Your realistic guide to Sixth Form / College when the depression and anxiety are just too real:
For some people it’s running that shakes off all of that misplaced anger or irrational fear, for me it’s yoga. Every morning I crawl out of bed and roll out my matt and do 5 - 60 minutes of yoga. It doesn’t matter how much you do or when you do it but on those days when you can do something it makes all the difference. Yoga and mindfulness link together and with frequent practice you can find yourself with a clear mind for the whole session, focusing only on the sensations of your body and not having to think about how shit your life is. You’re welcome.
I don’t care if the only thing you’re tracking is every time you can crawl out of bed to grab a glass of water, track it! I track everything from nutrition to exercise to study hours and it helps me stay in check and function to the best of my abilities even on the rough days. If you’re a bullet journal person that’s cool but I love the ‘health’ iphone app and use FocusTimer to track my studying.
✎ Find your accountability friend✎
Make one understanding, reliable friend in each of your classes your accountability monitor. This wonderful human being will save you. Whenever you’re absent (which might be a lot and that’s okay) get them to send you the work and fill you in on all the little things that happened whilst you were taking your 3 pm nap. This person can even be your teacher, constant communication where they know that you’re a little mental will give you the support that’s going to save your grades.
We can’t manage everything. We’re not jesus. And that’s okay. On days where you can only manage one class, try and choose one that’ll be most beneficial. For example, if there is a revision class on a topic i’m not 100% sure on and a timed essay writing session for another subject on the same day I’d go to the revision class and do my essay at home and email it in. Strategic planning does not mean you’re ‘faking it’, it means you’re thinking practically about what you can do. And if you do manage both classes? Even fucking better.
Sadly, unlike all the not depressed students in the world we don’t get to start revising 10 weeks before the big exams. Because there’s every chance there’ll be frequent mental breakdowns through out this period and consequently times when we have to have a nap or see our therapist instead of doing past papers, we need to revise from day one. Every day, learn what you did in class, practice your technique, do extra essays and questions and work ahead if you can. Study like the exam is next month so that when you do have those 8 mental breakdowns in May you don’t have to worry about covering some things because you know them so well already.
Stationary that motivates you to study? Do it. Ambience and live study with me videos? Use them. Only letting yourself drink cups of tea when revising so you can condition yourself to get down and work hard when you’re drinking your earl grey? Implement that now. Any little technique or hack that is going to make this whole thing a little easier for you is undeniably worthwhile.
Use the textbooks in the library, read exemplary answers, google extra little facts that you can use in exams that’ll make you look insanely smart and on another level. Maximise on the quality of your revision and the hours you miss out on wont show as much.
You don’t need notes and flashcards. You don’t need mind maps and a power point. Choose one method and then learn the content on a whiteboard so you can start practicing exam technique and recapping the facts in 10 minute bursts which will make you feel confident as hell because you already know it all. Don’t waste time passively, we haven’t fucking got time to waste.
Good luck. This is about to be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. But you can do it. I never ever thought I’d be where I am today and yet I’m surprising myself and everyone who thought I’d fail constantly. For the first time in my academic career I can say that I’m an A* student. Depression works hard, but we work harder. Go be brilliant, my friends.
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