AIVAZOVSKY, Ivan (1817-1900)

studying and anxiety

a guide on how to study when the thought of it makes you even more stressed

(disclaimer: i’m not a professional therapist or doctor, simply a student who has been dealing with severe anxiety since i was eleven years old. that being said, i don’t have much anxiety around schoolwork or testing, so my advice may not be the most helpful- take what i say with a grain of salt.)

while it has been a long time since i’ve felt anxious about studying, and therefore can’t provide much help with that, i do regularly have to study in situations where i am already anxious or in the middle of anxiety attack. these are some of the things i do to help myself calm down and focus.

calm down. if i’m near panic or feel too restless to sit still, i need to let my body and mind chill before i can even think about schoolwork. if i’m feeling really jittery, a quick walk outside or dancing it out to some high-energy pop music helps me settle down a bit. then i like to meditate, in order to get my focus and thoughts under control.

next, make the space you’ll be studying in comfortable and safe. what this means will depend on what you need during an anxiety attack. some people are comforted by familiar items and coziness, such as blankets, candles, and stuffed animals. when i’m stressed, i usually need a more clean and organized space, with everything put away in its place (or just out of sight) and only the things i need with me. things like tea, fidget toys, and familiar smells can help to ground you as well. if you’re not at home, libraries tend to be a good option, since they are quiet, relaxing, and often familiar spaces. if you’re stuck in school and the library isn’t an option, try an empty classroom or stairwell.

break everything down. when i’m stressed, my executive functioning goes haywire. in order to get anything done, i have to plan out my moves in very explicit detail. this is easiest for me to do on a computer document. first, i write down all of the assignments that i have to get done. then, i break each of them down into smaller and smaller tasks, until they are simple enough that each takes less than a minute and could be easily explained to a child. 

get to work! i usually start with the easiest task, so that i don’t get overwhelmed or start to doubt my abilities, since that would make me more stressed. for me, this is usually math, since puzzles with definite rules tend to calm me down when i’m anxious, and i’m more likely to get stuck on less structured work like english readings or art projects.

don’t forget to take breaks. especially if your brain is dealing with an excess of nerves, and stress, you will need to let it rest and recharge frequently. i like to set a timer where i work for twelve minutes, take a three minute break, and then repeat. if this feels too long or too short for you, feel free to adjust it to fit your needs.

most importantly, go to sleep. i know it’s tempting to stay up late studying or doing homework, especially if you haven’t finished all of your assignments yet, but there is nothing that will make your anxiety worse than sleep deprivation. take care of your body, first and foremost. it’s the only one you’re ever going to have.

MY health tips!!

You’ve been a lot to ask me about health and fitness tips so here are mine! 

Of course, I’m not a doctor (yet :P) nor a personal trainer but I’ve been working out for 3 straight years now and I’ve acquired a bit of knowledge about health and fitness. This article will only be about food and I’ll post soon another one about fitness!! 

Hope you enjoy :) 

Mental health first : food is good for your body. If you start being afraid of it, or if eating gives you anxiety or if you do anything that could make you think of an eating disorder, please seek help. I see tons of pro-ana blogs here on Tumblr and THIS IS NOT OK. I know, I’m not you but the only thing I can do is try to help and the only way for me to do so is to tell you that you’re not alone, you are loved, and it’s totally normal to need help. Please don’t stay in your dark thoughts. Feel free to message me if you want to talk. 

Try to stay away from refined sugar, processed and fatty foods. They’ll just make you feel bad and are just empty calories! You’ll end up by eating more and more because of your insulin spikes! 

You don’t really need oil. If you want to include healthy fats in your diet, -and you have to- make sure they come from nuts or avocados instead of liquid oils. Oil is basically fat juice with all the vitamins and fiber removed. Plus, you have no idea how quick you can transform your healthy salad into a super caloric one just by adding oil to it!

You don’t have to eat breakfast if you’re not hungry in the morning. But make sure you bring something healthy with you if you’re going to work / school so you don’t fall for the vending machine. 

