.
• To avoid the student syndrome, you should figure out what’s causing you to delay in the first place, and then use relevant anti-procrastination techniques to address these causes, for example by breaking large tasks into manageable steps, setting intermediate deadlines for yourself, visualizing your future self, and addressing your fears.
• You can use a similar approach to reduce other people’s student syndrome, for example by helping them understand the causes of their behavior and helping them implement relevant anti-procrastination techniques.

• SI SWIMSUIT
• SI SPORTSBOOK

Jorge Polanco Appears Ready to Come Back From Injured List, But Will Team Do It?

Brady farkas | 9 hours ago.

It looks as if Seattle Mariners ' second baseman Jorge Polanco is ready to return from his injured hamstring, but it remains to be seen when they'll actually bring him back.

The following comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Polanco (hamstring) took a full game's worth of plate appearances as the designated hitter in Triple-A Tacoma's win over Las Vegas on Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Polanco has now played two rehab games with Single-A Everett and two-games with Triple-A Tacoma and he's reached base in all of them. Furthermore, he's done just about everything the team could have wanted him to do: He's played up to seven innings of defense at second base, he's played a full game at DH, and shown he can play back-to-back games.

However, given that he's hitting just .195 at the major league level, the team may opt to keep him in Triple-A to better find his swing and get a rhythm. Furthermore, with the M's slated to face potentially three left-handed starters this weekend in Miami, they may think it better to start Ryan Bliss in those games and opt to bring back Polanco next week against Tampa Bay.

The overwhelming assumption is that Polanco will take Bliss's spot when he's ready to come back, but there's a chance that the M's could send down slugging first baseman Tyler Locklear to make room for him as well.

Seattle will take on a Marlins team that is among the worst in baseball this weekend.

Follow Inside the Mariners on social media

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on  Facebook  and by following Brady on "X" @ wdevradiobrady

RELATED MARINERS CONTENT

1) M's suffer key injury down on the farm

2) Graphic shows just how bad umpiring was in M's loss on Wednesday

BRADY FARKAS

Get the Reddit app

Peer support for anyone struggling with a depressive disorder

how do i write that depression is the cause of a late assignment?

depression has made it really hard for me to complete a lot of work this year but today i finally succumbed to it and slept past the deadline. i'm submitting a late form but how do i write this formally? i can't seem to make it sound genuine