Study mentality

In principle, when we talk about the mentality when studying it may sound like a minor issue, and it is that we tend to neglect the most abstract elements, those that we are not able to perceive with all our senses. We are all very clear that studying is important if we want to pass an exam, but when we refer to the effectiveness of being properly mentally prepared, doubts begin to surface.

The truth is that mentality is not as abstract as we think it is, nor are mental illness, depression or cognitive disorders. They are elements that have a scientific basis, are studied and worked on many occasions by specialists. Otherwise we would have to think why a soccer team needs a psychologist and dedicates several hours a week to interact and work on the mentality of the players instead of taking those same hours to train, which in the end is the only thing that apparently influences a match.

On this topic and its importance for any student, we will dedicate the following lines, outlining the basic generalities in this regard.

Fixed mentality

As we said, mentality is studied from the field of various sciences such as psychology or neuroscience. There are many classifications that seek to group the different mental states that an individual can present, among the best known we will refer to two; the fixed mentality and the growth mentality.

The fixed mindset is based on the belief that we have been endowed with a series of natural qualities and capacities that cannot be developed beyond a certain point. This mentality is very harmful, it is the one that makes us repeat phrases such as "what had to happen has happened", or "nothing can be done". It instills a deterministic feeling, where the subject can do little to change his reality, I am poor because I was born poor and I can do nothing, I do not sing well, I can not dance, I am not good at numbers; and so on.

This is the mentality that makes us focus on the problem and not on the solution, it is the easiest mentality to sustain because it is the one that offers the least resistance. It is logical, we spend less energy accepting an unpleasant situation than thinking about how we are going to solve it. People with this mentality tend to be stagnant, with little progress. They are passive in the face of problems and have an excellent ability to accept defeat.

Progressive Mindset

The progressive mindset is the antithesis of the fixed mindset. Having a progressive mindset implies being aware that we build our reality, that while failure is a constant to be valued, the more we try, the more the statistics will favor us.

Those with a progressive mindset know that we are gifted to learn any new skill, that human history is full of people who started from scratch. That is why the progressive mindset is one that we must work to achieve, because regardless of our abilities and our personal talents, it is constant work that allows us to reach our goals. For a student it is very important to understand the extent to which it can be achieved to be properly mentally aware of what you want to achieve, because the student path is long and requires a lot of willpower, both to face the stumbling blocks and to know how to withstand the long days of study.

It is not an issue that should be taken lightly, mental health is health in the same way, we must take care of it from prevention and strongly attack the moments of emotional deviation. As it is logical, it happens as in any field of health, we are not always healthy but the first thing is to recognize the problem to learn how to fight it.