studyblr

Officially back from vacation! After a beautiful week in the Alps, I started writing again. The beginning was a bit hard, but once I overcame my resistance I did quite well. I'm slowly making progress and at least I'm sticking to my plans.

failure

stress

disappointing results

procrastination

problems finding a work, life and study balance

nervousness

not always great or consistent grades

varying degrees of mental health issues

situations out of our control

that ‘i’m not good enough’ feeling

anxiousness

lazy days

regret

tiredness

burning out 

low confidence

sickness

and many more

Relax, you will be okay.

07.07.19 

☁️d-29 to o levels

Being at university or college can put a huge amount of pressure on you to perform optimally academically. This can cause a lot of people (including me!) to overwork, and eventually burnout. Other pressures of living alone (e.g. paying fees and rent) can contribute too, inducing new or worsening pre-existing mental health problems.

It is so important to reach out and find support at uni, a time when a lot of people are away from their family support-network for the first time. I’ve collated some resources and tips of ways you can reach out to get the support you deserve!

Friends as a support-network

This sounds obvious but your friends can be such a brilliant support-network!

Some people tend to withdraw or become isolated if their mental health is taking a hit. I always find that being with friends cheers me up and distracts me from academic stress (or any kind of stress honestly). 

Reaching out to friends doesn’t have to mean having deep chats with them about your current mental state - it can just be reaching out to have that few hours of distraction, while watching a movie, or a big laugh and face-masks - social interaction could be all you need a that moment. 

Having said that, it is so so important to have friends you can sit down with at uni (and at home) and talk openly about your mental health and how you’re doing. The worst thing to do is suppress how you are feeling.

Friends can be really good at rationalising your thoughts, telling you when you need to reach out to a professional, or just listening to you if that’s what you need!

Personal tutor or member of university staff

I have a personal tutor and know of a lot of mates at other unis that have this kind of system. This is the person I would personally go with if I was feeling pressured or that my mental health was taking a hit. 

If they are pastoral staff they will often be more prepared to deal with students coming to them with mental health problems, so may be better able to signpost than a ‘regular’ member of staff.

If you don’t have a personal tutor or designated pastoral staff then just reach out to the lecturer/seminar-leader you know the best and would feel most comfortable talking to. When reaching out for support it’s all about you being comfortable with making that first step.

If you are struggling with an academic aspect of a particular module then it might be worth going to the head of that module and talking to them about it. They may be very understanding and offer extensions on deadline to remove some of the time pressure - or they may volunteer their time or some other resources to help you in that area.

University-linked services

Universities will have their own counselling services. Depending on your university and your particular situation the wait time for this can be quite a while, but it is definitely worth reaching out - the earlier you do so, the sooner you’ll be seen!

My university has a peer-support and welfare-rep system, where students go on training courses to be peer-supporters and are available to talk to you, and to sign-post you to resources that may help.

This can be a lot less daunting than reaching out to a professional or a member of staff. It is also a lot easier with students as you can just drop them a message on fb rather than finding them if that is less intimidating.

GP and the NHS

It may seem obvious but it can be hard to make time or think about going to the GP during a busy term at uni, but it’s important to make sure you get registered with a surgery so you can go to them if something happens!

Waiting times for adult mental health services are long but they are free which is something we cannot take for granted! Going to your GP and asking for a referral to a specialist team may be a really good move.

Talking therapies and counselling are really helpful for some, but other people may need or respond better with medication. GPs are the only way to go if you think prescribed medication may benefit you (or has in the past).

Online resources and helplines

There are a huge number of online services and helplines (often anonymous) that provide support (short or long-term). This is a list of some although it’s definitely not exhaustive! If you know more then please let me know/add to this (esp. if you’re outside the UK)

Helplines partnership provides a directory of helplines (organised in different categories) 

The Samaritans provide a 24/7 helpline if you call: 116 123, website here

Nightline Association is a student-run service for students. Their volunteers contact people via text, calls, emails or in-person, website here

MIND are a great charity offering advice and support to those with mental health issues. There may be a local service near you, or call 0300 123 3393 (9am-6pm, Mon-Fri), website here

SANE is a mental illness and emotional wellbeing charity. Call their SANEline: 0300 304 7000 (4:30-10:30pm, everyday)

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably): specifically aimed at men, call: 0800 58 58 58 (5pm-midnight, everyday), website here for their web-chat (7hrs/day, everyday, UK only)

Men’s health forum provides advice to men 24/7 through email, text or online web-chat, website here

HOPEline is run by PAPYRUS which is a charity aiming to prevent young suicide. Call 0800 068 4141 (10am-5pm & 7-10pm Mon-Fri; 2pm-5pm Sat-Sun), website here

The NHS has a list of mental health apps it recommends here

UMHAN (University Mental Health Advisers Network) is a national UK charity. There is a section on seeking support as well as options to get involved with fundraising.

BetterHelp is the largest global online counselling service. You answer some questions and it pairs you with a counsellor it thinks is appropriate. This is not free and so equates to getting a private counsellor here in the UK; you can contact them via video-chat, online messages or calls.

Cleaning & Tidying

Make your bed in the morning. It takes seconds, and it’s worth it.

Reset to zero each morning. 

