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langlangland-blog · 6 years

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Studying & Depression Tips

January 6th 2018 6/100 days of productivity

*Warning - Personal experiences with mental health issues are spoken about throughout this post, please do not read if you feel that you aren’t in a mindset which can deal with such matters at the moment.

I have missed a few days of 100 days of productivity and that is because I, as well as many other students, deal with mental illness and depression in my everyday life. That means that some days I have no motivation and nothing seems important, grades & working being the last thing on my mind.

I hope that me writing this post will show another side to the studyblr community and also make my blog, a platform to help people who share the same struggles as I do.

I realise that talking about such a sensitive and personal subject, on such a public platform, can be harmful, and for that I will try to discuss matters that are relevant to me in a brief and summarised manner (I am a natural over-sharer!) I also ask that if I make any mistakes, especially whilst discussing mental health, that I be corrected and forgiven in a respectful way - as I mean to cause no harm or offence. I am just trying to do my best in helping other students out there who feel the way I have felt.

Brief Current Experience With Studying & Mental Illness

Over the last few months (and still very currently) my ability to maintain a high level of academia & work ethic whilst dealing with my mental health has become a struggle more than ever before. My motivation has been very little and it hasn’t seemed to show any signs of improvement as I was hoping it would. This has left me in a rut, feeling as though I have wasted so much time procrastinating already that I can no longer change my fate (in my case my exam results) and this leads me on to my first step of being able to cope with these types of thoughts.

STEP 1 - FORGIVING YOUR PAST SELF & LETTING GO

Well folks, it says it in the title. I know that all those nights, days, months you have spent feeling like you’ve already failed can seem so overwhelming, to the point that you truly believe that there is nothing left to be done to save that grade or improve that score. I am here to tell you that, that, that right there, what you are doing, that is the only thing holding you back. Not the fact that for the last 3 months you have half-a*sed every essay, test, mock exam and assignment. The only thing NOW that is holding you back from getting the grade you want is your mindset, and specifically, the idea that you have already failed, because you haven’t. You can do anything. Start anything at any point and change your fate. You just have to forgive that person in the past who couldn’t do it, who couldn’t work as hard as they could of, who didn’t try hard enough, who simply didn’t want to try, that person isn’t who you are now, or who you can be tomorrow. You have to understand that with each day comes a new start, and that doing a tiny bit of work is an accomplishment. Let go of the past and focus on what you can start tomorrow, even if it isn’t all of what you wanted to do. Something really is better than nothing.

STEP 2 - BREAKING DOWN TASKS INTO SMALL CHUNKS

Again, pretty self-explanatory. See that unit of Spanish vocabulary that you were supposed to have learned 2 weeks ago that you haven’t started yet? Learn the first 10 words. Just the first 10. Then another 10 tomorrow. As that, is how you conquer the gigantic overwhelming heap of work that seems impossible for you to be able to complete. You can and will complete it, just with tiny steps. This tip really is a game changer believe me, as it can also trick you into completing more work than you initially intended to. Starting really is the key, though. I believe in you!

STEP 3 - ACKNOWLEDGING THE TINY VICTORIES

This tip follows on from the previous one. Along with breaking down big tasks, you must acknowledge the smaller pieces of work that you do manage to complete. However, rewarding yourself for smaller pieces of work means that the rewards for these achievements have to be smaller too, as, otherwise, you will become used to big rewards for small achievements which will do you more harm than good in trying to change your ability to work harder. That said, do not ignore those 10 Spanish words that you have learned today or that half set of flashcards you made, as those do count, and they prove that even if the feeling is minuscule at the moment, that there is a part of you that does care, and who wants to succeed. Try and treat that version of yourself with kindness and do not discourage them for not being able to work as much as you would like them to.

STEP 4 - ACCEPTING BAD BRAIN DAYS CAN BE EVERYDAY

Sometimes you have to accept that maybe you won’t feel better tomorrow, or the next day, but that you can keep going anyway. Sometimes when you least expect it, boom! It’s back, motivation, self love, will to work, all of the positive thoughts. - And sometimes those things seem to leave your mindset for a while. Don’t give up here. I know, oh boy do I knowww that this is by far the hardest thing to do. Nevertheless, you must keep going, maybe not to the level that you are used to or to the level that you want to be working at, but at a level nonetheless, anything you do during this time is more than enough of an effort.

STEP 5 - SEARCHING FOR NEW REASONS TO WORK

Maybe it’s for university, or a job, or maybe because you just want to expand your knowledge on a topic or to push yourself. Find a reason for your work. Find something that makes you think YES! This, THIS RIGHT HERE, is why I am doing what I need to be doing. A greater motivation and reason is very helpful especially during those times where things aren’t as easy as they once were.

DEALING WITH DEPRESSION & RESOURCES

Depression can be a very dark, dull and hopeless place to be. I know this. However, what you must remember is that depression isn’t easy. It isn’t always possible to study, work or achieve the things you want to achieve daily because your brain just simply cannot do that for you. That is okay. You are okay. I know this because you are reading this now. You want to succeed somewhere within you, because if you didn’t you wouldn’t be reading a post about how to try and do so. You wouldn’t be trying to help yourself find a way, but look, you are, because you will, eventually, even if right this moment it seems like you have already lost. You are everything you want to be. You can do anything you want to do. I promise that to you. Finally, to end this post, I am listing some resources where you can reach out for help if you feel you need support. I believe in you! - And I am always here for you, too.

