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french notes :) 

02.02.2020

“You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” -Mandy Hale

I’ve discovered a couple of things first semester of college and dealing with mental illness. Most of the semester I was feeling depressed and anxious (rather than manic or lucid, etc.). It was very difficult to focus, but I found out some stuff.

THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE IS LIFE. If you can’t focus, take a break and do something distracting for a little bit. Check in with yourself. What is preventing you from focusing? After you adjust a little, try to do some work.

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER NOT GETTING STUFF DONE. It’s not your fault. At the worst you can email your professor for an extension.

GO TO DISABILITY SERVICES. They can help you get accommodations for your classes. Accommodations are there to help you succeed.

SEE A THERAPIST. This sounds strange for helping you study, but if there’s stuff on your mind, it’s best to get it out by talking to a safe person. This will help you get back on track. Also, Dialectical Behavior Therapists will help you come up with strategies for studying.

TAKE YOUR MEDS REGULARLY. If you don’t have a meds schedule, start one. Taking your meds at different times each day is going to throw you off. I’ve been there. Set reminders on your phone and keep the medicine with you so you have no excuse.

READ SUMMARIES. If you have trouble with focusing, read the summary. It’s not going to work to force yourself to read long things.

FIGURE OUT YOUR LEARNING STYLE. And then use it. If you’re a visual learner, go look at diagrams and read summaries. If you’re a kinetic learner, rewrite your notes. If you’re an auditory learner, record yourself reading your notes out loud or ask to record the class (you can get an accommodation for this). Figure out your style.

TRY TO ATTEND CLASS. This is especially important for classes where they take role. If you have to, show up for the first 30 minutes and then leave. When I’m not doing as well, I sit in class on my laptop looking at Pinterest and tumblr.

DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. This is the most important thing. You can do this!