Mental Health: 6 - Study Habits

This blog is probably different in that it is not a way of getting through the lockdown, more a statement of fact that as students we have to study throughout it. Going to college has never just been about the lectures, notes, assignments, and exams for me, and probably not for anybody else either. Most people take advantage of the opportunity to socialise and interact with others, as is human nature. Not only does this do no harm to studying and exam results, in my opinion it actually helps do better or at the least allows the hard work seem more doable. While there are some people who didn’t physically attend college as much as myself, they still had the option of socialising in whatever way they wished so they could get away from their computer screens and books or had other commitments or hobbies that time was afforded to in their schedule.

Now though, it is just studying that is in students’ schedules. Particularly students in final year, but all students generally. When all we are required to do is study, it can feel like that is all we should be doing. We are told not to do much else (understandably to help stop COVID-19), but as a result of having no other activities on our schedule, it can make studying all consuming, and if we have a lot of work to do we can end up attempting to study all day with no natural break that would normally exist, if we were studying in college, via interaction with others.

This can potentially make it harder to get work done, and that is my experience anyway, when the college work itself is the only thing we feel we are required to do. This can make it hard on us mentally, over and above the usual stress that can come with assignment deadlines, or mid-term and final exams.

One thing I have found particularly helpful to focus my work and attempt to stop the work dragging on all day (or if studying all day one way to make that productive) is to make sure I begin work early, and if I can manage to get a good start to the day in terms of studying then it can take some pressure off and lessen some of the guilt that is there when taking a break.

Another solution I found effective is  to put a time limit on yourself by saying “I will go for a walk at 2pm” or whatever activity at whatever time suits you, as this acts almost as a commitment device focusing the mind before 2pm because you now have some other activity you have to do. Of course sometimes you will need to go over time, but if you focus your mind with a time limit it can mean that despite working for less hours, you get more done and this is something I have found useful also. Another knock on effect can be that after the break you are more productive or can study for longer which I have also found.

Sometimes though, college is just busy with multiple deadlines close together or many exams during exam week. My habit at this sort of time is to just do as much as I can and if getting stressed over what I have to get done and how long I have spent/will have to spend studying, I always keep in mind that the semester only has a certain number of weeks and certain number of modules and that once I keep working away, I will get the essays submitted, or I will do the exams and the pressure of exams and need to be studying will relax.