Use the UFYH 20/10 system for clearing your shit. 

Get a reed diffuser and stick it on your windowsill. 

Have a ‘drop-zone’ box where you dump anything and everything. At the beginning/end of the day, clear it out and put that shit away.

Roll your clothes, don’t fold them - or fold them vertically.

Automate your chores. Have a cleaning schedule and assign 15mins daily to do whatever cleaning tasks are set for that day. Set a timer and do it - once the timer is up, finish the task you’re on and leave it for the day. 

Fold your clothes straight out of the tumble dryer (if you use one), whilst they’re still warm. This minimises creases and eliminates the need for ironing. 

Clean your footwear regularly and you’ll feel like a champ. 

Organisation & Productivity

Learn from Eisenhower’s Importance/Urgency matrix. 

Try out the two-minute rule and the Pomodoro technique.

Use. A. Planner. (Or Google Calendar, if that’s more your thing.)

Try bullet journalling.

Keep a notebook/journal/commonplace book to dump your brain contents in on the regular. 

Set morning alarms at two-minute intervals rather than five, and stick your alarm on the other side of the room. It’s brutal, but it works. 

Set three main goals each day, with one of them being your #1 priority. Don’t overload your to-do list or you’ll hit overload paralysis and procrastinate. 

If you’re in a slump, however, don’t be afraid to put things like “shower” on your to do list - that may be a big enough goal in itself, and that’s okay. 

Have a physical inbox - a tray, a folder, whatever. If you get a piece of paper, stick it in there and sort through it at the end of the week.

Consider utilising the GTD System, or a variation of it.

Try timeboxing. 

Have a morning routine, and guard that quiet time ferociously. 

Save interesting-looking shit to instapaper. Have a set time where you read through the stuff you saved to instapaper and save the shit that you like from instapaper to evernote (or bookmark it properly). 

During your working hours, put on your footwear, even if you’re sat on your bed. (Why?)

Have a folder for all your important documents and letters, organised by topic (e.g. medical, bank, university, work, identification). At the front of this folder, have a sheet of paper with all the key information written on it, such as your GP’s details, your passport details, driving licence details, bank account number, insurance number(s), and so on. 

Try using StayFocusd and RescueTime (or similar apps/extensions). (I promise, you’ll find that you’re not as busy as you think you are.)

Schedule working time and down time alike, in the balance that works for you. 

Money

Have. A. God. Damn. Budget. 

Use a money tracker like toshl, mint, or splitwise. Enter all expenses asap! (You will forget, otherwise.)

Have a ‘money date’ each week, where you sort through your finances from the past seven days and then add it to a spreadsheet. This will help you identify your spending patterns and whether your budget is actually working or not. 

Pack your own frickin’ lunch like a grown-up and stop buying so many takeaway coffees. Keep snacks in your bag. 

Go to your bank and take out £100 in £1 coins (or w/e your currency is). That shit will come in useful for all kinds of things and you’ll never be short on change for the bus or the laundry. 

Food & Cooking

Know how to cook the basics: a starch, a protein, a vegetable, and a sauce.

Simple, one-pot meals (“a grain, a green, and a bean”) are a godsend. 

Dried porcini mushrooms make a fantastic stock to cook with. 

Batch cook and freeze. Make your own ‘microwave meals’. 

Buy dried goods to save money - rice and beans are a pittance. (Remember to soak dried beans first, though!) 

Consider Meatless Mondays; it’s healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly.

Learn which fruits and vegetables are cheapest at your store, and build a standard weekly menu around those. (Also remember that frozen vegetables are cheap and healthy.) 

Learn seasoning combinations. Different seasoning, even with the exact same ingredients, can make a dish seem completely new. 

Don’t buy shit for a one-off recipe, especially if you won’t use it all. If you really want to try out a recipe, see if a friend would be interested in making it with you, then pool for the expenses. 

Make your own goddamned pasta sauce. Jamie Oliver has a decent recipe here, but the beauty of tomato sauce is that you can totally wing it and adapt the fuck out of it. 

Misc

Have a stock email-writing format. 

Want to start running, but find it boring? Try Zombies, Run!. 

Keep a goddamn first aid kit and learn how to use it. 

Know your OTC pain relief. 

Update your CV regularly. 

Keep a selection of stamps and standard envelopes for unexpected posting needs. (It happens more regularly than you would think!) 

Some final words of advice:

Organisation is not a goal in itself, it is a tool. Don’t get caught up in the illusion of productivity and get distracted from the actual task at hand. 

Routines and habits will help you. Trust in them.

1. i can do this! after outlining everything i need to do, it doesn’t seem so bad. in fact it’s very methodical and easy to follow and i can do it.

2. oh my god its happening. its the end for me. i might as well be dead. everything is due now. i was put on this earth to suffer. i have two essays due in 45 seconds and all ive eaten today is half a goldfish cracker. i can only feel pain

1. i can do this! after outlining everything i need to do, it doesn’t seem so bad. in fact it’s very methodical and easy to follow and i can do it.

2. oh my god its happening. its the end for me. i might as well be dead. everything is due now. i was put on this earth to suffer. i have two essays due in 45 seconds and all ive eaten today is half a goldfish cracker. i can only feel pain

6:33 pm