Esterolandia

student | International Studies | 20 | blogger all along | english/italian Il più grande degli scrittori non può vedere al di là di un muro di mattoni, ma diversamente da noi egli non può costruirne uno. -Wystan Hugh Auden www.esterolandia.com

[asjl-deactivated20210826]

For everyone

1.      Stop spending so much money at the vending machine, it adds up to more than you think

2.      If you’re hungry, eat. Don’t look around at other people, don’t wait for them not to be looking, just eat.

3.      Don’t hold your pee for that long, no one is talking about you for going to the bathroom, just go.

4.      Laugh when it’s funny, your laugh is beautiful and unique, let others hear it.

5.      Your mom is more than likely right, that person is being fake.

6.      Don’t be afraid to reject a guy if you don’t like him; think of yourself first.

7.      Don’t think that your bothering others, unless they say it, don’t think it.

8.      Your mind is your biggest prison, and I know that it’s hard to escape it…but at least try. Fight to get out, don’t let those thoughts and doubts overwhelm you.

9.      You’re funny, someone finds you funny, and that’s because you are.

10.  Your voice is beautiful, speak and sing your heart out.

11.  Your hair isn’t ugly, don’t be insecure of it.

12.  You’re not too skinny/fat…you’re the way you are because it’s perfect just for you.

13.  Eat all you want, stop starving your beautiful self.

14.  People that matter care…people that don’t matter don’t.

15.  When they ask you what’s wrong, that means they care…say something.

16.  Don’t hold it back, don’t keep it in, don’t tell yourself that you’ll get over it, don’t tell yourself that you’ll be bothering others, don’t tell yourself that nobody cares, SAY SOMETHING.

17.  Crying is alright, no one thinks less of you for it.

18.  Stop covering yourself so much, it’s unhealthy both mentally, emotionally, and physically.

19.  Get out of your room more, even if you are depressed, staying in there won’t help you at all.

20.  Take a moment to pause everything, everything, and just breathe… You made it.

21.  At the end of the day, you worked hard, pat yourself on the shoulder, think about what you did well and the mistakes you won’t need to do again, then call it a day.

22.  Say I’m sorry

23.  Forgive, but don’t be so naïve to let your heart get trampled on again.

24.  If they hurt you once, okay…twice, don’t bring them back as if nothing happened.

25.  Learn to go with your gut, believe me, sometimes it’s right.

26.  Just because is five for $4 doesn’t mean you should buy 20…buy what you need.

27.  Think about others before yourself, it helps lessen the anxiety too.

28.  Write…and if you’re not good at writing, paint. It doesn’t need to be a masterpiece, it just needs to be you…

29.  Grades do not define you. Give your all to your grades, but if you still don’t pass, it’s not your fault, it’s not YOU.

30.  Mistakes happen, learn, but don’t let them chain you up and drag you down. It’s not YOU.

31.  Sleep, just one hour more of sleep can change everything.

32.  Take a warm shower, it helps.

33.  Drink more water, it’ll help with the headaches.

34.  I love saying this – “Live until you laugh, laugh until it hurts, hurt until you cry, cry until you Heal”…please, never hold it in.

35.  What people say about you doesn’t define you, what you say about yourself does.

36.  Let it out, but don’t let everyone know every single detail about your life, keep somethings private.

37.  Call your mom, tell her you love her.

38.  Listen to your grandmother, even when she starts to rant.

39.  You can’t please everyone because some people just don’t want to be pleased, erase them from your life.

40.  Pray. If you believe in God, even prayer helps you so much when you’re hurting, trust me.

41.  Say thank you, even for another day of life that went terribly.

42.  Don’t procrastinate, even if you write one word/sentence a day since the assignment was given…do that.

43.  Don’t eat out all the time

44.  Remember the good days when times go bad, appreciate the lessons learned when days are good.

45.  You don’t NEED to go to prom, you don’t NEED to go to homecomings or parties, you won’t miss things if you don’t.

46.  Being an introvert isn’t a curse, love yourself whether you’re outgoing or not.

47.  They don’t need to tell you that you’re beautiful for you to be beautiful, it was already a fact before they stated it.

