Reading Time: 3 minutes[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Perfectionism can be difficult to spot as a problem, especially among high-performing students and in high-stress environments. But it’s critical to pay attention to students who are struggling with the pressure to be perfect because it can have serious effects on their mental health, academic performance, and self-esteem. The defining characteristic of perfectionism is a fear of making mistakes, according to research by Dr. Thomas Greenspon published in Psychology in the Schools (2014).

“Hallmarks of perfectionism include an exaggerated concern over any mistakes, lofty and unrealistic self-expectations, harsh and intense self-criticism, feeling other people need you to be perfect, and nagging doubts about performance abilities,” says Dr. Simon Sherry, a psychologist and associate professor at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Perfectionism looks different for everyone. Here’s what to look for in your students

• Feelings of inadequacy Those who struggle with perfectionism often feel that they’re not good enough, according to Greenspon’s research. If they do happen to make some mistakes, perfectionistic people are likely to take that personally. Their slip-ups become reflections of themselves as people, not just of their performance or achievement.
• Setting rigid rules Perfectionistic people take rule-setting to an extreme, one that can get in the way of daily functioning. This intense structure can lead to other stressful and time-consuming habits, such as over-checking work to excess or missing deadlines, according to research published in 2016 in JMIR Research Protocols.
• Procrastinating on assignments or never turning them in at all Students struggling with perfectionism are often consumed with making sure that every last detail is perfect. While some may never miss a deadline, others might finish tests late, hand in assignments past deadline, or never finish them at all, according to a 2014 study published in Psychology in the Schools.

So how can you help?

[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Build a community that values the learning process, not just the results” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]Encourage your students to think critically about what they’re learning, not just how they’re performing. Share examples of mistakes that you’ve made to reframe the idea that perfection is a requirement for success.

To prevent people from attributing their shortcomings to personal flaws, and to draw attention to how much failure it takes to get where you want to go, a Princeton professor created a nontraditional résumé. Share it with your students, or make one of your own.

• CV of failures

[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Be more transparent about failure” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]In response to the pressure that students feel to perform, some campuses are highlighting the times they didn’t get it right. Stanford University created The Resilience Project, a combination of events and programs that feature students, faculty, and staff talking about setbacks, failures, and learning from mistakes. Consider doing the same on your campus.

• The Resilience Project

[/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Know your resources and share them with your students” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%23000000″ google_fonts=”font_family:Roboto%20Condensed%3A300%2C300italic%2Cregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]If you see your students struggling with unrealistic expectations, self-imposed pressure to be perfect, or procrastination, make sure you know what resources are available to help and have that information visible and readily available. Your counseling center might offer workshops on perfectionism, or tutoring services can help with time management. The more you normalize reaching out, the more likely students are to feel comfortable doing so.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row] [school_resource sh101resources=’no’ category=’mobileapp,counselingservices, studentsucess, studentsucess, helpdesk’] Get help or find out more Article sources

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Dilemma: You have $40 left after your monthly restock of PB&J supplies; you want to tag along with your bio partner for an Intro to Rock Climbing class, but you could use the practical and emotional boost of new jeans. Your account balance says it’s either the jeans or the climbing class. How do you decide?

Doing stuff is better than buying stuff

Ultimately, we all get to choose how we spend our disposable income, even if there’s not much of it. And it’s our experiences, not our possessions, that are our main source of happiness and our sense of who we are, research shows. “Nobody would say that your identity is the kind of car you drive,” says Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a social psychologist at the University of California, Riverside, and author of The Myths of Happiness (Penguin, 2013). “Who you are as a person is more about all the experiences you’ve had throughout your life.” In a 2009 study, students reported that experiences made them feel more alive than possessions did, according to the Journal of Positive Psychology.

OK, we get it: The thrill of the climbing wall trumps the new jeans. Being suspended in the air with the adrenaline junkies is what will shape you, help you connect with others, and leave you with stories worth sharing. And that’s just the beginning. For nine ways to spend your money (and your time) on what will expand your identity and happiness, instead of your clutter, read on.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion style=”modern” shape=”square” color=”mulled-wine” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”How to up your happy” tab_id=”1508974305161-741a462d-b016″][vc_column_text]More good news: Happiness is accessible, and the college years are the perfect time to go get it.

How? By gathering experiences, not stuff. Why? A bunch of reasons:

• We are our experiences

“Who you are is the sum of your experiences but not the sum of your things,” says Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a social psychologist at the University of California, Riverside.

• We value our experiences

“Even when an experience goes wrong, we appreciate it. “People tend to focus on what they learned or how they grew as a result of something negative,” says Dr. Lyubomirsky.

• Experiences have staying power

“Even though [our things] last physically, it’s our experiences that live on in the identity we form and the connections we make,” says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, happiness researcher and professor of psychology at Cornell University, New York.

• We don’t harshly compare experiences

A 2010 analysis of eight studies confirmed that we tend to ruminate on and compare the stuff we buy more than we doubt the value of our experiences (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology).

• Experiences help us relate

Experiences often strengthen our relationships. “The social aspect is really one of the keys to happiness. Shared experiences can do a lot, and people can anticipate and reminisce about them together,” says Dr. Lyubomirsky.

