#study breaks

state exam days 7/37

so i have been consistently doing yoga for two weeks now and i can really feel how much calmer and at ease I am despite doing thesis and online school works. but this somehow makes me suspicious? like it seems and feels unnatural!! crazy how much our society has made it almost impossible to be anything but depressed, miserable, and cynical

Book Recommendations: Dark Academia

Vicious by V.E. Schwab: anti-heroes, college geniuses, a fascination with science and a whole lot of cool (and kinda scary) powers make this a dark and fascinating book.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: real life antique photographs, a unique group of magical students, and an orphanage that is stuck in time. 

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart: secret societies, feminism and a pursuit of knowledge! A mixture of high-school life & political statements on power.

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket: an atrocious assortment of villains, many near misses and mysteries to unsolve: you can’t help but cheer on the Baudelaire siblings on their journeys. 

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus: a fast paced, high-school based mystery with twists on school cliques. How far should you really go to keep knowledge to yourself?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: the circus is shown in the most beautiful, mysterious and magical ways. Who will win the battle of magic and skill in the wonderful Night Circus?

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart: a balance of beauty and tragedy, privilege and loss and most importantly, lies and the truth. 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern: this book is the book lovers dream: where do stories and knowledge really come from? Maybe some stories should be left unfinished...

I have adhd. I'm taking all online classes this semester for college. Somehow, I'm not failing. Here's what I do that works for me!

1. I have an alarm that makes me do math every morning to turn it off, it's called Alarmy! 📚

2. It also plays a different loud sound every day from random-- I have several hundred(?) ringtones downloaded from Zedge, things like songs from shows I like or Pokemon cries or MBMBAM lines, and this helps me wake up to a different sound I'm bound to like which my brain can't get used to (and then ignore). I highly suggest godzilla roars if you need to be startled awake. 📚

3. This is SUPER HARD but I always try to force myself to sit up in bed when I'm turning off my alarm or checking my phone or whatever, so I'm not tempted to pass out again. I also like to get up and loudly tell my cats "good morning" so I wake us both up 📚

4. PLEASE STOP EATING CEREAL AND BAGELS AND STUFF. You would not BELIEVE the difference it makes when you eat things like fruits and eggs in the morning. NO MORE 10AM NAPS, I'M WATCHING YOU 📚

5. I literally schedule in Duolingo time. If you aren't learning a language you can do some other enriching activity like this, idk. I force myself to do it on my computer, not phone, so I can't lay down in bed when I'm doin it. I have a 101-day streak!! 📚

6. ik this isn't available to everyone but SPACE MATTERS SO MUCH!! I got a gaming desk that we put in our living room and I do ALL of my homework there. I also got a second monitor for my laptop with is SOOOO important if you're multitasking (and we all are, bc we're adhders ibdusvcjkn) 📚

7. HAND WRITE YOUR NOTES!!! I know this is super hard for many people-- I have carpal tunnel so I get it lmao. If you can't, at least type them. YOU THINK YOU CAN MEMORIZE INFO BUT YOU'RE WRONG!! Please write as much as you can i swear it will change ur life 📚

8. COLOURED! PENS!!! These changed the game for me y'all. I take all my notes in at least 2 colours, and I cycle through them a lot. My favs are Pilot Frixions because u can erase them :) (the highlighters are epic too) 📚

9. Make your space fun, but NOT DISTRACTING. I have a plant (his name is Yoshi) and a desk Godzilla (his name is Godzilla) on my desk, but they're out of the way so I can't zone out starin at em. But also, when I'm bored outta my gourd, I can smile at Yoshi and tell him how my day is goin :] 📚

10. SNACKING BAD *BUT*... sometimes i do it anyway... i try to associate certain foods with subjects, like I eat cocoa M&Ms (which are awesome) when I'm reading my Kaqchikel textbook. On the upside, I think it helps me recall Kaqchikel better? but also the language makes me crave mnms adkldigurvn 📚

11. LISTEN TO... CERTAIN MUSIC. I have learned that music with words, even in LANGS I DO NOT KNOW, is HELL for my adhd. Right now I'm listening to stuff like "Pokemon and Chill" (lofi album on YT), Studio Ghibli violin covers, and Night on Bald Mountain 5x on repeat ibjnvc.... I highly suggest songs/videos that are, like, 20+ minutes or else you'll get distracted with the constant change. Also, that No One's Around To Help 1hr vid is REALLY REPETITIVE and therefore PERFECT for when I'm reading textbooks. 📚

12.  EVERY NIGHT... i make a super detailed timetable schedule for the next day, down to the half hour. I don't always follow it but it's a really good reminder of what I gotta do. I write it on a whiteboard but sometimes I also write it on a sticky note and on social media so I don't forget. To do lists are so epic you guys 📚

