chaostudying

[chaostudying]

i passed my ap lit test with a 4 and ap gov with a 5!!!

which means i start freshman year with 27 credits done :)

#ap #college board #very happy rn #especially bc i thought i wasn’t going to pass lit #i got my period in the middle of the writing portion and i was dying from cramps during both sections #almost blacked out while standing up at the end #was the stress worth it? idk but i got credit at least #4 exams worth 6 credits and one worth 3 #hopefully i get to enjoy college more

[chaostudying]

how to study with a mental illness!!!! aka a guide to simultaneously caring for yourself and your academics

(disclaimer: this is from purely personal experience and is not a substitute for seeking professional help. these are just personal tips as i was formally diagnosed with depression and anxiety in the third year of college, but had been showing symptoms even in high school. different methods help for different people, but i really hope some of these things can help a struggling student out, because one of the reasons i went on studyblr in the first place was that i felt really lost and anxious.)

1. done is better than none. sometimes an assignment you have to turn in would be objectively easy to complete, but it takes longer to do so because you’re afraid that the final product won’t be as good as you want it to be, or as good as a professor expects it to be. it’s hard to remove those expectations, but it is a little easier when you remember that getting some points (no matter how many they are) are better than getting a deduction for late submissions or not turning in the project at all. many people – including myself – suffer from perfectionism in university, but it is overall more important to complete something to the best of your own ability, and learn from the feedback on the project later on. more importantly, often, you’re doing better than you think you’re doing, so surprise yourself. you can do it. just start.  2.  keep careful track of your deadlines.  much of my undergrad anxiety came from the fact that i knew something was due, but couldn’t keep track of it, or didn’t want to confront it. it’s better to confront it because you have more time to do it slowly and thoroughly. as soon as you hear about an impending exam or paper deadline, keep track of it. personally, i use google calendar. from there, you can make smaller plans and break down your goals to make it more doable! 3. don’t be afraid to ask for help.  there used to be a huge stigma against mental illness, but thankfully, many educational institutions are much kinder and more considerate about it. if you really can’t meet a deadline or come to class, let your professor know. most professors are kind, reasonable people who genuinely care about you and your well-being. even one of my scariest professors granted extensions to a girl who was genuinely struggling with serious depression, and the college of law i’m in takes mental health very seriously to the point that they instruct faculty how to deal with such cases.  if you’re not able to talk to a professor, try to ask help from a classmate or a friend who can share notes or fill you in on how they accomplished a certain assignment. many people will be happy to help. you are not a burden, love. 4. be kinder to yourself.  mental illness is like any illness. it often keeps us from doing as well as we’d like to be because it’s a genuine and serious health problem. sometimes it helps to keep this in mind when we flub a report in class (as i did several tens of times in undergrad), get a bad score, say something ridiculous during recitation, or mess up a paper. it’s okay to do your best while you heal. you know you’re trying your best, and slow growth is still growth. 5. on that note, care for your other needs.  one of my happiest and most fulfilled semesters (even though it was my busiest) was when i had time to see a psychiatrist, run, pack lunches and fruit to school to eat healthy, and have a reasonable-ish sleep schedule. this was during my thesis semester. while i had to take an incomplete, and finish my thesis the next sem, because i was attending to my own needs, i felt like a living, breathing, learning, happy person. and i finished my thesis the next semester. it’s better to look after your own physical health and needs before your academics. 6. sometimes, it’s better to do nothing and rest. you deserve it.  part of the reason i’d been doing horribly in law school was that i didn’t sleep and it was making me mildly unbalanced and incredibly suicidal; not to mention the fact that i wasn’t really retaining any information or performing well. rest days are just as important as days when you study because rest IS productivity.  7. take your meds. see your psych or therapist if you have one. avail yourself of mental health services on campus if there are any. these genuinely saved my life at a time that i thought i was beyond saving. please go seek help if you can.  BONUS: MY STUDY SETUP ON A TERRIBLE MENTAL HEALTH DAY (like today) - i try to clear the space and clean up as much as possible. it makes me feel like i have things under control, and have my work things where i can see them. - i eat something healthy, like fruit, and get a lot of water. i keep a water jug on my desk because it clears my thoughts and helps me replenish the fluids lost from crying (1/2jk). it also really keeps up my strength for the study process. - i turn on a calming playlist, like a jazz or lofi or ghibli playlist. in another window, i turn on a rain sound video on a softer volume, and it helps center me. - it helps when you have a soft or calming scent to calm you down. i use a lavender room spray, and it makes me feel cozy and productive, but in undergrad, i used this tea-tree lavender mix and it smelled like sunny afternoons and guitar coffeshop playlists. it really is nice. - there are breathing exercises and gifs all over the internet. they help calm you down when things seem Too Much.  i really hope this helps, guys. don’t hesitate to message me if you’ve been having a hard time with school or life or anything. please, please care for yourselves. you can do it.  – sam

[chaostudying]

How I got a 4.0 first year in college | academiix

Watch the video version on Youtube. 

