Motivate yourself to study when depressed
You will be studying for exams (usually at the brink) and suddenly your mood goes off. You don’t want to study or do anything, you don’t want to live at all. Something suddenly hits you and then you get depressed about it. Somewhere at the back of mind you know you don’t have time to do this overthinking stuff right now but alas your mind has already reached its saturation. You want an easy way to pass exams but sometimes you are not even concerned of what’s going to happen. You remember something negative that’s going on in your life and that seems important now. So now, this article is for you, for people like us.
So what is concerning and disturbing you right now? Think about it very clearly. Why did you remember it now? Store the reason in your mind. And why is it so depressing? You know the answer. Quickly take a note and write them down. Anything else? What is your emotional state right now? Clear it up in your mind. Whatever you want is now there in the paper. So think, can you fix it right now or is it something that can’t be fixed by you? It’s definitely the latter. So you can only think about it and feel depressed about why you have to go through all these and life had to be so cruel on you.
Now- think why you have to study in the first place. Is it for your family, is it for your goals or both? Everything comes under these two reasons. Write it down and stare at it. You have to tell your mind repeatedly that this is what you have signed up for. That should be your motivation, keep it clear in your mind all along your study time.
And now you can follow certain strategies to keep yourself going in the right way.
- Fix what you have to study. Plan what work has to be completed and note the deadline. Choose the work that has to be done first.
- Set a calm environment to study. You can have mild music if you want.
- Now split the task into smaller segments and fix time for studying every part. You can use Pomodoro technique if that suits you.
- Have 5-10 minutes break in between 20-30 minutes of working. During the break just walk or stretch your body, but don’t use social media.
- Keep your phone in airplane mode of switch off. Attend only important calls if any.
- Keep a water bottle near you. Drink water regularly especially during breaks.
- Have some nuts, dry fruits or chocolate. That encourages you to study more. Don’t drink caffeine unless you are studying at late night.
- Set up quotes and sticky notes around your room. Believe me or not, it actually works. Keep decorative things (fairy lights is my personal option) with notes which highlights your motivating points.
- You can have a friend or your parent who you can report to, it should be someone who genuinely cares for you. Tell them how much you have progressed and how much you have to do. You can use their suggestions for making your work better. Talking to someone close can motivate you better.
- Have proper sleep. Minimum 6 hours of sleep is required for proper functioning of your brain.(Though I need 8-9 hours, it varies with people, so find out how much you want through trails) Proper rest motivates you to perform better.
- And whenever you are reminded of your depressing thoughts, talk to yourself with a kinder and positive approach. You can ask help from someone you trust. If it is very intense you can consider consulting a psychiatrist. Or else record yourself talking about motivation and hear it when you feel low. Distract yourself from such thoughts by doing something you love. For example, my vent out options are music and good food. Find out what interests you and treat yourself accordingly.
- Take yourself outside your home/hostel once in a while. If you have company then well and good. Choose scenic views for hanging out. It calms and refreshes your mind.
And remember, if you couldn’t complete your tasks as planned, it’s okay. Cut yourself off some slack and don’t be so hard on yourself. You can finish it in your next interval. But make sure to complete your tasks, even if it takes a lot more time than you imagined. That’s what motivates you to proceed further. Maintain a journal if you want. Write about what progress you made. The next day when you start studying, see that and then start studying. That makes you think like you need to give your journal a point of progress for the next day too.
Remember that whatever you may lose in your life, your career always supports you even at your worse times. You can be depressed but be successful and then who cares if you are sad. You can recover yourself anytime if you are stable in your career. Don’t let your mental state affect your studies. Set your priorities straight.
From time to time, try to imagine how your life would be when you achieve your goals. That should be your end. You deserve such a life. Think about yourself 10 years down the line. Do you see that you have to make there? Yes you should. For that you have to work hard now and should not lose hope anytime soon. You will thank yourself in future for hanging in there. People say money doesn’t matter. But it does. More than anything your career is at stake now. Money obtained from your smart and hard work matters. It holds value more than anything else. Keep that in mind and put in your cent percent effort. You can be depressed later. If you think about it after 10 years, you will laugh at yourself for worrying about silly issues. Buckle up and put your focus in your studies!!
Rest can wait.