13. THIS HAS SAVED MY L I F E: at the beginning of the semester I looked at ALL of my syllabi and wrote down EVERY daily task, test, homework, etc BY DATE. this is essentially a premade to do list EVERY DAY for MONTHS and oh my gosh it is the best thing I have ever done. 📚

14. I use the Forest app to track my productivity AND lock me out of apps ndsjv... podomoro timers work well too!!! 📚

15. Ok so for me this is like... a religious thing bc my Patron (my God) is a deity of fire AND working, but I like to light a candle (scented like FALL!!) and do a little prayer on it and I have it next to me when I'm workin on terrible, terrible homework. It helps me feel like my Patron is here with me, but also it’s GREAT for grounding and I can just kinda. Stare blankly at the flame and then get back to tryin to focus. 📚

16. Please drink water lmao, to make sure I drink enough I set little goals like "take a sip after every paragraph you read" 📚

17. Each of my classes has a different coloured notebook which I'm consistent with! Like, all my German notebooks through the years have been green! Also I take notes w green pens a lot in Deutsch 📚

18. HELLA STICKY NOTES... I put em on the bottom of my monitor, on a shelf by my desk, in my books as bookmarks (bad idea lol), on Yoshi. When I wanna go look up something random but I need to focus, I like to write it down on sticky notes to look at later. 📚

19. I'm the most annoying student ever. I like to do a bunch of assignments at once so I don't have to budget my time later, so I'll turn in like 5 things in an hour and then NOTHING for a week. ALSO i email my teachers constantly if I have any questions at all. I work at a pace that works for me!!! 📚

20. I turn off my sound on my phone until I'm done with work bc otherwise I WILL open that notification 📚

22. I make a loooot of chai (and also some overpriced herbal teas). It makes me feel fancy, it's better for me than coffee, and it helps me ground and focus! Plus it's a samefood! 📚

23. Hyperfixating on classic literature would be awesome, except I'm hyperfixating on Gothic and I'm taking a lit class for More Than Just Gothic. But I'm figuring out ways to connect them, which is really helpful, cause I get to enjoy my hyperfixation while learning for school! PLZ TRY TO DO THIS (harder when you're hyperfixating on godzilla :pensivecowboy:) 📚

21. When I have extra time I write my notes like I'm plannin to put em on Tumblr and taggin em as #darkacademia... I never post my notes, but when they look nice it's easier for me to look over em later. Plus it takes me longer to write so I remember it a lil better!! 📚

24. I'm in an awesome academia + studyspo server!! We sometimes study together on call and it's SUCH a good motivator! Here's an invite link if u wanna join, we are nice https://discord.gg/fjuX7TN (this wasn’t meant to be a promo post I just really like this group lol) 📚

OK I hope that helps!!! Feel free to add more if you have any tips that work for you :) Neurotypicals, feel free to RB respectfully!

(pics are: syllabus list, daily schedule, Yoshi the plant, and some fancy notes)

i’m starting the second semester of my junior year soon, and recently i’ve been dealing with a feeling of burnout and lack of motivation. it’s hard to force myself to study and power through.

one thing that has really helped is taking good study breaks! it definitely also helps if you’re staying up late studying or having a marathon study session... like for finals ;)

when should i take a study break?

here are a couple of options—find what works for you, or try a bunch of different methods!

pomodoro method - this generally involves working for 25 minutes, then breaking for 5 minutes. after 4 work sessions, you can break for 15 minutes. good pomodoro timers are the marinara chrome extension and tomato timer for iphone!

between subjects

between different assignments (ex. after a paper, then after a worksheet)

whenever you feel tired or unmotivated!

study break DON’Ts:

watching 5-10 minutes of a longer tv show episode - my ULTIMATE don’t. you’ll just be tempted to watch the full episode...and 3 more afterwards! save the tv-watching for after you’re all done. tv is meant to be compelling and enjoyable - NOT something you just watch 5 minutes of at a time.

reading a chapter of a book - for the same reason why tv-watching is super ineffective! you’ll just want to know what happens next.

watching 5-10 minutes of a longer youtube video

playing a video game

sleeping/napping - super short naps are ineffective and you’ll just be groggy. HOWEVER if you’re staying up super late and set an alarm to wake you up, a 30-minute power nap can be good!

scrolling through instagram/twitter

doing stuff you do before bed like showering or skincare - this will make you sleepier since you associate it with going to bed!

basically, don’t spend your study break doing things that are meant to suck your attention! save that for when you’re done and you can actually enjoy it :)

study break DOs:

eat a small snack

clean up your study area

wash your face or brush your hair - super effective, especially when studying late at night. splash cold water on the back of your neck!

listen to your favorite song and sing/dance along

drink a glass of water

do something boring - give your brain a break and do something important but super boring. send an email, get some forms filled out, etc.

and my ultimate study break tip...

