carlene's movement project

one breath at a time

[weepingrosemoon-deactivated2018]

Basic Meditation

Here’s an easy way for you to meditate, which is very beginner friendly. Meditation is helpful to do before psychic readings, any spellwork, to ground, or just to relax and have peace of mind. Here’s how I do it: -Get in a quiet place where there are no distractions. You could sit on your bed in your room, at your altar, outside, etc -Put on relaxing meditation music from YouTube or a sound app -Sit down and relax. Get into a position that is comfortable to you -Listen to the music and focus on the sounds. Let the music push out any negativity or lingering thoughts in your mind -Don’t try to actively push any thoughts away. Let them come, observe them for just a short moment, then let them drift away. I imagine the thoughts kind of like twitter posts in my mind. I observe them for a moment, then imagine the post drifting away. -Focus on your breathing. Where does the breath go in your body. How does it feel when you breath in and out. What shape is the air making as it moves. Focus on just your breathing and let yourself relax. -Meditate for as long as you wish and stop whenever your ready. Meditation is a really good skill to know. It is very useful in witchcraft, but also helpful for life in general. It’s nice to sit back and relax for a moment and have some calm and control in your day. It really is a very very helpful skill to know, especially for spoonie witches who have trouble calming their mind.

[thegoodvybe]

[sophiealmack-deactivated2019091]

How To Stay Calm and Healthy During A Level Exam Season

This time last year I was a big ball of STRESS. It was early May and the exams that would determine whether or not I got into university were less than a month away! With the privilege of hindsight I can see now that I could’ve handled my stress and general well being a lot better, but in the moment it can be hard to take care of yourself. So, I thought I’d compile a little list that you can draw on if you need some quick and simple ways to make exam season just that little bit easier. 

1. Eat A Healthy Diet

You’ll hear this hundreds of times I know but there is a reason for that. At the moment I’m eating a diet that has no meat and as little dairy as possible, so my meals are made up of fish/seafood, veggies and healthier carbs such as brown rice. I was never one for healthy eating in school but honestly a week of eating like this and you feel so much better! You’re energy will improve, you’ll be more focused and it makes you feel great all over! If you’re still living at home I appreciate that this can be hard as you eat what your parents eat. If this is the case try asking them to incorporate some healthier meals in to the weekly shopping list or if you can cook for yourself during exams. Parents want you to succeed so they should be happy to support you with any dietary changes you want to make to boost your performance.  

2. Meditate Or Do Some Yoga

Meditation is something I swear by everyday, not just during exam season. It’s a great way to carve out some ‘you-time’ into your day and clears your mind of stress and worry. Yoga works in the same way and you get some exercise at the same time! Youtube is a treasure trove of yoga routines and other workouts so I’m sure you’ll find something to suit your needs. 

3. Go Outside Everyday 

This might be hard if you have lots of lessons or your school is strict about where you spend study periods, but going outside at least once a day is great for your mental health! A quick walk around your school grounds or the walk home can be a great way to clear your head and fulfil those sun-cravings you get when you’re revising and all you want is a sun lounger and an ice cream. 

4. Have Down-Time Everyday 

During A Levels it’s very easy to think that everyone else is revising ALL THE TIME and you should too but it’s really not the case. Having that time away from your books is vital for retaining information as it gives your Brain time to process what you’ve learnt. Plus no one can work for eight hours straight! Have at least a couple of hours each day where you do nothing revision-related; whether you watch a TV show, play a game or take a nap, that down-time is essential for your well-being and your Brain. 

5. Keep Your Environment Tidy

Ever heard the phrase ‘tidy space tidy mind’? Well it’s a motto I swear by. Keeping your study space clean and tidy can help you stop feeling overwhelmed and just makes your desk (or wherever you revise) a nicer place to be. A quick way to do this is having a quick clean before you start working for the day. Get rid of that coffee cup and the stray washing and it will set you up with a more productive mindset for the day. 

[studyambitio-deactivated2018082]

Hi! So recently I had been feeling extremely unmotivated (which is actually why I made this studyblr!), but I have since overcome this slump and decided to make this post to help others do the same!