48.  You don’t NEED a boyfriend, no matter how many of your friends or peers have one. Don’t rush into a relationship just because you’re the odd one out.

49.  Keep your virginity, and it you lose it, don’t end your life or future because of it.

50.  Love others freely. And yourself too.

51.  Organize yourself, nothing sucks worse than getting a zero on a paper because you couldn’t find it, not because you didn’t do it.

52.  Learn to let go if it hurts you, don’t hang on to something/someone that brings you pain.

53.  Keep in touch with teachers who were there for you.

54.  Someone loves you, someone will miss you when you’re gone…remember that.

55.  You’re not a burden.

56.  You worked hard.

57.  Think of that future someone for you and smile.

58.  If things don’t go on as plan, don’t be afraid to throw everything out the window and start all over again…breathe, and do it.

59.  You’ll survive without them, even if it hurts now, you already are.

60.  Worry more about what you do than how you look. Character lasts, looks don’t.

I saw something like this and wanted to do my own version for this…

I love you all

[andra-ci]

Visita il link in bio per scoprire se fare l'università all'estero sia la scelta giusta per te! 🤓 . . . . #studiare #studiareallestero #università #universitaallestero #fuorisede #studio #studygram #study #studyabroad #studyguide #studentiincrisi #studenti #studentlife #studentlife #viaggiare

[andra-ci]

Studiare Medicina all'estero? È possibile! 🔬 E Martinica ce lo racconta dall'Olanda. LINK IN BIO . . . . #studentiincrisi #studenti #studiare #studiaremedicina #studiareallestero #universià #universitaallestero #fuorisede #studentedimedicina #vitadauniversitarie #medicina #medicina2017 #medicinaechirurgia #studentlife #olanda #olanda

[andra-ci]

Esterolandia è finalmente online! 💪🏻📚🛩 Se sei uno studente che vuole ampliare i propri orizzonti e studiare all'estero ti incuriosisce, questo è il sito che fa per te! Potrai trovare articoli, consigli e interviste. LINK IN BIO . . . . #Esterolandia #studiareallestero #universitaallestero #studentlife #vitadastudente #medicinaallestero #studiaremedicina #medicina #studenti #studente #università #studiare #annoallestero

[totalspiffage]

My therapist suggested replacing “is there anything I can do” with “what do you need” when comforting someone as the first kind of assumes you as part of the equation in helping someone which isn’t always helpful. It also kind of pressures the person suffering to kind of come up with something FOR you to do. Like I get so frustrated with that first question as a person who gets it a lot.

The second not only takes the pressure off but also might help the person really consider what their actual needs are like hey I haven’t eaten, maybe that’s a reason I feel crappy. It kinda takes the asker out of the immediate picture so the person struggling can focus on what they actually need, and then if you CAN help, you can offer it.

We’ll see if this works better!

[smhstudies-blog]

all the study tips!!

1. make an exam/test schedule - plan out when, what, and for how long you should study for the test. try to start studying one week in advance from the exam.

2. make a to-do-list - making a to-do-list is really helpful for me, especially if you have any after-school activities. i would record homework with due dates the closest to the current date, and other tasks that i need to finish that need to be finished the soonest

3. your mental health is more important than your grades - if you need to take a day off of studying, do whatever you have to to get better. you should always be your top priority.

4. set realistic goals - i remember this year in my family and consumer sciences class, we were taught to set “S.M.A.R.T” goals - “specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-based” goals. one example of setting a S.M.A.R.T goal is somethign along the lines of “i want to have my homework finished by 6:00 p.m. everyday for 2 weeks straight.”

5. improving your concentration - make sure that there is no noise to distract you while studying, but if listening to music while studying is the best help for you, be my guest. set reasonable time limits for each portion of the task and also for completing the final project.

6. falling behind - if you got sick, or you’ve scheduled too much at once, or you just weren’t really up to going to school, falling behind and catching up can be physical hell. what i do to catch up is i try to level with all my teachers and to see if they can allow me to have one extra day to finish all my assignments ive missed.

7. stop procrastinating - okay okay listen, i know it could be frustrating to have your phone on your desk and to not have the constant notifications, but still, studying is more important than the freaking kardashians.

8. environment visuals - start with cleaning up, and maybe doing a little rearrangement to your study space. this was the best thing i could’ve possibly done, and i made the study space smell great with a mint smell

9. watch videos - watching videos is very useful when you don’t understand a theory.

10. want to study - think about WHY you want to study. do you want a better, higher grade or is it because you want to pass the subject. Once you figure out the reason why, it’ll be easier to get your motivation back. :))

—–

i really, really hope this will get you back into your studying groove <3

[andra-ci]

Very useful short list

[midnight-wilds]

How to stop snoozing - 

We all do it, it’s nothing new, yet it’s something that wrecks our “this year I’m gonna wake up early” goals. Snoozing is the single most comforting and annoying thing in the day.

So how do we stop snoozing and actually wake up on time?

1. Don’t put your phone (or alarm clock if you use that) too close to your bed when you sleep - basically, it should be far enough so that you actually get up to even snooze it.

2. Don’t use a single alarm tune for more than a couple of weeks. In my experience, once you get used to that tune, it’s pretty easy to go back to sleep after snoozing it, or even letting it play.

3. Keep your phone/alarm clock in different places everyday (or at least every other day). Set them apart by only a few inches if not more, but the change in position helps you up in the morning when you have to look for your phone rather than just go to the one specified place and shut it off.

4. Try an alarm that wakes you up with something cute/useful - like daily news, cute critters, whatever makes you happy. Don’t put a screaming animal as an alarm - mornings should be pleasant, and an annoying sound to wake up to will make you less inclined to wake up at all! Also, chances are you’ll shut a bad alarm off rather than snoozing it - not the best idea.

5. Go to bed earlier if you can. Duh.

6. Plan your sleep so you wake up at the end of your REM cycles - ideal sleep lengths would be 3 hours, 4.5 hours, 6 hours, 7.5 hours, 9 hours and so on. You’ll feel fresher and be more likely to not snooze.

7. Plan something good for your morning - this one is pretty obvious. My morning schedule goes like something like this these days:

5:00 - wake up

get dressed

make coffee/hot chocolate

blog a bit

6:00 - study Danish (my favorite thing to study right now!)

I study Danish until I’ve completed whatever I wanted to do, and then I move on to the next subject. If I put say, chemistry (which I hate) in my early morning sessions, I’d snooze until 7.

So I hope that helped! If you’re trying to wake up early, remember you can do it! Good luck, my owls xx

[amargedom]

[mystudentid]

Very useful guide to make note-taking more effective

[peachy-studies]

Omg this!!

[iambiology]

👌🏻

[nocturnepage]

I never cut class. I loved getting A’s, I liked being smart. I liked being on time. I liked getting my work done. I thought being smart is cooler than anything in the world.

Michelle Obama (via trufflesome)

[gingerlie-math]

I love my iPad Pro. My notes are so pretty.

[andra-ci]

The thing is: you don't need an iPad Pro to take notes on your iPad. I have used my iPad Air 1 with a Wacom Bamboo Alpha to take notes since I got it and it works just as fine. You don't need the latest iPad/MacBook/computer to be productive. Just learn how to maximise what you already have.

[estudying-blog]

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”          – Confucius 

[estudying-blog]

the curve of forgetting

the curve of forgetting describes how we retain or get of information we absorb.

day 1: you go into a lecture knowing 0% and come out knowing 100% of what you know (regardless of whether you know it extremely well or not)

day 2: you did not do any reviewing of your notes from day 1 therefore you have lost 50%-80%

and as the days progress we forget less and less

think about midterms! notice how around midterms when you’re trying to study for something (that you haven’t been reviewing for regularly) it feels like the material is VERY difficult and almost as if you’ve never learned it before

formula to reshape the curve

within 24 hours of your lecture spend 10 minutes reviewing the material

a week later: it will only take 5 minutes to REACTIVATE the same material

ultimately, you will reshape the curve  

day 30: by this day your brain will only need 2-4 minutes to recall

information on the curve of forgetting was taken from the university of waterloo (x)

my formula to reshape the curve using the information above

before class: spend 10 minutes PREVIEWING the material. 

after class: spend 10 minutes REVIEWING the material

do this regularly. this will be your preview/review system for each class.

a week later: try to review a week later. i know that school/life can get pretty hectic, but try to make sure you are reviewing regularly.

maybe record yourself saying some important details/concepts from your notes the night before and on your daily commute to school plug in those earphones and listen to it. i am an auditory learner and i find that listening to my notes before i go to bed and right when i wake up have truly helped me retain information. studies have shown that the best time to study is right before going to bed and right when you wake up.

a month later: after a month, review what you’ve learned so far in your class. trust me this will be a very very short review. everything will look very familiar to you and it won’t look as difficult as it used to.

basically your review schedule should be the following: 

1 hour before learning the material

1 hour after learning the material (or within 24 hours of learning it b/c i know we’re all very busy people)

1 day later

1 week later

1 month later

remember everyone learns, studies, and retains information differently!! my personal belief is that your technique is what matters most. it is not about your innate ability/talent. find a technique that works for you.

more suggestions:

active learning > passive learning

when taking notes use the Cornell method. it forces you to ask questions and summarize what you’ve learned.

set frequent, short, review sessions

test yourself constantly! there are so many resources online. 

people who are under stress have difficulty remembering things so CHILL OUT

don’t rush, take your time

repetition is key

practice MAKES PERFECT

group items together

fish, vitamin b12, and green tea can help w/ memory

don’t give up. like morrissey said “these things take time.”

[designyoself]

This is actually really useful, no matter how good your memory is. 

[stillstudies]

How To Feel Better More Okay.

1.) take a nap; sleep is good for the soul, and it’s a way better idea than doing something destructive. 2.) make some tea, or coffee, or whatever your favorite is today. 3.) go see a friend, even if you don’t feel like it… we are so lucky to have people in our lives that care. 4.) have a one person dance party. 5.) go through your closet. try on different outfits. (optional: take a ridiculous amount of selfies.) 6.) going off of the last point: dress up. feel cute. be extra. 7.) watch your favorite old movies. 8.) take yourself out on a date. 9.) let’s be real here; let yourself cry it out. 10.) accept that even though you may not be 100% okay right now, you believe in yourself enough to work towards it. be proud of yourself for feeling.

[studyblr]

If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will find an excuse.

[optomstudies]

To celebrate coming back to uni and getting 100 followers (one. hundred. :O ), it’s #optomstudies here with my first ever study tips post! Here’s a step-by-step guide on sleeping and waking up early! Follow me for weekly study tips!

I decided to make this my first topic because this year I’m unfortunately going to have 8am lectures, meaning I’ll need to wake up at 5:30am to get there from my house! And on top of that night time clinic will last until 9:30pm we’re told, meaning I’m going to be getting home at like 11:30pm :( So I’m resetting my body clock to prepare for it :)

The sunrise from this morning’s run :) #nofilter

THE NIGHT BEFORE

Turn off your devices an hour before sleep. The blue light from your computer and mobile can really disrupt the natural melatonin levels that control your sleep cycle, so I always try to end the day with some sort of reading, whether that be for leisure or some summary notes at the end of the day.

Don’t drink any tea or coffee before you sleep. Better to finish the night off with some warm milk and honey (thank you kuroshitsuji) or something similarly soothing. 

Write down a list of what you want to achieve by waking up early. Seeing or even remembering the list can stop you from crawling back to the warmth of your bed, especially in the middle of winter. When the morning you isn’t able to think clearly, let the motivated you make the decisions! And I wouldn’t recommend making a list of what you achieved today to feel accomplished because how’s that going to help you when you’re going to be asleep and unconscious anyway?

Pick out the clothes you want to wear for tomorrow, and make sure they match the weather! Like with the tasks you want to achieve, it’s not a good idea to let the morning you fumble with clothes and what matches well. Definitely do include a jacket or hoodie that you can slip off once the day gets warmer!

Keep your bed reserved for sleeping. Put your smartphone on the other side of the room so that you aren’t tempted to go and check up on your messages on social media. This will reduce the chance that you start a conversation with some night owl friend that ends up continuing past midnight.

Make sure your room is pitch black. This is so that light doesn’t end up disrupting your sleep cycle and so that you condition your body into thinking that it’s time for sleep.

Clear your mind. Whether you achieve this by meditating or otherwise, don’t think about anything, lest you stay up tossing and turning. This includes both exciting events tomorrow and sad events from today. 

Get either 7.5 or 9 hours of sleep. This is because the brain has sleep cycles that are approximately 90 minutes long, so sleeping past will immediately pull you into the next sleep phase. When you wake up in the middle of deep sleep, you end up feeling groggy and tired throughout the whole next morning.

THE NEXT DAY

Reset your sleep cycle by waking at the same time each day. We all have those nights where we absolutely need to finish something by tomorrow (because the professors all conspired with each other and decided to give us double the homework for each subject due the next day :P) but try to keep it constant when you wake. So if you miss the point where you would’ve slept 7.5 hours, go for 6, since you still have a complete sleeping period, and usually that extra hour or so is enough to get the work finished. So don’t think about sleeping in for afternoon classes, because you’ll just feel worse for wear the next time you have morning classes. 

Go cold turkey. Willpower is like a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it gets, and I can see no greater struggle than waking up early, jks. I have tried the gradual method of waking up at 7:30, 7:15, 7:00, etc. but I found the best way is to just so straight to your target wake up time. The first day you feel tired in the middle of the day, but it’s easier than adjusting to a new sleep cycle each morning for a week (or longer if you miss a day). 

Wake up with a full blast of natural light. If your bed is next to a window like mine, then pull up the blinds to let as much natural light in as possible to stop the production of melatonin. 

Set an alarm that you know will wake you up. Whether it be a song you like or a super annoying alarm bell, choose something that you can associate with waking up in the morning. For me, I always use BoA’s song Who Are You, because the music video reminds me of a new day, and it has a lovely and soft piano intro :)

Wake up the first time your alarm rings. Although you want to sleep a little longer in order to feel more refreshed, hitting the snooze button is actually detrimental as this explanation from Maimonides Medical Centre explains:

According to Dr. Yizhak Kupfer, Assistant Director of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine, using an alarm clock often wakes a person up in the middle of their sleep cycle and cuts rapid eye movement (REM) sleep short. “Over the course of a night, a person goes through five shifting stages of sleep,“ explains Dr. Kupfer. “The brain constantly goes through these stages, emitting different brain waves that reflect if a person is experiencing lighter or deeper periods of sleep.” People who are reliant on their snooze button can diminish the positive effect of a good night’s rest because they are constantly drifting back to sleep only to be abruptly woken up a few minutes later. This causes a shortened, disrupted sleep cycle right before a person starts their day. 

Jump out of bed immediately. Don’t lie in bed thinking; you’ll just drift off again. 

Have a glass of cold water, but don’t just down a whole bottle in one go, because your kidneys are remarkably good at preventing our electrolyte balance from being thrown out of homeostasis, so downing a heap of water will just make them overwork to reduce the water levels. Just see this ELI5 from reddit, though probably with a pinch of salt, considering all the differing opinions. Best to keep that glass of water next to you as you work and drink a few sips at a time while you are working. 

If you drink an excess of water, you have diluted the careful balance of electrolytes. Your kidneys will rapidly dump that water to ensure these electrolyte concentrations are not diluted. 

Put on your clothes quickly! This one comes from personal experience. In the past just to avoid that chilly feel from clothes when winter comes along, I would get out of bed and get my clothes and stuff them under my blanket and take a quick snooze while they got warm. But that usually just ended with me getting my clothes wrinkled rather than actually doing much in terms of warming them up >_< Plus, now I find that doing it quickly is like a burst of energy to get you going for exercise. 

Finish what you were going to do. Remember that list we wrote last night? Do it now and feel great about doing at least one thing extra this morning. 

Don’t have a cup of coffee (yet)! On waking, our bodies stop the production of melatonin and start the production of cortisol to get you going. Cortisol isn’t just for stress, it also starts gluconeogenesis to increase your blood glucose levels (which is important for your brain function) and increases your metabolism. Drinking coffee will disrupt this natural waking hormone, and it also reduces blood flow to the frontal cortex which is responsible for higher order thinking and cognition, explained in this article: 

Caffeine increases energy metabolism throughout the brain but decreases at the same time cerebral blood flow, inducing a relative brain hypoperfusion.

What this means is that although there is more sugar available, oxygen supply decreases. If you do drink coffee, it’s recommended to drink it around 9:00 or so, after the natural cortisol kicks in. I say it’s better to stick to exercise, which is proven to benefit your health in almost every way. 

Exercise. There’s no need for me to explain that this is the best way to feel energized and refreshed for the rest of the day and to get your heart pumping! The morning air is dewy and hasn’t yet been tampered by the smell of car fumes and other pollution, so breath in :) Play some music with beats that will get you moving (this morning’s run brought to you by f(x)’s Rude Love). I snapped a picture as I left the house just before the sun started to rise :)

Enjoy the benefits of a job well done. Give yourself a pat on the back, because it’s tiring to get up at 6am or earlier! You’ve got your study space all to yourself, enjoy it with a cup of orange juice, and some peace and quiet. Get to work/uni/school nice and early, ready to learn something new and feel proud that you aren’t one of those groggy students with their heads glued to the table! 

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my first study tips post, I intend to publish more and better posts in the future too! Follow me, as I’ll be doing the 100 days of productivity challenge starting March! (this coming week!)

MY WEEKLY STUDY TIPS

WHAT I WISH I’D KNOWN BEFORE UNIVERSITY STUDY TIPS SERIES

0 Choosing a Degree , 1 Administration , 2 Getting to Class

3 Studying , 4 Extra-Curriculars , 5 Exams , 6 Social Life

7 Part Time Work , 8 Four Secrets Uni Tells You

new!! 9 Best Study Spots on Campus new!!

new!! 10 Saving Money 1 (Food, Transport, Entertainment) new!!

coming soon!! 10 Saving Money 2 (Textbooks, Tax, Scholarships)

SEE ALSO

Study Spaces Masterpost , Studying and your Visual System

Catching Up with Your Studies , Dealing with Bad Results

Sleeping and Waking Up Early , Google Keep

My 2017 Planner and Bullet Journal , Study Space , 2017 goals

+ my cute stationery + washi collection + my spreads!

[organicstudyblr]

ACADEMIC PHRASE BANK MASTERPOST: CONNECTING WORDS FOR ESSAY WRITING

Addition * To begin with, 
 * In the first place, 
 * Firstly, 
 * The first reason * Additionally * Furthermore, * Another reason why * Secondly, Thirdly, * Next, * Pursuing this further, * Also * Lastly, Finally * In the same way, Comparison * Similarly,
 * In the same way, * Likewise, * As with, * Equally, Contrasting * On the same contrary, * However, * Nevertheless, * On the other hand, * Even so * Alternatively * At the same time * Otherwise * Instead * Conversely Result * Hence * Therefore * Accordingly * Consequently * Thus * As a result * In consequence * For this reason * For this purpose Time * Meanwhile * Presently * At last * Finally * Immediately * Thereafter * At that time * Eventually * Currently * Subsequently * In the meantime
 Importance * Importantly * Especially * Above all * With attention to Example * For example * For instance * That is * Such as * As revealed by * Illustrated by * Specifically * In particular * For one thing * This can be seen by * An instance of this
 Literary
 * Clarifies
 * Conveys
 * Depicts
 * Demonstrates * Determines
 * Displays
 * Emphasizes
 * Establishes 
 * Explains
 * Exemplifies
 * Highlights
 * Illustrates
 * Indicates
 * Potrays
 * Represents
 * Shows
 * Signifies
 * Suggests Beginnings/Causes/Effects * Affects * Generates * Ignites * Impacts * Imposes * Influences * Initiates * Introduces * Involves * Launches * Leads to * Presents * Promotes * Prompts * Results in
 Summary * In conclusion, * To sum it all up, * To summarize, * In the final analysis * You can see why … * Finally, * To wrap it all up, * Therefore, * In summary, * In short, * In brief, Receptionist

[andra-ci]

Overcoming depression

Hello everyone! I was inspired to write this post about depression as I had to deal with it myself during high school and I wanted to share my experience with the studyblr community. I hope it can be useful. 

Accept who you are. I know you hear this one a lot, but it is the very first step to take. Accept yourself. You are unique, there is no one in the whole universe like you. Stop the shaming and stop the self-deprecation. It does not help you. Do not lock your feelings inside. I remember laying on the bed, looking at the wall and just staying there trying so hard to not exist. Oh, I remember so well that hateful feeling of emptiness. Don't try to disappear. You were born for a reason, you came to this world to live a wonderful live. Embrace the positivity and start looking at yourself in the mirror and smiling. It may seem stupid at first, but if you don't start loving yourself you won't solve your problem. SO LOVE YOURSELF. Here are some simple tips that can make you understand why you are so worth it:

 Sit at your desk and write a list of all your qualities and characteristics. If you feel like you hate yourself for a particular thing you do, write that down as well and then think about what you can do to solve it. For example: jeez I am so shy -> talk to three people every day. Then commit to it. 

 Wear your favorite dress/outfit/whatever it is that you adore, then play your favorite music and dance around in your room. It might bring a smile upon your face.

Ask someone who loves you why they do. Ask them the reasons why they love and appreciate you. It may be your mum, dad, sister, brother, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, family member. It does not matter whom you ask. The only thing that matters is that you trust them. 

Take care of yourself. Do some small things to take care of yourself. When I am so so tired, I take a hot bath/shower with my favorite soap. Then put on some cream, I dry my hair, make my nails, eat something that I like. You can do the same: show yourself some love and respect. Don't let other people do it for you. For instance, don't go to the hair dresser but wash your hair yourself instead. I think it is important that YOU do all this stuff because you have to be active. Learn how to love yourself first. 

Stop sleeping and start doing. When I was in high school I used to sleep a lot. It was a way of escaping real life for a while. If you do as well, stop it. Stop sleeping so much and start living. If you think that it would be nice to go for a walk, then do it before your brain can come up with an excuse. If you feel curious or excited about anything, jump out of bed and do it! Don't find excuses for yourself, do those small things instead. Go for a walk, go to the park, have a cup of coffee, go to a museum, call your friend, start studying something that you are interested in all of a sudden, whatever it is that you would like to do, do it. However, remember to sleep around 8 hours per night so you won't be tired. 

Exercise a lot. A friend of mine once told me: "Whenever you feel tired, get yourself moving". It was her father who taught her this simple trick and she always did it. She is one of the most positive people I know. Then once, during winter break, I visited her and her family in Austria. Her father was truly such an active and positive man! I really admired him and when he asked me if I wanted to go hiking with them I thought: why not? So we went hiking. It was around New Year, it was so freaking cold and the snow was so high that it went up to my knees. I have to be honest here: it was difficult. Even walking wasn't easy but in the end we made it! And it was wonderful! We were there, on the top of the mountain covered in snow. The view was breathtaking. Then we went down the hill by sled and it was so much fun! After a day of walking through the snow I wasn't tired at all! I mean, of course I was physically tired, but I felt mentally reborn. I felt just bright inside. I don't even know how to explain it. My point is: go out there and exercise! It helps you body and your mind. You will see the results in no time. 

