Procrastination is the voluntary delay of a course of action, whilst knowing it will cause further problems in the future. Young folks are more likely to engage in delaying behaviours. Procrastination usually occurs due to task aversion, which is how much someone does not want to do a certain task. Reasons such as too much freedom, lower attention spans, and quick escape from the mundanity of everyday life also result in procrastinating activities. Newer technology advancements such as video gaming, social media, and streaming service are putting more fire to the flame.
Students need a mechanism to self-regulate themselves while studying and many of them are not able to do so effectively. This not only causes problems in their work but impacts their psychological well-being as well. Procrastination creates a vicious cycle of frustration, and kids need to learn healthy ways to deal with stress.
3,525 university students from Sweden were the subject of a 9-month research. The objective was to determine if procrastinating had a detrimental effect on mental and physical health. Procrastination and negative health effects were not shown to be directly related in the study. The researchers did, however, make the prediction that those who procrastinate frequently are more likely to have negative future mental, physical, and financial results.
Although numerous other elements play a role in understanding this behaviour, personality traits are the primary cause of chronic procrastination. Students with personality traits like impulsiveness, distractibility, and low conscientiousness are at a higher risk to develop a habit of such behaviors. Students also have an increased risk of tobacco, cannabis and alcohol use. The subjects then reported greater psychological problems, such as loneliness, according to the study. While assessing the participants’ habits, they also discovered that they had problems with sleep disruption and were less physically active than non-participants. Back pain and pain in other areas such as the neck or lower back were also high among the participants. All of this contributes to poor psychological well-being as well as symptoms of depression and anxiety. It was strongly observed that procrastination leads to stress among the participants which impacts their health.
Interventions to procrastination can be really helpful as they might help students find healthier ways to cope with work stress. Which will improve their overall health and general well-being. This study was really helpful in understanding the health of students and how universities can help build sufficient mechanisms so they can perform better.
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