Be kind to yourself If you’ve just hit a motivation slump your first focus should be making sure you’re doing fine mentally. Often times the reason behind demotivation is that you’ve been pushing yourself too hard and have burned-out. If this is the case and you can, I strongly recommend you to take some time off to rejuvenate and figure out to what the reason behind your slump is. If you can identify the problem, you’ve taken the first step towards solving it. Taking time for yourself every once in a while will help productivity in the long run, whilst pushing yourself too hard during times of feeling unmotivated will only make things worse later down the line. If you don’t have time/can’t take the time to do all of this, at least do something nice for yourself. Buy yourself a fancy coffee/new stationary/some flowers or go out with some friends. Just do something that’ll help destress you, it’ll help.

Set small goals After you’ve taken some time off, you need to get back out there! But don’t jump back in by studying for 10 hours straight right away, this will only help you to fall back into demotivation. Start out with something small, like studying for 10-30 minutes or going on a 15 minute run. After that you can do more if you feel up to it, but don’t push yourself if you don’t feel like it. Build up slowly and you’ll back where you were in no time! Promise.

Try to be healthy I know people say this all the time, but that’s because it’s true! Exercising and eating right makes you feel so much happier, confident and motivated. You’ll also be able to concentrate better which can make a world in your work ethic. Another thing that really helps with this is meditation. Try the headspace app, they have tons of sessions dedicated to motivation/stress/productivity and a whole lot more!

Other tips/reminders

Make a list of all the reasons why you’re in school. Just making it can you give you that much needed motivation boost!

Look at how far you’ve come already! You probably already have several years of academics under your belt; you’ve already come so far and overcame tons of hardships during that time. If you could get through all those years you can get through the current one.

If you’re seeing a therapist be sure to talk to them about your lack of motivation. Or if you don’t have one and your lack of motivation is becoming a serious problem try booking a few sessions.

Friendly competition is an incredible motivator! Compete with a friend or someone else from the studyblr community over grades, it can be a lot of fun. (Make sure it’s a friendly competition and you don’t actually get so invested in it that ‘losing’ makes you feel bad about yourself, that’s the opposite of what you want).

Make sure to take proper breaks in the future! 

Self-discipline > motivation, building a solid routine will help during future motivation slumps, so get on that asap!

I know it sucks but sometimes it’s genuinely better to sacrifice one thing, in favor of productivity in all the other things you’re doing. Dropping one extracurricular activity if you have ten is not the end of the world and will give you more time to relax!

Reading up on successful people in your field and visualizing yourself as one of them is a great motivator imo.

Study less but study smarter!!

Ask your teachers for help if you’re struggling!! That’s what they get paid for and not understanding something won’t help your motivation.  

[joolshallie]

How to avoid burnout

I’ve had quite a few asks about ‘burnout’ from studying too much, so here are a few tips to avoid burning out:

Manage your time efficiently - here’s a link to my post on time management. Split projects into small parts - this helps with getting your workload to feel a lot more achievable, and I think it also increases productivity if you are ticking things off a list, and can see the progress you’re making.

Have a routine - by this I mean having clear times when you are working and not. Being in school/uni is not like a job - you can’t just leave work at the end of the day when you come home, because you have homework etc. but you can have clear times by which you’ll stop working. I make sure I stop work in the region of 8:00-8:30pm every night, to leave myself the evening to relax. I also find that having a morning and evening routine that incorporates nice relaxing things (like taking baths and reading) helps too.

Schedule downtime into your routine - when planning your day/week literally plan in time to relax - whether this is watching TV, playing video-games, reading or seeing friends. It’s so important to do this, if you don’t have downtime you will just go mad and burnout.

Make time for breaks - even if you are in finals week or working to a deadline, it is so important to plan in breaks to your revision/work. Each person is different in the time that they can work effectively for. I find that I can work for about 1-1.5 hours at a time before I start to become restless and distracted - so I always make sure to have a break and really get away from work for a little while.