View my other tips and masterposts.

[chaostudying]

emoji spell for all ap students to do well on their ap tests tomorrow!

🍀📘🎉📖✏️🎉📘🍀

get some rest! eat a good breakfast! may you all get fives!!!

likes charge reblogs cast!!

#i’m going to cry

[chaostudying]

last minute studying that works for my adhd brain :))

are you a high school student about to take the apush exam? boy do i have some good news for you

for some reason when i took the apush test in 2018 i decided to make my study guide in the form of a shitpost. im talking bullet points. pop culture references. gen z lingo. its 102 pages long. i ended up getting a 5 on the test and this is literally all the studying i did. i am also now a history major.

but since i remember things better in shitpost form, it worked really well then memorizing dense text. and i know the test hasn't changed that much, so, i thought i would offer it to anyone who needs it.

it spans everything i learned in US 1 and US 2 and goes in chronological order. i haven't read through it in a hot minute but i think that everything in there should make sense. i essentially clown on the us for 100 pages in shitpost form.

so for all of you stressing about the exam on thursday, don't. read a shitpost instead. it will help you.

[chaostudying]

this is probably the easiest ap test i’m ever going to take but perhaps i am terrified

#ap spanish #i know i’m a native speaker #but oh my god the anxiety went whoosh

[chaostudying]

y’all i just fell asleep in class and of course we had a timed writing today i’m about to cry i submitted an intro 🥲

#high school #i’m not okay #a bitch is tired #oh my fuck

[chaostudying]

Reblog if you’re a student actively ignoring an assignment

#i’m literally going insane #my brain is not cooperating #with the fact that i have to graduate high school

[chaostudying]

april 24th, 2021 | strawberry themed journal entry 🍓

[chaostudying]

these are actually doable!!! thank you

ADHD HOMEWORK TIPS

Super easy thing you gotta do but you can’t bring yourself to do it? Put on a show or movie you like.

Look, even if it’s a little distracting, at least you’re getting little by little done.

ITS OKAY TO SLOWLY TRANSITION INTO A WORKING MINDSET.

You have math problems but really want to watch the season of the show you love? Set a timer every ten minutes, and do a problem. You can even move up to two problems every ten minutes, and more!

Boring paperwork? Put on music or a podcast.

I just translated my foreign language hw while listening to a podcast it was 100x easier.

Writing a paper? just music.

low distraction is key here but there’s still something in the background for you Distracted Brain to focus on so Creative Brain can thrive.

if you need less distraction but hate silence try binaural music on YouTube.!

Gotta read something? fuck it. See if you can find a YouTube video on the same subject.

I haven’t red half my chem book but am I still staying afloat? You bet!

No youtube? Do you have a reader strip?

They saved my life pre medication,

They look like this and go on the page and only highlight one scentence, blocking out the rest. They’re pretty cheap on amazon and I bet there’s a way the school will buy it for you especially if you have an IEP or a 504 plan.

frustrated? remember to HALT.

if the fog is blocking you from getting the work done it might mean something else is a problem first try HALTing.

Am I Hungry?

Am I Angy?

Am I Lonely?

Am I Tired?

That’s 90% of all problems I promise you.

Remember, you do work best when you’re happy and motivated so it’s okay to take a break and give you brain that motivation! It’s the same with animals babey!

Sometimes you just gotta give that tiger his meat filled pumpkins in order to get his vet check up!!

I believe and love every one of you, happy studying babes

[chaostudying]

02.26.2021 - Midnight study sessions

[chaostudying]

schoology for me but yes i hate them so much

posting on a blackboard discussion board and replying to two of your fellow students has to be one of the nine circles of hell

[chaostudying]

anyway nothing can beat the feeling of finishing a long assignment and deleting all those tabs

#it makes me so happy #high school #school #study blog #study motivation #studyblr

[chaostudying]

apparently i’m still a pleasure to have in class even when i’m failing and somehow that makes me feel so much worse

#high school #school #i had a bad depressive episode at the beginning of the semester #so i’m going to have to work my ass off the rest of the year to pass #i’m doing my best #haha help

[chaostudying]

lately ive been feeling under the clouds. don’t feel motivated to do anything nor have the drive to move forward. however, just journaling and tearing random pages from my fav books makes me feel a bit productive. what do u think about this spread? I personally fell in love with it, especially the watercolor background.

[chaostudying]

I heard too many sounds at once and now I am a bitch

[chaostudying]

physics is somehow both easier and harder than i thought it would be

#studyblr #high school #school #study notes #study blog