When you start a new course, it’s essential to put together a self-care plan for when times get tough. Life happens – sicknesses, bereavements, low mood, etc. and college work can creep up on you so there will be times where you will feel exhausted and overwhelmed.
First of all – this feeling is completely normal; every student goes through it, but you do come out the other end.
Please take care in the knowledge that – you can and will get through it. Normally, once you get past the first slump, the experience of doing the work will be there, so it shouldn’t be as stressful the next time.
So, what to do if things feel too much:
- Time Out – get away from the situation for a while. When stressed, the emotional brain takes over, our fight or flight response and concentration is affected. Getting away from the situation, even for 5 minutes calms the brain and enables our rational thinking and concentration again.
- Talking and Support – talk to to friends / colleagues / lecturers / counsellor. If talking is not available, write everything down in a journal which works just as well.
- Look back on life – your challenges and achievements – you have already come through a lot – how did you do this? It’s lovely to think of all the challenges you have overcome and the wonderful resilience skills and resources you already have to get through this time
- Gain Perspective – small parts of your course will be more challenging than others but there will always be loads of things going well – think about those during hard times.
- Look at your schedule – have you been following it? Sometimes life can take over and the schedule can get forgotten about. Remember – a proper weekly and monthly schedule can really help keep you on track and prevent things getting on top of you.
- Mind the glare of the screen – get away from the screen every 45 minutes – set an alarm if you need to. This prevents, headaches, eye strain, tiredness and stress levels.
Always remember that these uneasy feelings are temporary and will not last forever. Be proud of how far you have come.
So that’s it, we hope you manage to go easy on yourselves, be patient and know that all will be ok and everyone at The Open College is here to support you on your education journey.
Contact Us if your require any further assistance.