Practise self-care - it is so so vital that you take the time out to do whatever it is that will help maintain good mental, physical and emotional health - this may be meditation, reading, exercising, having a long bath etc. Even if it is just taking 10 minutes before you go to bed to do some yoga, or making yourself your favourite hot drink, every little helps!

Start saying ‘no’ - this is something I have had to start doing this term as I just took on too much extra work and made too many commitments. You have to be able to say no to some projects/activities, otherwise you will just be busy 24/7 and have no time to relax. You have to realise that (even if you want to) you physically can’t do everything!

Don’t force work if you’re ill - if you have a cold/headache/the flu/having a bad mental health day etc. then you won’t be able to work as effectively or efficiently as you normally can. I think it’s better to take a few days completely off working, when you can solely focus on resting and getting well again, rather than trying to force yourself to work through the illness. If you don’t give your body this time to rest then it will just take a lot longer to get better again, and you’ll end up feeling burnt out.

This list is by no means all you can do, it’s just a few things that might help. If you feel that you are starting to burnout - if you are feeling anxious, stressed, fatigued or anything like that then make sure you reach out to someone (family, friends, GP). Don’t leave it because you think burnout isn’t serious, or that it’ll just get better on its own. 

[littleredstudies-deactivated201]

Self Care is one of the most important things there is. Taking care of yourself should come before everything including school, studying, hobbies and other commitments. There are infinite ways to take care of yourself but I’m going to talk about different ways to make yourself feel better when you’re stressed, tired, or just generally overwhelmed or unmotivated.

Clean/de-clutter even a small section of your room. It seems like a chore but a clean space makes you feel so much better

Take a shower/a bubble bath

Go for a walk - even inside if you don’t want to face the outside world

Take a nap. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, sometimes a nap can really help to clear your head.

Make your bed. It just makes everything look tidier

Do at least one small task. If you have a ton to do, do one small, simple thing such as reply to an e-mail. This usually motivates me to do more when I complete a tiny thing.

Play with a pet. Pets are stress relievers and a lot of the time their energy and positivity rubs off on us

Paint your nails.

Eat something nourishing. IF you don’t eat or eat junk food, you will only feel worse.

Drink some water

Write. Either write down your feelings/thoughts, make up a story or just write.

Plan. Having a plan can make things seem more organised and make you realise that it is possible.

Listen to some happy tunes. 

Create an uplifting playlist. Fill it with motivation and dance tunes and just fun songs to get you going.

Have a dance party in your room. Stick on some of those happy tunes and just let go.

Netflix/movie marathon. Grab some popcorn and let yourself watch some stuff to take your mind off of things.

Stretch. I don’t know if this is because I’m a dancer or not, but I love to have a good stretch when I feel bad.

Go outside and cloud watch.

Burn a candle. A nice smelling candle can really relax you.

Create something. Whether you draw, paint, craft, build, just make something.

Make a list of all the things you’re grateful for or nice things that have happened.

Hug someone. Hugs are instant mood lifters and stress relievers.

Make a mug of tea. This always instantly calms me and it also hydrates you.

Take your medication. If you take any, then make sure you take it. You will feel better.

Put on comfy clothes. 

Read a nice book. Preferably one that has nothing to do with your studying or work.

|| day fifteen of the 30 day summer study challenge ||

[destresshk]

my favourite ‘studying app’

AP week is coming up! that means grind grind grind! an app that i’ve been using a lot lately is called self control (computer). self control blacklists certain websites for x amount of time (you can pick from 15 minutes to 24 hours). it comes to naturally for me to just open a new tab and type in ‘facebook’ or ‘buzzfeed’ and it wasn’t until i got this app that i realized how often i do this and how much time is wasted on these websites. this app (along with turning off my phone) helps keep me focused and prevents me from procrastinating/mindlessly surfing the web. 