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9 ways to stop buying stuff you don’t need

1. Choose experiences that contribute to your awesomeness

Trying something new, pushing yourself, developing a skill—these experiences are usually worth the investment. Your everyday blah has less to give you, experts say. “Think about the experience of watching TV and having an identity of ‘I’m a TV watcher.’ How gratifying is that? Not terribly,” says Dr. Thomas Gilovich, happiness researcher and professor of psychology at Cornell University, New York. “But if you’re out in the wilderness camping with friends and have the identity of ‘I’m adventurous,’ that’s likely to be very gratifying.”

2. Look for ways to connect IRL

Start a hiking group that meets on weekends, or join a tennis league. If you’re a big reader, try a book club to add the social element. Sometimes, we need to purchase items in order to access formative experiences. Those hiking boots or the latest J. K. Rowling novel will set you up for self-discovery and maybe new friends.

3. Cherish the good times

This is totally free and can up your happy. Record your thoughts, insights, memories, and stories in a place you can revisit—like a journal, blog, or note-keeping app. Print some of your photos (yes, you can still do that) and keep them visible so you recall those good times.

4. Value experiences that don’t cost a whole lot

Good news: “A lot of experiences that provide happiness aren’t very expensive,” says Dr. Gilovich.

• Look within and beyond your campus walls: Find parks, trails, beaches, pools, PokéStops, and so on. “Take advantage of these settings for a gratifying break from the grind that school can be,” says Dr. Gilovich.

• Can’t go rock-climbing in the Peruvian mountains? Reading about an experience looks much the same on brain scans as actually having that experience, according to a 2011 study in the Annual Review of Psychology. Bonus points: Reading builds our empathy (enhancing our relationships) and emotional health, and puts us into a relaxed, meditative state, studies show.

5. Before you swipe, ask yourself three questions

• Shape: How likely is it that this purchase will shape who I am, help me grow and learn, or help me see myself in a positive way?
• Connect: How likely is it that this purchase will expand my crew or strengthen my relationships?
• Share: How likely is it that I will remember and tell epic stories about this purchase?

6. Are you pumped up, bummed out, intoxicated, cranky, or bored?

Then be wary of going near your Amazon wishlist—you’re more likely to make impulsive purchases and experience buyer’s remorse, according to a 2014 survey (CreditCards.com). Shopping is best done with a calm mind.

7. Consider the downsides of stuff

• Possessions cost time, as in the time you had to work to make the money to pay for them.
• Stuff can happen to stuff: iPhones fall in toilets, jeans rip in unfortunate places, and flat screens mysteriously go missing. Which is all pretty stressful.
• The pleasure of new items fades quickly, according to a 2009 study in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
• Possessions may become associated with regret, negative comparisons, and envy.
• Possessions may become clutter. In a study involving 60 women, clutter was associated with higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, and a depressed mood, according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2010).

8. Do your research before you buy

OK, fine, you do need some things, like pants. When students researched a product before buying, they experienced less buyer’s remorse, in a study by a researcher at Kansas State University (2011).

9. Declutter

The pleasure of clean, organized space may make it easier to stop buying things you don’t need. Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Ten Speed Press, 2014), recommends pulling out everything you own and asking yourself, “Does it spark joy?” Yes? Keep. No? Donate, recycle, or toss.[/vc_column_text][vc_tta_accordion shape=”square” color=”black” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”0″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Why happy matters” tab_id=”1508973412401-dc7774db-f2f4″][vc_column_text]So we can’t buy happiness—fine. But let’s not pretend money is irrelevant. Really, we’re talking about having a good life in ways you can sustain. And that’s important, because expanding your happy expands a whole lot of other things too, like your resilience—your ability to deal with the not-so-good stuff.

Research suggests that “in-the-moment positive emotions” (such as affection, curiosity, compassion, love, and amusement) build our coping resources—our ability to handle challenges and stress. This in turn gives us access to a more satisfying life.

“Happier people are healthier, more productive, more creative, and more charitable. They have more successful relationships and make more money. The evidence is pretty strong that good things come to those who are happier.”
—Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, social psychologist, University of California, Riverside, and author of The Myths of Happiness (Penguin, 2013)[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][vc_column_text]

“There are so many other things I could spend my hard-earned money on. But will I remember the feel of a shiny new car, or the tears of joy as I paraglided through the Swiss Alps? I spend my money on experiences that make me feel alive.”
—Kira Collings, second-year dietetics student, Utah State University

Follow us on Instagram, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #happyspending

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Happiness is…a salad? Before you count us out as weirdos with a concerning affection for kale, let us explain. What we eat can affect our moods for up to two days afterward, research shows.

Undergraduates who ate foods high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium reported feeling moody and blah in the aftermath, said Dr. Helen Hendy, a psychologist at Pennsylvania State University, in the journal Appetite (2012).

But students who ate fruits and vegetables felt happier until the following day, even after other influences had been ruled out, according to “Many Apples a Day Keep the Blues Away” (2013), a British study.

So go ahead and get your greens on with our Ultimate Easy Happy Salad. We’ll tell you what to do and why it works, and you’ll be a believer in no time.

