University

What have I been up to?

I have been back in the UK almost two months now and I am into my third and final year of study at the moment. I have been very busy with my studies but I have also been up to a few things! I thought it would be fitting to offer a kind of catch up post, so you can understand why there has been more time between blog posts than usual. Don’t worry though! There are plenty more posts scheduled that are coming up in November. You can count on it!

Sadly the main thing I have been doing is studying! I bashed out a 2,800 word assignment that was due only a month after starting this year again. Crazy right? It was enjoyable topic area really but very stressful. It was for my disability class and I was looking at how disability is perceived and how school children with disabilities are mistreated. It is a topic familiar to me and something I feel strongly about, so it was quite easy to think of things to write about.

I am a perfectionist at times when it comes to studying, but it can often cause more problems than it does solutions. I will spend way too much time on work and not allow myself any time to relax or recuperate. This year with utilizing the help of others and other healthy realisations, I am doing my best to not get ‘burned out’ essentially. I know it is bound to come as I am already incredible tired and such, but I am getting out and about more which I think can do wonders. It is not good to stay inside for too long which I seem to do if I am busy studying. But even just going out on a short walk to see something other than the four walls of my room, it can only be a good thing. This is something I have been doing more lately, seeing the sunsets, appreciating the nature and just trying to be more healthy really.

Finally, I have been trying to get a little bit more active but I still have a long way to go. My activity comes through sport and recently I have played Tennis and Badminton. I love my racket sports and soon I will be playing Table Tennis. I also love to watch sport and I have watched quite a few football games in person since arriving back to the UK. Apart from the poor results they have been very enjoyable! Sadly winter is looming and the cricket season is long gone. I can’t wait for spring to start up again already so I can be even more active! But for now, please do share with me some ways you like to keep active and inspire me!

Feel free to suggest things in the comments, that you would like to read about on this blog so I can be inspired by you! I will try my best!

5 Tips to stop procrastinating at uni

Bored formal man watching laptop at desk

University for many is a constant struggle between finding the balance of having fun and motivating yourself to study. If we are constantly studying, we are never having fun. But if we are never studying, we are not having any fun either when it comes to our grades. Here I share with you some tips I use to try and help me survive a little better.

To not procrastinate, you may have to procrastinate a little!

This may sound a little strange off the bat but I cannot even begin to describe the importance of it. What I mean here is do not work yourself too hard and allow yourself to have a healthy amount of breaks that do not interfere with your productivity. I am guilty of trying to work through the stress and I can assure you that the quality is not merely as good as it would be if I took some time off. I feel that if you try to work through stress like this it is demotivating and make me less likely to study or get anything meaningful done.

Switch off from the world!

Switch off from as much social media applications and stuff that can wait until you’re done studying. The constant desire to check your phone is incredibly distracting. Ever since I muted notifications for quite a few of my apps, I noticed that I started to check my phone less. There’s no distractions or noises which means you can fully focus and try to get into the zone for your studies!

Organising and to-do lists!

This one is incredibly important to me. You can use a diary or whatever works for you, but just write down the things you want to achieve in a day and work through it as a checklist. Make it realistic and achievable so you do not get too disappointed if you do not achieve everything. Be kind to yourself but also have some kind of goal or achievement that you are working towards. Do not forget to have breaks too and allow for recovery days which may not be so productive for your studies, but productive and kind for your soul.

Intense periods without distractions.

I think we have all been a stage where we are struggling to work whether it is because we are demotivated or struggling to find the information we want to include in our work. We end up checking Facebook every twenty minutes or so and we do not seem to get anywhere with our work. If it has got to this stage then maybe you would benefit from an intense period such as an hour, where you try to do as much quality work as you can. Or at least stay off social media. I like to give myself breaks when I can so this does not always work for me, but I appreciate that everyone works differently. Find the best study skills that work for you and that are healthy!

Set up your work station!

You are going to want to take breaks of course regularly, to go the toilet and stretch so make sure you are not in your seat for too long. Do not let your eyes stare at the computer too! But what is beneficial is to have your work set up to a state of comfort that helps you study, but does not hinder your performance. I like to have a full water bottle nearby with a snack just to help me power through. You can also have all your pens and paper nearby so you have no excuses not to be studying!

I hope you find these tips useful and enjoyed reading this entry. Please use the comment section to share some of your own tips!

The next chapter (back in the UK).

It was almost 8 months ago now since I took that brave step onto the plane. COVID-19 would not be declared a pandemic for a while yet, so the only nerves around were if I was going to ‘fit in’ or enjoy myself. I had put a lot of work into getting this far that had exhausted me mentally and physically, so a lot of expectation obviously built in regards to wanting a fabulous lifetime experience. The thought of this filled me with excitement and nerves all at the same time for my months studying abroad in Sweden. I was there much longer than planned but I have been back in the UK for almost a week now and I wanted to update you with what is happening for me.

I am now self-isolating in my university accommodation because of travellers quarantine. It has been a strange week from having a fantastic summer filled with freedom in Sweden to being ‘locked inside’ for two weeks. I suppose it is not ideal but I guess that is the price I paid for not returning before stricter travel rules were applied. To be even more honest though and what may appear strange to many is, that I am pretty much fine with this isolation period.

YES! You must think I am extremely peculiar. But after such a busy and tiring yet enjoyable summer, even the best of us need a little time to recharge. This is just natural and healthy. I was flying from Denmark but of course, the majority of my time was spent in Sweden so that is the reason why I have to isolate. I had the most wonderful and unforgettable experience, but, now it is time to get back to and readjust to my life back home in England.

As you probably know already, I was living in Sweden to study abroad since I am a university student. I believe this is generally something that is offered in the second year of your studies, so now I have a busy third and final year ahead of me. I do not think studying in the middle of a pandemic is ideal. I am worried about readjusting to a greater workload and probably a lot more face-to-face interaction than I had in the spring. We are in a period of uncertainty and it seems like I continue to face struggles, but I am determined to persevere in the face of adversity and finish my degree.