Millennials need less stress, and a little more time for themselves, in contrast to prior generations who attended college.
Such mindfulness, and some self-compassion, will help the Participation Trophy Generation meet the demands of the real world, according to humanities scholars at University of British Columbia. Self-compassion interventions can involve exercises to avoid negative self-judgment or feelings of inadequacy, like writing self-compassionately about a negative experience, or self-kindness, which means to not be overly critical of oneself; and common humanity, which means to recognize failure is universal. Don't forget mindfulness, which is defined as being present and calm in the moment, whatever that means.
Researchers from the faculty of education's school of kinesiology found students who reported higher levels of self-compassion felt more energetic, alive and optimistic during their first semester of university. When the students' sense of self-compassion levels rose, so too did their engagement and motivation with life.
The researchers said their findings highlight the potential for colleges and universities to enhance self-compassion for first-year students through the development of workshops or campaigns.
Citation: Katie E. Gunnell, Amber D. Mosewich, Carolyn E. McEwen, Robert C. Edlund, Peter R.E. Crocker, "Don't be so hard on yourself! Changes in self-compassion during the first year of university are associated with changes in well-being," Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 107 (2017) doj: 10.1-16/j.aogh.2016.11.032