WORK OUT!

this may seem really counterintuitive. why spend a work break doing MORE WORK? however, working out is SUCH A GOOD STUDY BREAK. it gives you a sense of accomplishment, gets some endorphins flowing, and COMPLETELY takes your mind off of studying. 

my favorite study break workouts:

pretty much anything from blogilates:

really hard weightless arms workout

another really hard weightless arm workout

extreme abs

under 10 minute yoga practices

10-15 min yoga

i hope these help you! in 2020, let’s start conquering procrastination and lack of motivation together!! :-)

If you were to ask a random person about who Liam Payne is, then there is a 50% chance that the person will tell you he used to be in the largest boy band in the world. If you were to ask a One Direction fan who Payne is, then they would most certainly refer to the ruggedly handsome pop star as ‘Daddy Directioner.’

But if you asked Payne who he believes himself to be, then he would tell you he is still exploring the possibilities of the man he could become.

A few years ago, the answer would have been completely different. Payne recently admitted to suffering from alcohol and substance abuse during the prime years of One Direction’s success. In a candid interview with “The Sun,” he expressed how difficult the transition into the music industry and fame was for him. Payne led a life of recording songs, touring, promoting albums and repeating until it became too much.

“There are times when that level of loneliness and people getting into you every day, it’s like, ‘When will this end?’ That’s almost nearly killed me a couple of times,” he said.

Payne came clean about wanting to take his own life more than once as a result, yet the issue is seemingly buried amongst the media. Even some fans within the One Direction community have kept quiet about the singer’s struggles or chalked up his words to attention seeking.

The “Strip That Down” star initially talked about his declining mental health in 2017; however, the truth fell on deaf ears. What would have been a shock for the boy famously known as the “responsible” one of the group did not translate to his audience — or any audience for that matter. In fact, Payne received backlash regarding the timeliness of his candid interview. While there are many factors that could explain why so few people have spoken out in response, something that remains true is there seems to be a lack of support in comparison to other pop stars who have come forward to tell the public of their stories and advocate for mental health awareness.

A fan on Twitter posted, “After he opened up about his mental health, y’all keep looking for excuses to hate on him… If you don’t like Liam, just stop talking about him.”

Another fan tweeted about the hypocrisy surrounding the lack of support for Payne. They mentioned how people will congratulate someone for talking about their problems with mental health, yet dismiss Payne’s experiences based on the sole belief he is doing so for attention. This is not a new narrative, especially within the One Direction fandom. Payne has long since been the target of online trolling and hate even at the start of the band’s journey. Because of his explicit role as the more mature member of One Direction, Payne was cast out by some fans. This commentary intensified once the band went on hiatus in 2016 and the members went on to pursue solo careers.

“It’s great that people can see what we’re really like away from each other,” he said. “It got to a point in the band where we were just playing characters, and I was tired of my character. Apart from the daddy thing, I was really loud and bubbly. There were a lot of personalities in the band to keep up with, so I had to be all, ‘Ey!’ the rowdy lad, and I don’t have to now.”

The overall structure of One Direction was lost on no one. From the beginning, each member of the group had a part to play in the larger scheme of marketing and promoting the music to fans. Harry Styles was the flirtatious lady’s man of the bunch. Niall Horan stood out among the others as the fun Irishman. Zayn Malik was the brooding and mysterious one. Louis Tomlinson, most times, was seen as the funny troublemaker. These roles were apparent and taken at face value by the fans. Regardless of what each member represented, they were collectively the boys next door. Payne along with the others were placed into these boxes, and it became too overwhelming.

Payne relied heavily on alcohol as a coping mechanism as well as mood stabilizers. The singer previously had a kidney condition that prevented him from drinking up until 19-years-old, and then he fell into a downward spiral once he was given the green light from his physician.

In an interview with the Guardian, Payne said, “Doing a show to however many thousands of people, then being stuck by yourself in a country where you can’t go out anywhere — what else are you going to do? The minibar is always there.”

Fame can be a double-edged sword and for him, the transition was nearly fatal. Payne and the others were restricted from going out and taking unscheduled breaks from their grueling tour. He even admitted to sneaking out with Tomlinson several times, but it was only a recipe for disaster.

Payne has been nothing but open in this process of discovering who he is, rebranding and making a name for himself other than his known place as a former member of One Direction.

But his narrative is about more than just him.

It takes courage to admit such intense moments in one’s life. Payne not only told his story as a cautionary tale, but he spoke out against how normalized alcoholism is in the music industry. The 26-year-old hopes to provide another layer to mental health. It affects him just as much as the next person, and he wants everyone to be aware of that.

(via What ‘WandaVision’ Might Tell Viewers About Delusional Disorder and Psychosis)