HOLYstudy

This is a matter very close to my heart. I have bipolar I disorder and ADHD as a result of bipolar. There aren’t many big posts about studying with mental illnesses so I figured I would compile a huge list of tips and posts! I’m going to be making a video about this very soon. I hope for all of you struggling that this can help or at least remind you that mental health is more important than school sometimes. Take care of yourself in any way you can. lets get started…

Studying with Mental Illness

Take things slowly. Don’t be afraid to take a week doing one assignment. Making sure that you can focus on assignments can be draining so breaking them down day by day can truly help you. Make a task list with each portion of an assignment mapped out so that you can see exactly what you need to do. I know that i get overwhelmed very easily and seeing smaller things is less daunting then having a list full of HUGE things like research papers and midterms. Seeing it as “write paragraph one” or “review unit one vocab” makes everything less scary. 

Nothing has to be pretty. Notes don’t, papers don’t have to be perfect, study guides don’t need to be colorful and cute. What really matters is getting things done. My mom always tells me “even an F is better than a zero” which is so true. Turning things in late is not shameful because you are still turning it in. You still did it and that is something to be proud of. 

Study somewhere other than your room or your house. Make sure there are people there. Surrounding yourself with others will allow you to feel less isolated and sometimes more motivated to do things. You can’t take naps when you’re at a Panera or Starbucks either. People can be motivating, they can remind you that you are not alone, they can hold you accountable for what you have to do. Get out of your bed where you can sit and stare at the wall and go to a coffee shop or the library where other people are doing work. This always helps me get on track. 

Study in short bursts. Don’t wear yourself out with work. Find out when your concentration peaks and go with that. I usually work the best around 2pm so I have to make sure that I have eaten and showered before then so that I can capture that time to focus on my studies. 

Don’t beat yourself up. Studying just takes a lot more effort other days when depression hits you the worst. There might be days when you can barely get yourself out of bed but know that you do have the ability to succeed and that depression just has to suck sometimes. 

Get yourself out of bed. Shower. Change your clothes. Read a single page. Look at only one thing you have to do so you aren’t overwhelmed. That is something to be proud of and know that I am proud of what you did!

Study in a routine style. Let yourself have a routine that you can fall into. Try pomodoros or study games, Create a routine that you can stick to

If you don’t feel like doing anything… work for 5 minutes. You may feel more motivated or up, or you will at least be able to say that you have done something. 

HYDRATE. I’m really awful at drinking a lot of water, but it helps so much with both anxiety and depression. Water keeps you moving and awake. SO drink that H2O guys

Helpful Links

Staying Sane on Campus

Tips to stay mentally and emotionally healthy while you study

How to school when mentally Ill

Depression

Studying with Depression

Depression study tips

Studying through Depression

6 Tips To Get Motivated When You’re Feeling Depressed

Five Ways To Deal With Depression During Exams

Anxiety

Anxiety in Grad school

Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

Studying with Anxiety

Get Ready for School If You Suffer From Anxiety

Living & Studying with Anxiety

ADHD

How to succeed with ADHD

10 Study tips for ADHD students

Messyspaghettihair’s first giveaway!

Hello baby bumble bees! I’ve been thinking of doing something like this for a while so here it is! 

if you win the giveaway you will get:

warm yellow kanken (original size)

extra thin water bottle (perfect fit for the side pockets, never used)

4 sticker pages

label maker with one yellow refill 

hardcover yellow sketch book 

3 yellow(ish) copic markers 

staedtler 0.3 mm pens (pack of 10)

What I Ate journal 

6 small stamp markers with 24 different stamps 

tamagotchi 

Lolita 

How to be an explorer of the world 

3 washi tapes 

the rules:

must be following me

you have to be okay with giving me an address so I can mail it to you (you don’t have to live in the US)

you have to reblog this post to enter

you can reblog as many times as you want

must have your inbox open!

Hi guys! A friend of mine has just started doing a Bachelor of Science, including classes such as maths, chemistry and biology. He is a little bit overwhelmed and not sure how he will be able to attend lectures/tutorials (and possible rewatch them as they’re recorded if he struggles), write in-class notes and study notes, travel to university, etc. He is also worried about missing things the lecturer is saying whilst he is writing things down, so any tips on university note taking would be fantastic. It would be amazing if anyone doing a similar degree or university in general has any tips to help. Also any links to masterposts you’ve created or reblogged specifically for these subjects or just general tips would be amazing. You can either reply below, or message me here or direct message me (probably a better option!)

Lecture Slides - Most lecturers will release slides the night before a lecture or on the day, so you’ll be able to have them open during the lecture.

Don’t write down/type out what’s on the slides! This is just going to waste your time in a lecture. If there’s something important on a certain slide that your lecturer stresses that you need to know simply highlight it.

Power phrase what the lecturer is saying - break up your notes using the slide number as headings, then in bullet points jot down in simple phrases how your lecturer explains what is one the slide, the might give examples - maybe of how a certain formula would be used in the real world.