hello beautiful people! this is my first big studyblr post, and iām glad i can share it with you. for those who donāt know, my name is sarah and iām a 25-year old master of public health student at the university of sydney in australia. i also - as you may have guessed from this post - have depression, which likes to mess up my life. however, iāve learned to work around it, and have been maintaining a distinction-average GPA (higher sometimes!) for my whole time at uni.Ā
these are a few tips iāve picked up to reduce the effects of my depression on studying, plus a couple of general-depression tips that may help you feel better. and feel free to use the tips if you donāt have depression!
go to class more often than not. personally, i love going to class. it helps me feel less isolated, it gets me outside, and i pay much better attention when iām there than if iām listening to the lecture at home later on.Ā
get out of your house to study. by packing a bag to go to campus, travelling, arriving and setting my things up in my favourite spot in the library, iām taking purposeful action towards a productive day of study. itās very easy when iām at home to just say āiām done, i donāt want to do any moreā. generally speaking, going from home to uni will also get you some fresh air, which i know makes me feel good.
break your to-do list into into manageable chunks - as tiny as you need. i find that when i write ādo 3000 word project planā itās not the most motivating idea. if i break it down into āresearch section 1, write research notes up for section 1, do a rough draft of section 1ā³ and so on for all the sections, itās very easy to see exactly what needs to be done and is much less overwhelming. in addition to this, every time i tick something off i feel proud for having accomplished it. and lots of items ticked off = lots of accomplishment!
talk to your classmates. if iām feeling overwhelmed with study, talking to someone whoās in the same boat as me helps to reassure me that iām not alone. plus, you never know what little handy hints and tips you might pick up from chatting to someone whoās studying the same thing as you.
find a method that works for you. if you spend all your time trying to emulate a method you saw on someoneās studyblr that looks pretty but doesnāt work for you, youāre going to have a bad time. you may find that youāre not retaining the information, you may get caught up in the aesthetics, and chances are, youāll end up feeling inadequate. your self esteem does not need a beating. find a method that works and use it - consistency is the key to success. full discretion here: i canāt stand mindmaps or flashcards. they look so nice but they just donāt work for me, so i donāt do them, and i use my time for methods i know will personally get me good grades.
prep your meals.Ā this one goes for everyone! iām the first to admit that i absolutely love junk food, but itās important to eat well to power your brain. deciding on, finding ingredients for and preparing three meals a day every day takes time.Ā once a week, i go shopping and buy a weekās worth of lunch ingredients, make meals i know i like, and put them in the freezer. then i have seven lunches ready to reheat and eat, and i donāt have to think about it at all. pick a time when youāre feeling energised (or at least less bad than usual) to do it, and in harder times during the week youāll thank yourself. you can prep just one meal, or all of them!
exercise. i know, itās hard. but it helps. it really does. i work out in the morning, and i guarantee you that iām never excited to go - i have to push myself so hard to get out of bed, get ready, get to the gym, and do my workout. but i always, always feel better after iāve done it.Ā you donāt have to run a marathon or cycle across australia or bench-press a car. do something YOU enjoy. i do zumba once a week and itās so fun. there are lots of youtube workout videos if you canāt afford a gym membership. community centres often run cheap or free group fitness classes as well, if youāre after some social times.
i sincerely hope this has been helpful for some of you! if youāre struggling and feel overwhelmed, please talk to someone - donāt bottle it up, there are so many people who want to help you. please donāt give up.