WEBSITES:

Mind

ADAA

Mindfulness

Samaritans

SANE

Pursuit of Happiness

Mental Health America

List of International Suicide Hotlines

HeadSpace

BeyondBlue - Australia

ReThink

Turn2Me

APPS:

Depression CBT Self-Help Guide

Positive Thinking

Operation Reach Out

MoodKit

Fight Depression Naturally

Diary - Mood Tracker

TalkLife

Lantern

Depression Anxiety Stress Test

What’s Up?

MoodMission

Pacifica

Moodpath

Calm

HeadSpace

YOUTUBE:

Kati Morton - Very Helpful!

TEDx TALK

TEDx TALK 2

TEDx TALK 3

As a fellow student, I am sending all my love, Gabriella.

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academedic · 7 years

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i really want to do good and achieve so many things and pursue a career in medicine, but I'm scared that my depression will not allow me, i can't speak to a therapist because I'm not the type that will benefit from speaking about stuff like this, trust me I've tried twice. and i cannot take medicine for it either for personal reasons, what should i do? what will happen if suddenly my depression pulls me back down in the middle of something great and i fail? what if i won't be able to study?

Hi anon,

I have this fear as well, but I’ve learned to control my depression instead of letting it control me. I did this in three big steps. Firstly, you’ll need to gain a positive mindset in life. Secondly, you have to learn how to study and work despite your depression. Lastly, you’ll need to actively try to get rid of your depression.

1/3 - POSITIVE MINDSET

Here is my positivity tag, look at positive posts every day (most studyblrs have positivity tags)

@positivepastel and @peachisty are two lovely positivity blogs I follow - look for these type of blogs!!

Surround yourself in positive people, and if there is anyone negative in your life, you may need to cut them out - unfortunately, this most likely means anyone with depression (there is a point where you need to prioritize yourself, and trying to help other depressed people will harm you!! Believe me, I cut out one negative person in my life a few months ago, and it was the best thing I’ve ever done for my mental health)

If you ever think anything negative, stop yourself and think of two positive things - this is a great strategy to get rid of negative thoughts, but it will take a lot of perseverance!

If you come upon a negative situation, it’s okay to cry and complain a little bit, but be sure to always think of something positive that comes out of the situation - no matter how bad the original situation is!! You can do this for your friends too, in order to create an overall healthier and more positive environment

Remember this: depression is not who you are, it does not control you - you do not need to worry about “what if I won’t be able to study,” because you will be able to - If I can, you can too!

2/3 - STUDYING DESPITE DEPRESSION

I don’t have as many tips for this part, but it’s really about gaining control of your life and literally just forcing yourself to do things

Here is my motivation tag to get you motivated and ready to work

Here is my productivity tag for when you can’t get motivated but still need to work, definitely check out some of these posts, they are super helpful!

Here is my organization tag for gaining control of your life ((organization = complete control, do the stuff these posts say!))

Something that I find helps is starting a bullet journal, you may want to start with all black pen and little decorations, that way it’s really there just to keep you productive and to prevent you from falling behind in school work - it also helps to keep you organized

You can also set alarms or reminders on your phone that says things like “get off your butt and start studying” - these are most effective about 5 minutes after you get home from school

Get motivational wallpapers for your phone and other devices - seeing these constantly will remind you why you want to get to work!

If you need it, get friends to text you at certain times to make sure you’re studying (or doing whatever it is you need to do)

3/3 - CONQUERING DEPRESSION

You need to face the fact that if you want to get better, you will need to drastically change your life and yourself, both physically (yes physically) and mentally

Here are my best tips on how I conquered my depression:

Cut out junk food from your life by not buying any at all - seriously, this is crazy effective for depression, as depression is a mental illness that honestly can be very dependent on one’s physical health

Eat as healthily as possible - make sure you are eating three meals (DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST NO MATTER WHAT) Eating healthy is crucial to maintaining your physical and mental wellbeing

Exercise everyday - if you need to, start slow by just walking as often as possible, but slowly build up your activity level! Working out may not be for everyone, but there are tons of alternatives - running, yoga (!!!), dancing, sports, etc - Streaks Workout and Pocket Yoga are my favorite apps for exercise, if you want to give those a try

Seriously, exercise and healthy eating may be the single best tips I can give anyone for depression! The thing is though, you need to keep doing everything consistently to see positive changes in your depression

And ofc, the positive mindset was also a major part of defeating depression, but you’ve already read about that

Basically, how I recovered from my depression was by

Maintaining a REALLY positive mindset 24/7

Cutting out any negativity in my life

Exercising

Eating healthy and drinking enough water

PLEASE REMEMBER: I am not a professional therapist, but these are just my tips. It really does help so so much, but you have to keep doing all of these things constantly to see results. If you need to talk more about your depression, feel free to message. Remember anon, you control your depression, and you can get rid of it. Please persevere. YOU CAN DO IT!

If anyone would like to add anything, please do! I hope this helped :)

#asks #anon #answered

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