Try to include protein at each meal, but remember that unless you’re a bodybuilder you don’t have to eat 200 grams of protein per day! 80g is more than sufficient. Also, try to add more vegetal sources of protein to your diet, like beans, whole grains, and nuts. The animals, the planet, and especially your body will thank you for that.

Fiber. Everyone seems super worried about their protein intake when an actual protein deficiency is really rare. What is more common instead is the lack of fiber in our diet. Fibers are so important to keep your gut and body healthy (lack of fiber is actually one of the main causes of colorectal cancer!!). Foods that contain more fiber are fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

If you want to lose weight, a simple trick is to put fewer fats and carbs a bit on your plate and add more veggies instead. Veggies will help you to feel fuller and are also the best source of fiber (you’ll poop more often and eat less so it’s a win-win situation :D ) 

However, don’t forget that carbs are important. Yes, ditching carbs from your diet will make you lose weight (especially because you also eliminate the water that was retained because of the carbs) but they are our main source of energy. Your body will crave carbs when you stop eating them!! Just try to eat more whole carbs like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, etc.

Drink more water, but not too much. Just make sure that your urine is light yellow and not dark (but if your urine is almost transparent it means you’re drinking too much and losing precious minerals in your urine!!) Also remember that if you’re adding more fiber to your diet, make sure you drink more (hello constipation!!)

Snack on healthy foods like fruits or trail mix or hummus (I’ll post something about healthy snacks to eat whilst studying soon!)  

Simple tip, if you don’t want to eat unhealthy foods at your house, just don’t buy them

Eat slower so you’ll feel satisfied by eating less

Ditch sodas. They are really terrific in terms of hidden sugars. Even sugar-free sodas are evil. They make your teeth weaker, make you more hungry and most of the time the gas retained inside will make you feel bloated. If you don’t like drinking water, try to prepare a bottle of water with lemon, or berries in it and put it in the fridge! Or try drinking more tea (without sugar)!

For your own sanity, allow yourself cheat meals. Keep them for special occasions like when you’re out with your friends or in vacations, just don’t make it an everyday habit! It’s normal to crave ice cream and burgers, and of course, you can have them sometimes!

So just remember that these are my personal tips, and you may not approve them and it’s ok. In the end, the most important thing is to keep a balanced diet and lifestyle no matter what you prefer :) 

I hope these tips will actually help you! 

I’ll come back soon with an article about fitness and another with healthy and vegan snacks to try when studying :) 

STUDYGRAM

mayhaps self mythologising is okay to a small extent if you’re in control of the tint you’re applying to your life and can easily remove it and look at yourself clearly when needed. i have a friend who graduated with pink roses on her graduation cap and makes her love of roses so evident in all she does and she makes the world reflect her interests and she’s immensely clever and still teaches her students with a pink laptop full of sailor moon stickers. i admire and adore her and Know she carries her specific aesthetic immaculately (which might also have to do with her being a libra, hehe.) but she’s one example of other people i know, too, who know what they like and enjoy it instead of being self conscious and culling their interestingness to fit in—which is what i sometimes do. and I won’t do it anymore. I’ll enjoy what i enjoy; polish it till it gleams. not to be confused with grandiosity—but with living with care enough to know what i like and consciously make it larger in my life.

please make sure that wherever you’re at in life, you don’t treat it like a transitory period. don’t waste your college years wishing to already be graduated & have a job. don’t waste your single years wishing for someone to be in love with. if/when those things come, they will come in due time and they will be good. but there is nothing like looking back and feeling empty because you wasted literal years ignoring what you had because you were hoping for something better. while it’s important to better yourself and reach for your goals, don’t neglect the present because that’s where you are now and it’s your now that determines your future. 

This year's christmas card!

out here having a weird bad not so bad okayish day wbu

illicit affairs and clandestine meetings.

Pierrot le fou (1965) // dir. Jean-Luc Godard