Obey an intensive study routine, sacrifice a large part of your leisure time and live with the permanent tension that you are gambling everything on one card. Everything is for a job for life and enviable conditions. This is the maxim applied by people who decide to take competitive exams, a decision that requires a high degree of responsibility and commitment. This process also carries a great emotional burden, since it is impossible for motivation to always remain along the same lines, which can sometimes generate feelings of frustration and discontent.
Opponent syndrome is used to name the set of symptoms that affect a large part of the people who prepare for oppositions. Many of them put studying before everything else, something that ends up creating havoc for them like those described by psychologist María Inmaculada Díaz in an article about this problem. Below, we explain the main characteristics of opposition syndrome and how it can be combated.
Doubt and lack of self-confidence is one of the most common symptoms among opponents, who tend to compare themselves with others, believe that sacrifices are not worth it or put themselves in the worst case scenario: what if I don’t approve? This uncertainty and constant worry about the future also creates high anxiety. These people often suffer from stress and dissatisfaction because they feel that they cannot fulfill everything that an opposition requires.
Facing opposition usually also has consequences on a social level. Opponents spend a lot of time isolated studying and do not have the time they would like to spend with their friends or family. The sacrifice of leisure, rest and disconnection ends up affecting the opponent’s state of mind and it is even common for physical symptoms or somatizations to appear such as headaches, insomnia or digestive problems.
If you think that you or someone around you suffers from opposition syndrome, there are a series of tips that help manage the stress generated by opposition:
