the college student returneth

#studyblr / #studyspo. started my journey back to college at 26 and I'm not giving up. this is a secondary blog.

[therapy101]

Hi! I'm a psych major and I was wondering what medications psychologists should know about, and what are some good sources to learn form? Just to be informed - I'm not particularly interested in psychiatry, but we keep studying case studies, and I think it would help to have more knowledge than just "doesn't lithium have something to do with mood" or "isn't [unpronounceable name] an SSRI?". Thanks!

Hi! I totally agree, psychopharm is an important area to know about. I’d say, knowing about the major psychoactive medication classes at minimum is important- like SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, mood stabilizers, stimulants, antipsychotics, atypicals, benzos, etc. Stahl’s books are pretty good, I would recommend them. I hope that helps! 

[themostsocialworker]

Sorry to intrude, I just wanted to make you’re aware of a free behavioral health medication guide that ATTC produces.  They also have an app under BH Meds, which seems well done. 

[therapy101]

^^^

[blvckquote]

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

How to Stop Worrying

1. Prepare for the worst but hope for the best. In reality, few of our worries actually become a reality. However, if you prepare in advance for things going wrong, you’ll have strategies available to cope and survive.

2. Write a list of everything you think you need to do, and then tick them off as you work through the list. That will help you feel more organised, and much more in control.

3. Do something to distract yourself – so your anxious thoughts don’t grow bigger in your mind.

4. Share your feelings with someone who understands and cares. They’ll offer you support – and you’ll gain perspective, too.

5. Confront the problem head often. It’s often the uncertainty that worries us the most – so face up to your worries – and take the steps you can.

6. Choose to do something that help you to calm you – like listening to your ipod or chilling with a friend.

7. Choose to be thankful. There are so many things to be grateful for. Compose a list of those, and you’ll find your worries fade.

[borderlinebravery]

Managing Extreme Emotions

The Skills Breakdown Point occurs when your emotional distress is so intense that it is overwhelming. Your mind may stop processing information, and you may be unable to think about anything except for the emotion you are experiencing. In such situations, it is difficult to use complicated skills or to problem solve.

STEP ONE: Observe and describe, using Mindfulness of Current Emotion.

Is your level of distress extreme?

Do you feel out of control?

Can you not focus your attention elsewhere?

Are you unable to process information?

Are you unable to utilize certain skills?

If you answered yes to some of these questions, you may be at your skills breakdown point. If so, follow the steps below. If not, it’s suggested that you use other emotion regulation skills to combat your distress. 

STEP TWO: Bring down emotional arousal by using these crisis survival skills: 

TIP – use Temperature change, Intense exercise, or Progressive muscle relaxation to calm your mind by adjusting your body chemistry.

Distract – engage in an enjoyable activity to take your mind off of whatever is causing the distress.

Self-Soothe – do something that brings you pleasure and comfort. Try to soothe all five senses.

IMPROVE the moment – Use strategies such as Imagery or Relaxation to help carry you through the emotion.

STEP THREE: Go back to step one and observe and describe your emotions once again. Go down the list under step one and decide if you’re still at an unmanageable level of distress. If you are, repeat step two. If not, continue to step four.

STEP FOUR: If you’re still experiencing uncomfortable emotions, but they aren’t too extreme, try other emotion regulation skills at this time. 

NOTE: These skills are not intended to rid yourself of the emotion or to help you ignore a troubling situation. The emotion and situation still exist and need to be addressed. These skills are intended to help painful emotions be more tolerable, and to aid in finding a more balanced state of mind for dealing with the situation.

Sources: (X) paraphrased by Jill and Julia for Borderline Bravery | Image: (x)

[othertypist]

I was asked how I draw ribbon banners, and since I’m sick and can’t concentrate on my work, I thought I’d make some GIFs. (Sorry about the bad quality, though. Due to Tumblr’s file size limit, I had to reduce the colours and delete some frames, but I’d say you can still see how I draw some of the ribbons that I added to a page in my bullet journal.)

[pr1nceshawn]

Resume Cheat Sheet.

Type ALL the key/action words in white and the smallest font possible at the bottom of your resume because companies use databases that pinpoint them to select potential hires for recruiters

@

[-hope-for-the-hopeless-]

[deeplylearning]

How to Defeat Procrastination

1. Create and maintain a work-progress journal. In a notebook jot down what you plan to do that morning then at night how long it took and if you finished, then explain why if you didn’t. Get a friend or roomie to keep you accountable if you need to. This is a great habit to get into because you keep yourself accountable. I mean, imagine how big a blow your ego will take if you see a notebook filled with excuses of why you didn’t get things done. These excuses easily go unnoticed in passing thoughts if you don’t record them.

“It took 3 hours to complete this assignment.”

“I completed all my work for today plus more.”

“I couldn’t finish this piece of reading because blank too longer than expected.”

2. Keep the machine running with healthy, energizing foods. For you fitblrs our there, I don’t think I need to explain how important this is.

Drink water constantly (at least every 45 minutes)

Keep the caffeine intake down to only one beverage an hour

Don’t skip meals and always have snacks on hand!

Treat food as an energy source, not craving satisfaction

Good: Veggies, fruit, whole grains, lean proteins, peanuts, granola bars

Bad: Refined carbs (sugar, white flour)

3. Make an event out of the worst tasks. There’s inevitably some (okay, maybe a lot) of tasks you find yourself dreading to do and seriously procrastinate on. You know, that boring history research paper or that crazy amount of stats practice problems on queue. One way to counter this is to study somewhere an inconvenient distance away from your dorm room (or any place you might see your friends) such as a remote spot in the library or in the corner at a quiet cafe down the street.

4. Build a routine that includes doing the same sort of work weekly in a “protected” time frame. Morning is the best time for this as the day progress your mind will be bogged down by more distractions. Schedule it before your first class if you have a late morning class or right after if it’s early, and get it done at that time consistently.

Ex: MWF always do history reading at 10am, TuTh always work on Stats problems

5. Choose hard days and plan them in advance. Everyone seems to have those days where you are forced to work extremely hard because of a looming deadline. If you can plan these days before they drop on you then you can finish them with a feeling of accomplishment rather than feeling exhausted and drained. Be sure to plan relaxation breaks as well as activities before and after these days so you’re prepared for the next day to suck and the day after for recovery. Let your friends know about your planned days to avoid distractions and for extra accountability.

“If I work hard Saturday I can go hard that night and relax on Sunday.”

Procrastination is normal. It’s horrible for productivity, but the inevitable truth is that even straight A students have to battle with it. The key is to know how to manage it so you can stay productive.

(These tips were adapted from Cal Newport’s books.)

[jemimaisnotaverage]

[thebelgianstudent]

This is so well done and simply perfect! :D 

[thisfuturemd]

Great study tips!

[micdotcom]

Watch: It’s your right to share your salary, not doing so could be holding you back.

[annakie]

At my last company, one day someone in accounting approached me at lunch and quietly told me I need to ask for a raise because I was way underpaid.

They gave me a number to shoot for.  It was about twice than what I had been making at the time.

So I went online, did some research, found some figures backing up my claim, put it all together and went to my boss.

I got what I asked for.

If it hadn’t been for that person in accounting telling me I was way underpaid, I’d have never known.  I went from barely scraping by to being able to have a savings account and getting all my debts paid thanks to them.

You should at least check sites like salary.com to start the process of seeing what you should be making.

[brianadeshe]

Because this is crucially important

[howtomusicmajor]

7 Study Moods

So you wanna study, but somehow the mood just isn’t right. Maybe try these? Pick your favorite, or do one each day of the week!

The Classy: Green tea, classical string quartets, reading articles in a park.

Great for when you need to read 120 pages of something. It’s way nicer to read when you’re in a nice place!

The Hipster: Coffee, jazz, writing summaries of the material in a coffee shop.

You’ll look very cosmopolitan, with all your notes in front of you. Make sure your summaries are coherent though, and you’re not too busy looking great to study well.

The Grad Student: Wine/sparkling cider, Adele, writing papers, curled up in blankets in bed.

Papers are easiest for me to write when I’m comfortable. If I feel a little fancy at the same time, so much the better.

The Focuser: Cold water, nature sounds, taking practice tests in a sunlight place.

The best way to study for a test is to take a test. The best way to kill test-anxiety is to take a practice test and feel calm while you do it. This is a great way to feel calm and prepared when you do a practice test, and that leads to a better actual test.

The Party-er: Energy drink, dubstep, drilling flashcards on the floor.

Flashcards for me are a speed thing. If I’m drilling them, my goal is to know those definitions as fast as possible. Caffeine and fast music raise my heart rate, and sitting on the floor gives me room to spread out the cards however I need to.

The Morning Person: Orange juice, early American hymns, transcribing notes at your desk.

Not necessarily done during the morning! Orange juice helps keep you alert without making you open to distraction, and old American hymns just make me feel happy, so putting them together helps make transcribing a better time.

The Finals Prepper: Black tea, folk music, interleaving any/all of the above, at the library.

This can be done whenever, and is especially useful for just keeping yourself up to speed.

Don’t worry about doing any of these exactly, these are just moods! Mix and match parts of them, make your own, whatever. I’d recommend choosing one or two moods that work really well for you and then doing them consistently, just to really get in the habit.

Good luck!

[thebelgianstudent]

Love this!

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

How to Stay Calm in Exams

1. Prepare as well as you can.

2. Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam.

3. Eat a healthy protein breakfast on the morning of the exam. Avoid drink too much coffee or tea as caffeine is a diuretic.

3. Pack all your essentials the night before the exam (pen,pencil, ruler, calculator, student ID etc.)

4. Walk at least part of the way to school, or the place where you will be sitting the exam (as exercise helps to release endorphins).

5. Plan to arrive early. That allows you time to accommodate any unexpected problems or delays.

6.  Take a few deep breaths – inhale and exhale slowly – before you start the exam. Again, that will help to calm your nerves.

7. Remind yourself that it is only a test – and even if things go badly wrong you can usually take the test again.  Truly, your life does not depend upon this!

8. Act like you’re the only person in the room. Don’t spend time looking around to see what other people are doing.

[dfshaljkhgsdkfgafk]

hey friendos!! so i don’t know about you but i’m at about that time in the school year where i really start to feel the stress of harder classes and the pressure to do well. it can be very difficult to work past these sorts of feelings, esp when you’re your own worst critic. here are some situations i feel happen to even the best of us, and the resources i use to sleep a bit better at night ~

“i’m so tired and i just can’t concentrate on all this work i have due”

how many sleep cycles can i get through tonight?

how long should i nap for?

i just want a good night’s sleep for once

oh god there’s no way i’ll finish this essay in time

“i’m scared that i haven’t accomplished enough but i don’t know where to start”

what if colleges don’t grant me scholarships because i don’t have a 4.0 gpa / am not an athletic prodigy / didn’t find the cure for cancer?

i want to learn a language and not waste years of my life in a classroom to be able to talk like a second grader

what the f*** should i do with my life? 

where can i learn to code for free? 

“i’m having trouble handling my anxiety”

how can i calm down, and fast?

my friend is feeling very anxious and i don’t know what to say 

i need to get these negative thoughts out of my head

i want to listen to a rainstorm, the ocean waves, a coffee shop, and a crackling campfire all at once, in that order, in my bedroom

“i’m hungry and cranky and i haven’t showered for three days and i’m generally just a huge mess”

i need to get it together but i don’t know how to begin

burnout is actually ruining everything 

what are some nice things i can do for myself?

“i’m really stressed and sad and i need to work through my emotions”

i’m feeling sad / inadequate / worried and i just need some comfort

i just really need to vent

hope this helps!!! don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions or requests for other masterposts :~) love y’all tons, take care of yourselves <3

[pteridologie]

5 steps to having a productive day!!

1. get dressed. if you’re looking to get something done, go through a typical get-ready-for-the-day routine, even if you know you won’t be leaving the house, and even it’s 2 in the afternoon. you don’t have to put together a look fitting of a runway, but don’t stay in your PJ’s all day. Put on something that makes you comfortable to take on the day.

2. set rewards for yourself that you will let yourself have regardless of your level of productivity. don’t set ultimatums. “i get this, if i have this.” make definite plans that you will allow yourself to enjoy regardless of how much work you think you’ll be able to complete or how much you get done. if you are someone who works best when given definite time frames, definitely try this. it does you no good to say “i can watch this movie later if i get my work done.” speaking from experience–when i do this, i end up spending more time thinking about my reward and whether i’ll be able to have it than actually putting the work in to achieve it. when i have a definite plan set of “i will be seeing this movie later so i have to get this work done before that time,” i am always more productive. also, if you set a reward for yourself that you then take away, you’re punishing yourself and adding unnescessary negativity and disappointment to your study day. don’t bring yourself down like that. surround yourself with positivity.**

3. organize your study space so that you are working in the most comfortable environment possible. give yourself room, eliminate clutter, work in a comfortable temperature (have a jacket close by or turn on a fan), make sure only the tools you need to be productive are within reach. remove distractions.

4. only listen to music if you are truly benefiting from it. the second you find yourself paying more attention to lyrics than to your work, turn it off.

5. have water in reach! i will never ever feel as if this is stressed enough. you might have one million things weighing you down. stress, depression, friend troubles, a complete and utter loathing for the tasks at hand, etc. the least you can do for yourself is prepare your body physically to power through a strenuous work load. get sleep, stretch, and hydrate. wake up your mind.

**one last thought: SLEEP. IS. MORE. THAN. A. REWARD. sleep is not something you gamble. if you want to view sleep as a reward, know that it is the most important one. not something you sacrifice. sleep always sets a deadline whether you like it or not. you can’t work past the deadline that is your point of exhaustion. please, from one sleep-deprived busy bee to the next, work on your sleeping habits. do. not. sacrifice. sleep.

[qauke-deactivated20151215]

chronic illness & school

@lucythefangirl13, I did some intense googling to try find some articles that weren’t just “sleep more!” and here’s the result (although a few are still short and bulletpoint-y). I hope there’s *something* in here that can help!