Go out! Don't stay in your room all day. Go out, get some fresh air. When I was in high school, my room was my safe place where I could hide. However, it soon became my prison too. I felt so much better when I wen out for a walk with my boyfriend. Don't go alone. Take someone with you. It may seem too simple but most of the time seeing happy people on the street cheers you up as well. 

Read tons of books. I know binge watching TV series is easier, but it harms your eyes in the long run. After a while I usually get a heavy headache. Read a book instead. When I was in high school I started reading Harry Potter. What a wonderful experience it was! First of all, reading develops your imagination and it makes you feel active in the story. You actively participate in creating the characters and the scenarios so you don't just shut down your brain and passively watch. Secondly, books are magic. Honestly, pick a good book and start reading. Books make me feel enthusiastic and I for sure needed some happiness back then. 

Make things by hand. I built my first bullet journal all by myself. Constructing things that you will later use helps you feel useful and proud of your work. It also helps you calming down and gives you the time to quiet the mind. Try doing something simple. You can watch some DIY videos on YouTube to get you started. For example, I made a couple of notebooks for my bujo and it felt really great. You could paint some jars and use them as pencil cases to put on your desk. You could also make some small presents for your friends! Believe me, it works. Give it a chance and you'll see. 

Let people love you. Don't try to kick your friends/family out of your life. Let them in. Let them love you and show it to you. I know this was particularly difficult for me. When I met my boyfriend, I didn't want him in my life. I couldn't believe that someone like him would like someone like me. Come on, I am sure you are familiar with this feeling. You think you are not worth it. You think you don't deserve it. But you do! You deserve it so much! Let them love you 'cause you won't make it all by yourself! Next month my boyfriend and I will celebrate our second anniversary and I am so happy that I had courage to accept him in my life. He showed me real love when I most needed it. Be brave and you'll get there! 

Communicate your feelings. Open up, don't keep your emotions inside. Free your feelings. Tell your loved ones how you feel. If you had a shitty day, go tell your person. Let them know what you are struggling with and seek for help. If your friends don't want to hear about your depression, they are not real friends. Let them go, it doesn't matter. You will find better people that will appreciate you for who you truly are, not for whom they want you to be. Don't force yourself to be lonely. After saying what preoccupied me I immediately felt better. You won't be the only one to benefit from it: your family and friends will know what happened and they won't feel so powerless anymore (believe me, it kills them as well), they will try to help you instead. 

Get a pet/plant. My dog made my days so beautiful, I can't even tell. She gave me a whole new range of positive emotions to deal with. I was so excited to learn how to take care of her that I almost forgot the negativity. Of course sometimes I though I could not make it, but in the end I had to because it wasn't about me anymore. It was about my dog and her wellbeing. If she was happy, I was happy. She forced me to go out, talk to people and exercise. I learned so much thanks to her. She is one of the best things that ever happened to me. If you are thinking about taking a dog, I advise you to do so. If you already have one, take full responsibility for it. However, if you can't have a dog for any reason, take a plant instead. It might not be as communicative but it is easier to grow and it gives you a great amount of satisfaction. I did it when I moved to Holland to university. I couldn't get my dog with me so I got a plant. It keeps me company and it make me feel happy when I see those new little leaves growing! 

Set a high goal and work for it. So back to when I was in high school (oh yeah, all the bad stuff happened during high school) I had that one big project that kept me going: I wanted to go abroad to study at a prestigious university. And I did it. It was a big and far project but it really pushed me when I felt like I couldn't make it. I dreamed about those universities, I went to their websites and watched videos and red blogs and forums and all that fun stuff. It kept me motivated. However I didn't break that big goal into smaller, achievable ones and that was a mistake. Therefore I advise you to do so. Set a high goal and break it into smaller tasks that you can work on everyday. A planner or a bullet journal can help you with this. Dream big and work for it! I know you can make it because I did! 

I am not a psychologist or a doctor. I am a normal person who had to deal with depression for as much as five years. But I made it, I defeated the beast and these are my best advices for you. Now, after such a horrible period, I am finally happy. I am where I want to be. I am fulfilled. And I made it without any professional help. If I could make it, you can as well! Best luck to you!