Hey mindy!!( *・ω・)ノ
I love your page and I usually look to it for inspiration and motivation or just good vibes! Recently I've been struggling and feeling daunted by my study workload :(( (´～｀) and I just wanted to ask if you have any advice or tips for feeling overwhelmed?
✧ whispers for when studies feel too heavy ✧
hey lovely!! ♡ (⋆ˊ•͈⑅•͈ˋ)⋆
omg first of all thank you so much for your sweet message!! it literally makes my heart so happy that you find inspiration here~~ ✧
feeling overwhelmed with studies is something i know allll too well (currently drowning in my own last assignments as we speak lol) so please know you're not alone in this at all!! academic burnout is literally the worst but i promise we can work through this together!!
so here's the thing about feeling overwhelmed with studies that nobody really talks about... it's usually not just about the workload itself but how we're approaching it mentally!! our brains can make mountains out of molehills when we're stressed and suddenly everything feels impossible??
here are some tips that have genuinely saved me from academic meltdowns:
• get a separate notebook where you literally just scribble out every single thought, worry, assignment, deadline that's floating in your head. our brains get so cluttered with all these floating tasks that we can't even think straight!! once it's on paper, your mind can actually relax because it doesn't need to keep remembering everything. i do this every morning and it's changed my life.
• when you're super overwhelmed, identify the ONE task that's making you feel the most dread (we all have that one assignment that makes us want to crawl under the covers). break it down into ridiculously tiny steps. like... not "write essay" but "open document," "write one sentence," "find one source." the smaller the better!! trick your brain into starting.
• most study advice says to block out huge chunks of focused time but that's literally setting yourself up for failure?? instead, try 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 15 minute break (not the standard 5!). the longer break actually helps your brain process information better. and be honest about how long things take you!! if readings always take longer than you think, schedule accordingly.
• at the end of each day, write down EVERYTHING you accomplished, even tiny things like "responded to one email" or "read 3 pages." we're so focused on what's left to do that we never acknowledge how much we've already done!! this creates a feeling of progress rather than endless tasks.
• create different audio environments for different types of work. i have specific playlists for writing (instrumental only), reading (ambient coffee shop sounds), memorization (baroque classical), and planning (soft piano). your brain starts to associate each soundscape with a specific type of focus!!
• find a study buddy who doesn't even need to be studying the same thing. just knowing someone else is working alongside you (even virtually!) reduces procrastination by like 80%?? there are literally websites now where you can work with strangers and it's so helpful for accountability without the distraction of chatting. just make sure to be safe! and if you choose to find an irl study buddy, just make sure you feel safe/comfortable with them.
• instead of starting with today and planning forward, start with your deadlines and work backwards. this gives you a much clearer picture of what needs to happen when!! most people plan from today forward and that's why we end up in deadline crunches.
remember that overwhelm happens when we try to hold everything in our heads at once!! your brain literally cannot process all those tasks simultaneously. the goal isn't to do everything at once but to create systems that let you focus on one thing at a time while trusting that the rest is accounted for.
also!! please remember to be gentle with yourself?? academic pressure can be so intense but at the end of the day your worth isn't tied to your productivity or grades. take little breaks to just exist and breathe. make yourself a cute drink. light a candle. put on lotion. tiny moments of care make such a difference when you're in the thick of stress.
sending you so much love and strength!! you've got this and i believe in you completely. feel free to send more asks if you need specific help with anything!! we're all just figuring it out together one day at a time <3
xoxo mindy <3