10 Tips For Navigating Your Way Through Brain Fog

Forgetfulness (Brain Fog)

School tips

Lifting the Fog: Treating Cognitive Problems

Coping with Brain Fog & memory and concentration difficulties

10 Ways to Reduce and Manage Brain Fog

Tips for Surviving High School With Chronic Illness

Coping with Fibro Fog

Some Concrete Tips for Communicating Chronic Pain in an Educational Setting

I already mentioned that @chroniccurve is like the holy grail of spoonie school resources, and this is THE post to read: College and Chronic Illness: 19 Tips to Study Strong and Fight the Fog

My personal additions:

Adaptable pens help for upper limb problems because traditional pens are quite straining. Even switching from ballpoint to ink can be a huge huge help because there’s less drag on the paper.

I haven’t looked too much into it, but Dragon is the market leader in dictation software.

F.lux warms your screen after sunset so it’s less straining on your eyes.

Anki is a flash card app that lets you choose whether the card is easy, medium or hard and asks it again later accordingly (spaced repetition) - it’s really good for things like vocabulary but there’s a lot of typing involved in initially creating the cards.

Cal Newport’s blog is probably the single greatest contributor to my academic success. Seriously. ANYONE who’s studying needs to read his tips.

GOOGLE CALENDAR. Pretty much everyone has a smartphone these days and having a calendar synced in the cloud is so so useful. Paper is good for many other reasons, but you can’t beat this accessibility for scheduling, especially when it’s SO EASY to forget deadlines when you’re sick. Push notification are invaluable.

I’ll link this in the morning, but Scannable by Evernote is another amazing amazing smartphone app. If you miss school/class get this app and you can quickly scan your friend’s notes. It’s heaps more readable than just taking pictures and they export as pdf for easy emailling/printing.

[spoonie-living]

And y’all thought the school tips were over ;)

[sydsnotes]

Best Language Learning Apps

Learning a new language can be…difficult. Actually, at times, that’s an understatement. I’ve compiled a list of the best apps and websites I’ve found, including a few specifically for French.

• Duolingo

This is one of the most well know websites/apps for langauge learning. It’s great for basics and beginning grammar. It can also be fun because you can earn points to buy extra lessons like flirting!

◦ Busuu

Another well known vocabulary learning resource, Busuu is great because you can learn in order of A1, A2, B1, B2. I prefer Busuu over Duolingo mainly for that reason. Busuu has tons of super useful everyday vocabulary, and also phrases are taught, which can be a lot better than singular words.

• Fluentu

Fluentu is an app where you can view videos in your target language with subtitles. They are divided by level which makes it really easy!

◦ Memrise

Memrise is by far one of my favorite apps to use for language. It has many different decks of words/phrases, and each word/phrase comes up at certain times to make sure you remember them. My favorite is the conjugations! Conjugations has been the hardest thing for me with my french, and this app has helped make it so much easier for me.

• Podcasts (Apple app)

This is a basic app, and it’s not really specific to language learning, but listening to podcasts is so helpful when it comes to listening comprehension. My favorite for french is News in Slow French, One Thing In A French Day, and CoffeeBreak French.

◦ HelloTalk

I LOVE HelloTalk! It’s a really clean app that allows you to speak with people learning a language you know that, if you want, also knows your target language. It has so many helpful tools like in-app translation and you can also set up a language exchange where you text in the first language for a certain amount of words, then the other, you actually speak in the first language, and then the second. I’ve met so many awesome people from France to Belgium to Canada to Morocco!

• Linqapp

I use this app a little less, but I still like it. It’s mainly for asking questions about the language you need help with. You can make sure something you wrote is correct and native sounding, or have someone help you translate a phrase! People respond super quickly on here.

◦ Brainscape

This app isn’t specifically for language, and the company actually has some apps for specific languages, but it’s really great. It’s very similar to Memrise, except you can create as many decks as you want.

Websites and Apps Specifically for French

• Learn French- Verbs

This is actually one of the apps specifically for language that Brainscape has made. It’s just like brainscape but it has preloaded cards for each verb tense and key french verbs.

◦ Bescherelle

Bescherelle is a website, but I went onto Safari and added it onto my home screen so it was easily accessible. I love using this app for whenver I need to know the conjugation for a verb and I can’t remember! Usually translators suck when it comes to conjugation, so this is really helpful.

• Frenchcrazy.com and frenchtogether.com

Frenchcrazy and frenchtogether.com are sites that feauture great tips and immersion blog posts! They are typically pretty funny and get me in the mood to study my french.

That’s all I have for now! I hope these apps can help you with your language studies. -Hailey

[hayley-studies]

31-10-2015 / So I’ve been asked by a few people to post my bullet journal setup so here it is! I still have some work to do with regards to my timetable pages so I haven’t included those here.

1 / Contents page 2 / Deadlines page 3 / To be read page 4 / Calendar spread (unfinished) 5 / October ‘15 monthly view 6 / Typical example of a ~¾ day spread