A boy is handed his report card and scolded by his parents, causing him to gain a feeling of self-doubt and guilt.

“Why are you always staying up so late and still getting bad grades?”

“Sorry, I’ll try to do better next time,” he replies obediently. However, his parents are unaware of the fact that he had been spending his time comforting his friend who had been going through depression for quite some time. He had not only procrastinated on a regular, unhealthy basis but skipped extracurriculars due to fear that he would not succeed.

It could be suggested that procrastination seems to be the main result of students not having good time management. We all know that this action of doing something before it is due is beginning to take place constantly since they are most likely doing other things that are of greater importance. But what if it is not a physical problem, and instead, a mental obstacle? As social interactions decrease, more people, like me, are also not opening up as much to people as we should be. If students were to feel more supported by their peers or just others in general, they could possibly gain the motivation to reach that personal goal. Beyond this would be for them to gather a sense of belonging, described by Barry Lopez, through “the indestructibility of these associations [that] conveys a sense of permanence that nurtures the heart. . . .” Though as of now, by avoiding a task, we hope that the satisfaction of pushing it away will make us forget all about the bad feelings of knowing that it exists. However, when we finally get closer to that long awaiting deadline, our self-blame starts to take over, and then this endless cycle of avoidance and regret continues.

It might even be the fact that students are facing anxiety from life that causes them to stop doing the hobbies that they usually enjoy and in turn, procrastinate. Sometimes, my own hopelessness is caused by overthinking about the expectation that needs to be fulfilled, the task that needs to be completed, the soccer games that need to be won, the grades that need to be acquired. These high standards that most of us grow up around create a sense of having to be the best, where even the slightest mistakes are enough to beat ourselves over. Don’t get me wrong, these high standards aren’t a bad thing but once it comes to invalidating your own feelings and losing confidence is when it should be addressed.

“It seems such a redundant question when you’re alive to be asked that. Because there’s so much going on everywhere. There’s so many things to react to.” -Blair Somerville

“Lost and Found” on Vimeo

Combined with the rising amount of homework that we are assigned, it is no wonder that we delay it rather than actually get it done. Hopefully, we could learn that it is okay to take a more passionate view of our behavior and forgive ourselves for the work we’ve put off. Everyone has their own level of procrastination, so maybe just being there for someone is enough to let them know that they are not alone and that any issue they may have can be tackled together.

After deciding to do their own part of learning the other side of the story, his parents soon found out that he had lost interest in school and that he had also been experiencing the same problems as his friend.

“Sorry son, we understand that you have been giving it your all, so take it easy on yourself now. We’ll do better next time.”