For Recovery

Try to work in a library, at a desk, in a bright space, surrounded by people. The peer pressure helps and staying as far away from your bed as possible is a good thing.

Keep yourself slightly cold. As much as it’s wonderful to be comfortable, it really facilitates drowsiness.

If you’re falling asleep:

Drink a lot of water, preferably very cold water. It helps a little with alertness and keeps me from falling asleep because I have to go to the bathroom.

I also drink a lot of coffee & tea, energy drinks and take caffeine pills– it’s not healthy but it does help to some extent.

Splash cold water on your face, pat it only enough that the water isn’t visible to others, and let it air dry on your face. Carry a face cream if you do this, as it can dry out your skin.

Try going for a short walk (5-10 min) or just sit with your eyes closed with a coffee and some pump up music.

Walk up and down the stairs.

Chew something while working– finger foods are good for this (popcorn, grapes, etc.) or gum. If I have a late night I eat large quantities of sugar, usually gummy bears, for an extra boost.

Ginger candy, spicy foods/hot sauce, all that jazz helps in a pinch. I also find kombucha weirdly helpful for both fatigue and nausea.

Apply Vaporub to your shoulder area, the smell and slight hot sensation helps keep me awake.

Bounce your leg.

If you’re having trouble focusing/motivating:

Block distractions– Self Control is a free desktop app that you can use to block distracting websites, Forest is a 99 cent app (and is free on Android apparently) that stops you from using your phone.

I find White Noise profoundly helpful: simplynoise.com is free and has been saving my grades for years (pink/white noise all the way baby). There’s also a bunch of good study playlists on Spotify– Low Fi Beats is good for when I’m exhausted but need to stay sharp. Just make sure there’s nothing with lyrics.

Try looking at stuyspo on tumblr (but set a timer, 5 min max!)

Watch a motivational speech on youtube. I like the channel Motivation2Study.

Do a focus meditation: https://www.headspace.com/meditation/focus.

And here are a couple other random ones I’ve found helpful:

If you have problems with brain fog, write everything down in a planner– keep to-do lists and break work into small and manageable chunks. 

Alternate between assignments instead of taking extended study breaks that might break your flow.

Try to work with paper copies of readings when available, it reduces eye strain, and definitely use glasses/contacts if they’re prescribed to you.

Start out each study session with a SMART goal– Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound.

If you have any kind of brainless work, such as bibliography preparation, leave that for when you’re really fatigued and take advantage of any extra brainpower you have while it’s available.

Track your habits, especially your sleep habits and energy levels, to get a sense of your symptom trends so that you can anticipate larger energy crashes before they happen.

For pain:

If you have lower back pain, try putting a small pillow behind your lower back.

If you have shoulder/upper back pain, try clasping your hands over your head behind your back and gentle pulling your arms apart.

If you have wrist pain, you can try dictating material, wearing a brace, putting a small pad under your wrists/lower arms as you type, or stretches (look up exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome).

Traveling with icy hot/vaporub is a good way to stay prepared for achey muscles without having to carry a lot of shit.

This list includes signs I exhibited while being abused and afterwards, as well as signs I’ve seen other abused youth display, all of which are less commonly recognized for what they are: red flags in disguise. 

Being described as a “perfectionist” or having an extremely competitive attitude to the point of experiencing breakdowns if you are not “the best”

Developing a habit of locking the door to every room you enter, especially when at friends’ houses or your own home, or other places you would be expected to feel safe and welcome at

Excessive daydreaming or fantasizing which may be accompanied by restlessness, pacing, or listening to music, and will often last for hours at a time, and may interfere with daily functioning

Experiencing an inability to relate to your peers which may lead to you creating pseudo relationships or obsessions with fictional characters to replace your lack of social interaction

Refusing to look at yourself in mirrors in public, especially when buying new clothes or going into fitting rooms

Showering in the dark because you are ashamed of your body

Experiencing intense feelings of guilt when someone does something nice for you

Hyperfixation on a hobby such as drawing or writing, which is often used as an outlet and a way to escape the abuse

Purposely making yourself appear unattractive 

Being known as the shy or obedient child who never acts out

Possessing an unnatural amount of maturity for your age which many adults may have praised you for

Not knowing how to live, having an “I can survive with the bare minimums” mentality

Hoarding food or other objects in your room such as toiletries so you do not have to leave your room. This may be as severe as going to the bathroom in bottles or cans, or having months worth of dishes piled up around your room 

Having an anxiety attack if you’re woken up abruptly or if you wake up to loud noises in your house

Never experiencing sexual interest in others, never going through a “boy phase” or a “girl phase”; alternatively, being hypersexual 

Intrusive violent thoughts about small animals or children

Having no sense of belonging since you were a toddler, never feeling connected to your childhood town or house, and feeling alienated among your family members

Floating (2016) by Gianni Passeretti