The Five Stages of Doing Homework

Homework will always be a nuisance. It is time consuming and usually boring, but it does have a purpose. Throughout our years of being in school, we’ve had to come to terms with homework and getting it done before the due date. The feeling of turning in that tedious assignment a little early is nothing short of accomplishment, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t feel some pressure along the way. 

1. Denial

Is this really happening? Do I have to do this? This is our initial state of shock. You open up your planner and notice everything you have to do, and suddenly it’s like the world is caving in on you. Can we go on? How? Take a deep breath. This is the beginning of the process. These feelings are bound to surface, but we become stronger through this initial pain. 

2. Anger

Frustrations start to set in and you might find yourself asking, “Why did I wait so long?” Don’t worry, this is normal. In order for anything to get done, you do have to get a little frustrated with yourself first. Ever wait until the night before a paper is due to start writing it, and end up writing a pretty decent paper just from the energy of your frustrations? Once we begin to feel our anger, we can start to get rid of it.  Anger can be an integral part of our homework-doing process. This emotion can in turn give us strength in a situation that feels hopeless. Don’t be afraid to get angry. 

3. Bargaining

We start to bargain with ourselves in order to complete our responsibilities. We might often say, “Okay, if I read this page, I’ll watch an episode of Greys.” Or “If I do this problem, I’m going to Dunkin.” Now, these are examples of extreme bargaining. These ultimately lead to more procrastination. Try to reward yourself with a few minutes of silence. We will try anything not to feel the stresses of our impending assignments. But, negotiation is part of the process, and we might bounce back to denial and anger through this stage. Ultimately, we move on and sometimes realize that our bargains aren’t necessarily doing the trick. Bargaining can help us stick to the positives when everything else seems hopeless.  

4. Depression

This stage is likely to pass pretty quickly, so don’t fret too much. Depression/sadness might start to creep up on us when we stress about our assignments a little too much, especially if an assignment is particularly difficult. We might feel like giving up on them, but do your best not to. Depression is bound to happen if we procrastinate. Try not to get too bummed-out. Life can through you curve balls, and the sadness that accompanies stress can be a bit hard to handle sometimes. Just remember that it is temporary. 

5. Acceptance

We eventually have to accept our reality. This is here, this is now, and you have to do it. Assignments are always going to be there, in life, and in school, so we have to learn to live with them. Accepting that we have to do something no matter how time consuming or boring can ultimately be rewarding in the end. 

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