Tips for Studying as a Spoonie
Hey guys, most of you probably donāt know it, but I have a chronic illness called Crohnās disease. If you donāt know what that or being a āspoonieā is, google it or check out my blog @goingwithmygut. Anyway, it causes some additional struggles with being a good student, so I thought I would share some tips Iāve found to be useful dealing with my illness and staying on top of things!
1. Register with the Disability Support Services at your school
What? You donāt think you have a disability? Well think about this: have you ever needed time out of school for doctors appointments or feeling sick due to your chronic illness, needed additional time at a test because you kept having to stop to run to the bathroom because of your chronic illness, needed a blanket excuse for being late almost every day because your chronic illness makes it hard to be on time, needed a notetaker, or any other additional service? Then think about registering with DSS. Theyāll work with you to figure out what accommodations you need and theyāre normally super nice and wonāt judge you at all. Even if you never use the accommodations set in place, its good to have them in case a worst case scenario situation happens!
Decide what day of the week you do laundry, what day you clean, what times are for studying, when you take your meds, etc. Then try your hardest to stick as close to the schedule as possible. And when you get off schedule? Just skip to wherever you are next on the schedule and donāt worry about it.
3. Donāt study in your bed
This is so, so hard for us, I know. I struggle with bad fatigue at times and my bed is the most comfortable place to study. But I also find I donāt retain as much information when there, and Iām tempted to just drift off into a nap. So I always work from my desk, and only get in my bed when going to sleep. I find a good way to stop the temptation to crawl back into bed is to actually make my bed in the morning. A good thing about working from my desk is normally Iām too lazy to move after sitting there, and if Iām there Iāll usually get some kind of work done.
4. Try to gather all your supplies before sitting down
Like I said, once Iām seated Iām usually not getting up. So I try to grab all books, notebooks, snacks, drinks, etc. I need before I sit down. I keep my meds close too, so when that little alarm goes off all I have to do is reach over to my bookshelf and Iāll take them on time.
5. Stay hydrated and eat well
While I say I donāt move, I do make an effort to get up for meals and to refill my water. Ā You canāt function properly without the proper fuel. Eating is one of the things I put on my schedule, so when itās time to eat I try to come to a stopping place and go get some food. When Iām in a flare, I find eating very small amounts many times a day is better than eating meals, so Iāll just get up to get more (healthy) snacks throughout my study time.
6. Donāt sit for TOO long
Especially if you have circulation problems or you have an inflammatory condition. These things increase your risk for blood clots, which trust me, are not fun. Get up and stretch every 30-45 minutes, and move your legs around to get the blood flowing, especially if you have a bad habit of sitting on your legs like I do!Ā
7. Buy compression/arthritis gloves
If youāre like me and after writing a lot your fingers start to swell, invest in some gloves. The kind I have are fingerless so I can still use my phone when I need to. I donāt know if the copper actually has any useful effects, but they work! (Be aware though, your handwriting will definitely be worse while wearing them. But as long as you can read it, it really doesnāt matter how bad your handwriting is.
Sure studies show that you retain information better when you write it, but if you have any kind of joint or circulation problems that is not going to be a good note-taking method for you. I always type all my notes and then when I get back to my dorm, I rewrite them.
If you go to a bigger campus, probability-wise itās highly likely thereās other people like you struggling with the same or similar issues. Itāll be great to get some tips from those people and to just be able to have some companionship.Ā
10. Donāt be afraid to take some time off, and know your options for when you do
Sometimes itās just too much. If you have missed excessive amounts of class time, your grades are dropping, and youāre just really struggling with your illness, itās okay to take some time off from school. Most colleges have a medical dropout form you can do, and your grades for that semester wonāt count, it wonāt count against you on your transcript, and at some schools theyāll even give you a refund or partial refund. Talk to your registrar office if you start really struggling, and also talk to the people at disability support services. They can provide you with additional resources as well.
Remember your health is more important than your grades! If anyone else has any other useful tips theyāve found, please share!