This may come as a surprise to you, but you are actually surrounded by ducks. (Yes, ducks.)
And it can be mentally, emotionally and even physically draining you.
What on earth is this magazine on about now?
Duck Syndrome is, in short, a condition of limited perception.
You see people all around you living their lives, getting on with schoolwork, going out with friends and keeping their cool while you’re up till 1 AM, pulling your hair out, staring at an assignment that simply refuses to finish itself. At this point, images of your well-rested, smiley, high-achieving peers may cross your mind, and you may find yourself thinking, What is wrong with me? Why am I struggling this badly? Do I have a problem?
If you’ve had a similar episode- and I am a strong believer in the fact that we have all been there- then Duck Syndrome may just be the term to describe your situation.
The term ‘Duck Syndrome’ was first coined by Stanford University. Seeing the effects of a high-achieving and competitive atmosphere on students at other Ivy League universities, Stanford urged its own students to prioritise their own mental and physical well-being over all else. Unfortunately, what this resulted in was a feeling of obligation in Stanford students to ‘look happy’ in spite of the inner pressure they can feel accumulating. And as time went by, the obvious truth began to surface: this toxicity is far from exclusive to top universities, and it is closely linked with the dreaded Impostor Syndrome. Thus, the condition had a name- and solutions were being looked for…
Why ducks though?
Because of the way they swim!
One Stanford blogger summarises it this way-
“Everyone on campus appears to be gliding effortlessly across this Lake College. But below the surface, our little duck feet are paddling furiously, working our feathered little tails off.”
(https://duckstop.stanford.edu/why-does-duck-stop-here)
Ducks seem to gracefully “glide” across the surface of the water “effortlessly” when, in fact, it takes a crazy amount of effort to keep themselves afloat. And that is why this syndrome can be described as a case of ‘limited perception’; it’s all about what goes on below the surface– the struggle that nobody sees, the monsters beyond the mere tip of the iceberg- rather than just what we may try to project onto others.
While this is an issue in and of itself, the real problems arise from our natural reactions to these triggers… As humans, we have a tendency to compare ourselves to others- and again, while this may not necessarily be a severe problem, it may give way for a much darker effect: jealousy. It sounds petty and pathetic- but if you rewind to the story of Cain and Abel, jealousy was the motive behind the first murder… Of course, this extreme doesn’t mean that Duck Syndrome will result in (or excuse) murder, but jealousy can change people into much more unpleasant versions of themselves, whether it is towards others or towards themselves.
This is where Impostor Syndrome comes into play. While it may not be caused by jealousy, per se, it is most definitely a consequence of comparing oneself to others, especially in high-achieving spheres such as top ranking universities, high-pressure jobs or even school. It is an awful and destructive feeling that you do not deserve the achievements, qualifications or position that you have achieved thus far- that you are an ‘impostor’- and that any minute now, the people around you are going to find out how ‘unworthy’ you actually are. Quite obviously, this is bound to throw you into constant paranoia- and that is no way to live… You can probably see how badly Duck Syndrome will worsen this situation- and how the two can just feed off of each other and lock a person into an endless spiral of darkness and self-doubt.
The rise of social media hasn’t been too kind to us either, when put into the same frame as these issues. We’ve all heard this to the point where even the phrasing has been overworn, but social media really does subconsciously make us compare others’ highlights to our own lowest points, shortcomings and even ‘misfortunes’. This is especially detrimental for those of us who find it difficult to differentiate between what we see on Instagram, for example, and the truth. Worse yet, if you think that ‘the youth’ are the only victims of this problem, you’d be wrong. We can all agree that our parents use Facebook a lot more than we do, and as they inch closer to that ‘mid-life crisis’ phase, they may be more prone to this kind of subconscious comparison and are, perhaps, a lot more sensitive…
Well, how do we fix this?
As this is more of a web of interwoven issues than just a ‘standalone problem’, there is no direct solution. That does not mean, however, that there aren’t ways to cope or alleviate all the unnecessary burdens we carry on our own.
Back to Stanford University: Stanford students have created an online space on which they can communicate their distress (more commonly known as ranting); a Facebook page, ‘Stanford University Places I’ve Cried’ or SUPIC, was created. While it was first intended as a joke, this online group evolved into a safe space where personal struggles and even mental health is stripped of its stigma. This page effectively helps students by providing a support network where they can see each other’s metaphorical webbed feet unfiltered and furiously paddling to keep them gliding across the surface of the water.
My best advice would be to find a support system of your own; create one if you must. There is no need to keep your struggles and concerns unvoiced- to pretend that you’ve got it all together when you haven’t; we all face (more or less) the same issues. Learn to show vulnerability without being weak and express your hardships without whining.
An additional way to stay healthy in the midst of an unsound environment would be to set your priorities- and to do so correctly. Academics and educational success are undoubtedly a priority, but you have some rethinking to do if they are your absolute first. Your health (mental as well as physical) should be something you keep in check regularly regardless. Remember, a burnt out and exhausted student does not make a good student- even if that’s the image you’ve been fed by peers, the media or anyone at all. You can’t drive a vehicle with a broken engine.
Good luck and keep paddling!