[samsstudygram]

types of study breaks for every situation

if you realize you’ve been studying for hours: grab a snack to refuel your body and watch a sitcom to refuel your brain. then back to the books.

if you’re feeling stressed out: take some deep breaths, text your friends, maybe stare at a wall for a few minutes. gather yourself.

if you can’t seem to focus: get moving and get outside. take out the garbage, check your mail box, maybe walk your dog. just get moving and get fresh air. it’ll help bring you back.

if there’s something else going on in your life and you can’t get it off your mind: write down what’s going through your head, sort of like a diary entry. it’ll help you work things out.

if you’re just mentally and physically exhausted: set a timer for 25-30 minutes and take a nap. any longer and you’ll hit REM and you’ll wake up feeling just as tired. once you wake up, get some caffeine in you.

if the material is boring as hell: find another way to study. see if there’s a crash course video online about it or draw out what you’re trying to learn in diagrams and pictures to make it fun.

if people around you won’t shut up: listen to some music. soundtrack and classical music is always good because they won’t absorb you as much as music with lyrics. white noise (like ocean waves, rain sounds, etc.) also works.

if you only half understand a concept: call/message a friend who’s not in the class and try to teach the material to them. this will help you mentally work through the material and will help you remember it as well.

[studybllog-blog]

RARE STUDY TIPS

1. write down how much you study over time, then write down how you did on the quiz/test. this will help you see the amount of studying is nessecary for you to get a good grade and fully learn the material!!!

2. make your study space smell fresh, preferably of mint. mint helps you focus and stay sharp. other good smells would be lemon, etc.

3. after studying for a long amount of time, go exercise for ~30 min. shower, get dressed, etc then review the info you had just been studying! you should come back fresher, and your brain is able to remember the info even better!

4. don’t always study in comfy/pj clothes. if you study a lot after school or classes, then it’s ok. but if all you plan on doing is studying for that day, for part of the day get dressed up! put on some business casual wear, that’s cute yet functional and do your hair, etc. this will put you in a “get shit done” mode.

5. after studying a unit/chapter, record yourself explaining it, as if to a person whose never heard of it. this helps SO MUCH. one, explaining/teaching helps you learn so much better, and two, you have a little video to review just before the test!!

6. study on the floor. if you have a carpeted area in your home, spread out all study materials, a white board, etc and study! it helps so much because you are comfertable and everything is within reach. do this if you need a break from desk studying.

[plant-powers]

[plant-powers]

[cwote]

[lovelightsacredspace-deactivate]

Try this before coffee

[destresshk]

Test prep

Make sure you understand the concepts more than just cramming and memorizing. Sometimes you will find that textbooks aren’t as helpful as visual guides and videos and it is okay to sacrifice textbook reading to watch videos and take notes if that helps more. Find what works best for you and stick to it when studying for tests instead of switching from method to another.

[destresshk]

- dancing in underwear to v loud music - running or walking - going outside (beach or sea is best :)) - spinning but stop before you’re dizzy - singing or writing songs - punching stuff

[destresshk]

Eat!!! And draw and watch movies

[destresshk]

mindfulness practices on a busy schedule

when I took applied practices of mindfulness last semester, the most common ‘excuse’ for not practicing mindfulness was ‘no time’. so I’ve compiled a list of my favourite practices that you can do that take no more than 10 minutes anytime, anywhere.

7/11 breathing: breathe in 7 counts and breathe out 11 counts. continue doing this for 5-10 minutes (or however long you have). I like to do this before tests and interviews to help me clear anxious thoughts. 

finger breathing: hold our your hand. use your pointer finger to trace up and down your fingers. breathe in as you go up, and breathe out as you go down. I like to use this to calm myself down when I get really nervous.

headspace: each session is around 5 minutes long and you unlock a new session every day. the first 10 sessions are free (and reusable), but after that, you have to pay. you can also pay to unlock focused packs/sessions (stress, reducing anxiety, sleep, productivity, balance, and many more). some sessions include informational videos and passages. additionally, the narrater’s voice is really soothing. headspace also sends daily reminders to meditate, and this really helped me get into the habit of meditating more frequently. 

insight timer: my FAVOURITE meditation app! it is free! there are thousands of guided meditations you can choose from that have different focuses and lengths (if you want you can also do unguided meditations). each session is logged so you can look back at your progress and you can even add your friends to your profile and meditate with them.