Click each to learn more:

Make it: Ultimate Easy Happy Salad

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OK fine—so we shouldn’t grab a soda or donut on our way to our first class. But when we’re in a hurry, sleepy, stressed, or all out of willpower, junk food is just so…there for us. What can we do about that?

In a recent survey by Student Health 101, more than 7 out of 10 students acknowledged that the accessibility of foods significantly influences how you eat. Science agrees. Our “choices” have far more to do with our environment than we realize, according to a large body of research. What we eat and drink is often our default response to the sights and smells all around us.

If our eating is driven by forces beyond our consciousness, are we helpless to change it? No. The trick is to reduce our exposure to unhealthy cues and introduce cues that help us eat healthfully. This is about tweaking our own environments—effortlessly.

Know your environmental cues

Vending machines, packaged snacks, the oversized mac & cheese in the dining hall, the candy wrapper on the sidewalk, the burger ads that flash up on Instagram—these negative “nudges” can make unhealthful eating our default behavior, especially when we’re low on energy.

But we can flip that script by substituting positive “nudges.” When we make our options healthier, we get healthier, says a 2012 study in the Journal of Public Health.

Even seemingly insignificant environmental tweaks can have a powerful effect on how we eat. In a famous experiment at the Google offices, researchers aimed to reduce employees’ consumption of M&Ms®. Simply putting the candies into opaque containers and making healthier snacks more visible resulted in a dramatic drop in candy consumption—even though the M&Ms® didn’t go away.

How to make it effortlessly easier

Here’s the key to developing any new habit: Make it easier to do the desired behavior and more difficult to do the undesired behavior. Think about your eating this way:

Which eating habits do you want to change? When are they happening, and in what context?

Example: Stressed in the evenings and pining for a pint of Gargantuan Gobs of Gorgeousness? Need a spoon to relax at night? Notice the patterns.

Next: How can you change that context? How can you substitute different cues without adding work?

Examples:

• Move the Gargantuan Gobs to the back of the freezer. When we can’t see it, we probably won’t eat it, according to Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life (HarperCollins, 2014), by Dr. Brain Wansink, a leading expert in eating behaviors.
• Or don’t purchase Gargantuan Gobs. It may be easier to make one decision (“I won’t buy that this time”) than a series of decisions (“Should I eat that again?”).
• Substitute: Put grapes or chopped veggies in a bowl on your counter or desk.

Food industry tricks: Which foods to store out of sight and out of reach

Science-based hacks for eating healthy without thinking about it

Hacks for your room or apartment

1. Keep less healthy foods out of sight and hard to reach: Clear your counters (except for fruit); favor opaque containers and high-up shelves; wrap cake and pizza in aluminum foil and tuck them in the back of the fridge.
2. Make healthier options more accessible: Keep a fruit bowl on your counter and keep the eye-level shelf in your refrigerator stocked with the foods you aim to eat more of.
3. Divide large snack items (e.g., a family-size bag of chips) into smaller serving-size packages before you start munching.
4. Use narrower glasses and smaller dishes: Serve drinks in taller/slimmer glasses and choose narrow wine glasses over wide ones. Downsize your dishes: The smaller the plate or bowl, the less you’re likely to eat.

Eat from smaller packages: In a 2007 study, participants who were given snacks in large packages consumed 30–50 percent more than those who were given the same food in smaller packages. But they vastly underestimated the difference that the package size made to their eating, according to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Our funky eating habits: check out the evidence

Hacks for the restaurant

1. Request a window seat: Avoid dark tables, booths, bar seating, and the TV zone.
2. Skip the bread—or at least the butter. Ask for olive oil instead.
3. In a fast food restaurant, it’s different: Head for a dim, quiet corner.
4. Be the last at your table to start eating.
5. Eat mindfully and be aware of the influence of subtle cues, and your own expectations, on how much you eat and drink.

Eat mindfully: In a 2007 experiment, restaurant diners were offered free wine. Some were given wine with a Californian label; the others got a North Dakotan label. The diners who thought their wine was Californian (perceived as high quality) lingered longer and ate more food than those who got the vintage from North Dakota (perceived as low quality). All diners were in fact served the same wine (“Two Buck Chuck” by Charles Shaw). When we eat mindlessly, our experience conforms with our expectations, researchers concluded (Physiology & Behavior).

What else is going on here? Researchers’ findings

Hacks for the dining hall

1. Scan your options before selecting what to eat, then serve yourself on a salad plate rather than a dinner plate.
2. Watch what you’re eating—literally. Let the chicken bones and empty containers stay on the table until you’re done.
3. Sit with the slow eaters to manage your pace.
4. Sit with your back to the food counter.
5. Check your mood: If you’re upset, breathe deep and think calming thoughts before approaching the self-serve counter.

Watch what you’ve eaten: In a study involving 53 students and large supplies of chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday, researchers found that when wait staff let the chicken bones pile up on the table, students ate fewer wings; when the chicken bones were removed, students kept eating. The experiment shows the association between visual cues and how much we eat, according to Perceptual and Motor Skills (2007).

Think you wouldn’t do this? You probably would

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