Forging Discipline as a University Student
Discipline: “The ability to do things you know you should do, even when you don’t want to do them.”
Fairly comprehensive.
If you were to take a bag full of all the university students across the world, and randomly select 50 of them, you might see the following similarities in traits:
- They watch Gordon Ramsay and Masterchef videos to admire food, but struggle to cook and live off cup noodles, leftover pizza and takeout
- They seek dopamine hits from Snapchat streaks, Instagram highlights and Facebook memes, which are simply not offered by lectures. As a result, they prefer sleeping in rather than attend their 9am classes
- They overestimate themselves and feed their hedonistic behaviour in search of short-term gratification. As a consequence, they procrastinate assignments up until the last night, one which is heavily supported by caffeine and complaints with regard to how unfair university is.
Just like all the stereotypes out there, this one also does not represent the entirety of the student population; but just like all the stereotypes out there, it does carry a certain degree of truth as well.
A study of over 14,000 students worldwide found that university undergraduates are more likely to have lower levels of health & wellbeing than all the other young people aged between 20 and 24. Secondly, research by the Collegiate Mental Health Report found that 1 in 5 university students suffers from anxiety and/or depression, with excessive cigarette smoking, drug use and alcohol consumption being positively associated with these conditions. Although there was no cause and effect relationship stated, something doesn’t add up.
The core principle that I believe is missing in most university students’ lives today, is what might be causing these prolems: Discipline. Discipline is more than simply ‘obeying the law’ or ‘following the rules’. With the definition laid out at the top of this page, I’ve outlined 3 types of discipline. Each serves its own purpose, and if forged, can help us gain more control over our lives.
Mental Discipline
We as university students, struggle with mental discipline, because of how easily accessible everything is around us. Social media algorithms keep us hooked on their sites, making it easy to procrastinate. Our peers influence us to drink and take drugs, often supporting their claim with some cherrypicked study about the medicinal properties of Marijuana. Our minds have become wired to hedonistic behaviour, leading to impulsive decision-making in search for pleasure. That’s why we seldom let go of an opportunity to hit the clubs, even when we have an assignment due the next day.
So how can we forge mental discipline?
Make it easy for you to get work done. Make post-it notes that remind you of the tasks you have due this week, or this month. That’ll ensure you stay on track. While it might be easy to say ‘yes’ to your friends the next time they ask you to go out, take a step back and think about how valuable your time really is. A night out could mean a few hours, plus the first half of the next day recovering from a hangover. Although staying home and working on a report might not seem too pleasurable right now, you’ll thank yourself when you get it done.
To address excessive drinking and/or drug abuse, knowing your capacity and when you should stop is paramount to ensure you remain within your senses. There’s nothing worse than dealing with an out-of-control drunk that could jeopardise someone else’s life. Before consuming something you’re uncertain of, ask yourself: “Should I be putting this inside my body?”
Moderation is the key, not abstinence.
Physical Discipline
For students who’ve never had to cook while growing up, coming to university where their mums are not available 24/7 to help, can be overwhelming. Out of desperation, many students turn to fast food, cup noodles and takeout to do the job. However, not only are these options poor at satiation, but they are unsustainable and offer no valuable nutrients that are essential for a healthy functioning mind and body.
When it comes to eating healthy, devoting an hour or so every week to diligently go grocery shopping can help. Most food manufacturers these days have realised the rising trend of consumers seeking healthy food options, and so grocery stores are filled with healthy alternatives to feed the market. Starting with the basics, these are typically found towards the outside aisles of a grocery store:
- Whole foods
- Fruits & vegetables
- Meat, fish and eggs if appropriate
- Grains, lentils and beans if vegetarian
I don’t believe in total restriction, since I believe food should be approached in an enjoyable, yet sustainable manner. Finding alternatives to your favourite foods and/or reducing the quantity of consumption is a good place to start. For example, for someone who’s addicted to sugary drinks, having them a few times a week rather than everyday, or switching to natural juices might be ideal.
With regard to working out, having a friend or partner who can keep you accountable is a great way to be consistent. Instead of lying to yourself with an overly zealous new years’ resolution, take your friend to a group fitness class and finish your workout within 30–40 minutes. Not only will it make the process enjoyable, but you’ll save time and learn along the way. Visualising yourself achieving your goal is also helpful to stay motivated.
Emotional Discipline
There appears to be a trend these days, where criticising someone, or something is considered to be a sign of intellect. Everyone, everywhere is hell-bent on criticising something. Whether that’s the government’s failings, poor management by the university, ignorant marking by the lecturer, friends who break Snapchat streaks, and so on. These people tend to be pessimistic 24/7, and their negativity can feed into your life, making you feel miserable. Cutting off certain friends can be difficult, but if they make you nothing but lazy and pessimistic, it might be for the best.
Emotional discipline is the ability to stay accountable and take ownership for your life’s decisions. Through active self-reflection, you can prevent attribution bias, the tendency to blame others for your failures, and reward yourself for your successes. Questioning your beliefs, opinions, ideologies and actions can show you how well you respond to various scenarios, and what you can do better next time.
“Taking ownership for your actions and being accountable, is the single most valuable trait one can have, and is the cornerstone for forging discipline.”
The moment we accept that we’re no more important than the person in front of us, we’ll start appreciating our life much more than we despise it.
Hey there! If you liked this post, feel free to leave your comments below. Everything you read so far, was a summary of what we covered in Mini-series episode 2 of The Modern Z podcast. If you’re interested further, check out the following links and head over to our website!
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