In the reality we live in today, college students feel the urge to be productive constantly, whether doing homework, doom-scrolling on social media, or continuously working. 

This post explores the harsh and unhealthy effects of productivity culture worldwide and offers solutions to reclaim our well-being and self-worth. 

Overview of Productivity Culture

Productivity culture is the belief that identifies a person’s value with the amount of output achieved and produced. With this mindset, resting is perceived as laziness, and taking breaks is called falling behind. 

For college students, this can manifest when they feel the constant urge to multitask, compare themselves to overachieving students, and feel guilty for being behind because they are not doing schoolwork every waking moment. 

Productivity, however, is not only about quantity but also quality.  The concept of needing top-quality links to perfectionism so students get into a never-ending cycle of thinking where nothing is ever good enough. This can ultimately be harmful to college students’ well-being. 

The Mental Health Cost

• Burnout
  
  • College students are immediately met with long nights and packed schedules that include school, work, and extracurriculars, which drive the feeling of exhaustion. This exhaustion can lead to burnout, a deep state that affects a person poorly, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Some people describe burnout as constantly fatigued, lacking motivation, and feeling emotionally numb. 
• Anxiety and Depression
  
  • The link between perfectionism and mental health has been well presented in studies. A study in China found that students with maladaptive perfectionism were more likely to experience anxiety (reference). The study tells us that these unhealthy mindsets are not about doing well in school, but instead the fear of being anything other than perfect. Another study showed that high levels of academic perfectionism correlated with better grades, but also with poorer psychological well-being and a higher rate of suicidal ideation (reference). These findings demonstrate the cultural epidemic of the perception of rest being stigmatized and personal value being intertwined with performance. Thus, this mindset has tragic consequences on college students’ psychological health. 

Changing the Mindset

So, how do we shift this productive culture into one that allows us to reclaim our self-worth? We can do this by shifting our mindsets on self-compassion, self-care, and community support, enabling them to succeed academically and care for their mental health. 

Self-Compassion

Self-compassion, treating yourself with the same love you would for a friend, is a strong anecdote against burnout and other mental health conditions. When things go wrong, self-compassion improves coping without spiraling into guilt or shame. 

One study found that higher self-compassion is correlated to lower anxiety and depression, suggesting that self-compassion is beneficial for college students (reference).  In a culture that values productivity and perfection, self-compassion is a critical factor in protecting college students’ mental health.  

Self-Care

In today's world, rest is viewed as lazy, but the reality is that it is essential for emotional well-being. Self-care includes taking time to sleep, hanging out with friends, eating healthy foods, and practicing mindfulness. Even something as simple as walking around the block or campus can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, and improve personal well-being. 

Community

Individuals flourish in communities, such that having support from peers can help eliminate the feelings of loneliness and comparison that play a role in productive anxiety and perfectionism. Some communities can include student organizations or friend groups. I found a community through my service organization, Agape, which has significantly reduced feelings of loneliness and stress from constant comparison. Surrounding myself with people who value support and authenticity reminds me that people do not have to earn through perfectionism or productivity, but rather just be human. 

Conclusion

The ultimate lesson from this exploration is that productivity culture is a mental health issue in disguise. It reflects a problem of viewing self-worth in terms of how much production we achieve and how perfectly we do it. This means that for many college students, especially those with mental health conditions and disabilities, it creates unhealthy pressure that can be extremely helpful to individuals. So, reframing success through the lens of self-compassion and self-care, we can dismantle this damaging belief system and create healthier living. 

Thank you for reading this week’s blog post. Next week, I will explore the transition from college to home for the summer.