Aida Junita binti Zulkiflee

0317766

English I (ELG30505)

February 2014

Question 1

In some countries young people have little leisure time and are under a lot of pressure

to work hard in their studies. What do you think are the causes and effects of this

condition? Plan your response, and then write a cause or effect essay.

Pre-Writing

Effects of Studying Hard with Little Leisure Time

Avoidance

Family relationshipDistance

themselves from family members

Social lifeNo time allocated to socialize with

peers

Poor Mental State

Stress Affects thinking abilities

Depression May lead to suicide

Physical Health Issues

Arise from stress and anxiety

Experience headaches

Irregular eating patterns

Create problems like stomach pains

Effects of Studying Hard with Little Leisure Time

There is no doubt that we are now living in a technological era where everything

is fast paced and more stressful than before. Due to such lifestyle, the community has

been molded into striving for perfection and success in every aspect of life. For

instance, students nowadays are taught to prioritize academics and focus on their

studies completely. However, studying hard with little leisure time has several effects

which include avoidance, poor mental state and physical health issues.

One of the effects from studying hard is avoidance. Youths these days often feel

pressured to excel in life, especially academically. Parents sometimes set high

standards and expectations that their children must meet. This indirectly forces students

to distance or isolate themselves from their family members in order to spend more time

alone studying. For example, one might choose studying over attending family events

such as family dinners and vacations. Consequently, the relationship with their parents

and other family members will be affected as they drift apart. Apart from that, some

students may have poor results they need to improve on. As a result, students would

tend to allocate more time on studying compared to socializing with their peers.

Students may turn down invitations to outings just to stay in and study. When these

situations happen, students will be inclined to avoid people thus lacking a social life.

Next, studying hard with little leisure time will affect students’ mental

state of mind. “Negative stress occurs when our ability to cope with life's

demands crumbles. If we don't break down the stress chemicals (e.g. through

physical activity) they stay in the blood, preventing us from relaxing. Eventually

this results in a permanent state of stress.” (Oxford Brookes University, 2012).

This proves that when students just focus on studying and do not express

themselves in a variety of leisure activities, they will feel stressed. As stated by

Oxford Brookes University (2012), a certain amount of stress can be mentally

stimulating but too much can affect our thinking ability, causing our thoughts to

become jumbled and confused. On top of that, people who are easily stressed

have a strongly increased risk of being hit by depression (Hildebrandt, 2012).

According to Dunn (2008), one in six adults in the United Kingdom is suffering

from some form of mental illness at any time such as depression. The state of

depression combined with stress also make it much harder to make decisions

or find solutions to problems (Oxford Brookes University, 2012), leading to

increasing suicide rate. Having said all that, it is safe to say that too much

studying affects students’ mental health.

Finally, studying around the clock can affect students’ physical health. According

to psychotherapist, Mary Jo Rapini, when kids are pushed and suffer stress, they also

experience anxiety and depression, which can surface as physical symptoms such as

headaches (Lobello, 2014). When students spend most of their hours on studying –

memorizing notes and practicing exercises, they may also neglect their diet or eating

habits. Many people respond to stress by eating, drinking or smoking much more than is

usual (Oxford Brookes University, 2012). Both acts of skipping meals and binging would

affect students’ physical health and can create health problems – mainly stomach aches

and pains.

In conclusion, studying hard with little leisure time has effects such as avoidance,

poor mental state and physical health issues. In order to avoid these negative effects,

students ought to be smart in managing their time effectively and learn to find balance

between studying and engaging in leisure activities. Family – particularly parents, also

play an important role in helping students achieve that balance. There is more to life

than just studying, and it should be a fun learning process which should be more

beneficial than damaging.

625 words

References

Dunn, C. (2008, December 6). Mind over matter: Studying for a degree can be stressful

– but where do you turn to if the pressure starts to affect your mental health?

Retrieved March 18, 2014 from

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/dec/06/mental-health-university-

students

Hildebrandt, S. (2012, February 6). How stress can cause depression: Studies with rats

and humans reveal how chronic stress can result in a depression. Retrieved

March 19, 2014 from http://sciencenordic.com/how-stress-can-cause-depression

Lobello, K. (N.d.). The Effects of Pushing Your Kids Too Far: ‘No nagging’ and other

helpful rules for parents. Retrieved March 18, 2014 from

http://mom.me/parenting/5262-effects-pushing-your-kids-too-far/

Oxford Brookes University. (2012). Stress management. Retrieved March 20, 2014 from

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/student/services/health/stress.html