GR: Motivation and Study, Monday 26th Aug, 7:30 p.m. AEST
Hey everyone!
This upcoming Monday we have a GR surrounding Study and Motivation
For those of us studying (and those of us not!) two big things that can really throw a spanner in the works are a lack of motivation and procrastination 😞
Even when the work starts piling up, it can be hard to get started sometimes! And this doesn't just apply to school work, but also professional work and the stuff we need to get done in our day-to-day lives!
It can be really frustrating, and often we can be pretty hard on ourselves when we're stuck in this kind of rut
So what we'll be doing to combat this is hosting a live Getting Real session on Monday the 26th of August at 7:30 p.m. AEST on the topic of how we can beat procrastination and build motivation!
Hope to see you all there 😄 
As an aside, how motivating is that study montage in legally blonde? 
@WheresMySquishy Oh, that's also what I do! Think about how great I'll feel and how much free time I'll have after I'm done! 
Last question!
5. How do you take care of yourself while studying or during exam periods?
5. How do you take care of yourself while studying or during exam periods?
I try to still make time for things that I enjoy, such as listening to music, going out somewhere and playing videogames. I also used to spend time reflecting on my day and writing in a journal.
My physio gave me some good advice. He told me not to start studying before doing my exercises, as much as I wanted to, and not to rush the exercises so that I could study. My health has to be taken care of before I can study.
@ecla34 I also try to eat well and sleep well. I guess when dealing with mental health issues whilst studying, it's important not to be too hard on yourself. I try to think about what I would say to a friend who has come to me for advice. I would say things to them like, 'It's not your fault' and 'It's out of your control'. Sometimes, I also feel better and more productive after having a nap or sleeping if I'm having a not so good mental health day. Scheduling specific time to worry so that the worries don't overwhelm your thoughts while you're studying can help too. I like to write down my worries in my phone, then go back to doing whatever I was doing.
@WheresMySquishy that sounds like a really good idea, i think i'll try that over the next little while! It seems like it'd be really helpful in getting rid of stray thoughts that crop up and kind of paralyse you when you're trying to focus
Putting your health and well-being (including mental health!) first is really hard, but honestly i think it's so so key to handling school.
I really like your point about thinking how you'd talk to someone else in your position. I bet none of the people on here would ever say the kind of things they say to themselves to anyone else Y'all deserve the same compassion you show others
(naps are a cure all 100%)
With mentioning naps i think this might be a good place to wrap up the discussion for the evening everyone! 😄
Thank you so much @scared01 @Hozzles @WheresMySquishy @dog_lover94 @May_ @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @Puppies026 for all of your amazing insights and advice! This has been such an awesome chat and it was beyond epic to be a part of 😄
For anyone who wasn't able to join us tonight, i'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic tomorrow! 😄
Night!! xx
I loved reading through everyone's responses! 😄 Some really useful tips and perspectives.
Such an amazing chat!!!! You have all expanded my resources by about 100!
I know I wasn't on last night but here are some of my answers.
This has been such a great GR! I hope everyone who is studying does well and gets enough rest and self-care!
@ecla34 I also like to go for walks when I'm stressed! Really good to clear your head and release some nervous energy
@WheresMySquishy That sounds like a great idea! I've been trying to get more into the ReachOut app WorryTime, which is around the same concept. 
How do you take care of yourself while studying or during exam periods?
I try to make sure that I eat well and sleep well, so that i've got a strong base to work off of 🙂
Making sure to take breaks and not shut myself up in room and avoid people is also really helpful for me in keeping a healthy mindset.
I also try to keep in mind that I can only do what I can do. Sometimes you don't get all your readings done or study everything as well as you'd like for your exam, but you still gave it a shot and that's pretty freakin awesome imo
@ecla34 that's amazing advice, pretty much everything I had covered!
5. How do you take care of yourself while studying or during exam periods?
Adding to what @ecla34 said, make sure I'm doing some self care as well, like allowing myself to take breaks to just do nothing for a while, take a bath or play the sims... .
I need to log off now guys. It was lovely getting to chat to you all, especially after not being around for so many of them!
Goodnight everyone. I'll read through the last of the replies when I look again tomorrow. Thanks guys. It's been fun! 😄
@Hozzles self-care is also really important, good point!
I love going for long walks during exam time 🙂 if i'm getting frustrated and overwhelmed then listening to music and going for a wander is my go to. Just some fresh air and a chance to burn off some nervous energy so that i'm less cranky
@Hozzles@WheresMySquishy @dog_lover94 @xXLexi_Lou122Xx
Do you guys have any advice as to dealing with procrastination and building motivation when your mental health isn't doing too crash hot?
i know when my mental health takes a bit of a dive it can be really hard catching up and getting back into the swing of things. Has there been anything that's helped you guys in the past for that? 🙂
@scared01 lol that gif
How can we snap out of a procrastinating mood?
Super interested to hear everyone's insights here! Particularly considering what we've been discussing about stress and mental health 🙂
One way of breaking the mood is if you've already started but keep taking breaks, then to shift where you are completely, like by going to uni/library. If you haven't started, sometimes just setting yourself up, or downloading a reading or something can help. Literally just getting a tiny thing done can sometimes lead to you doing another thing, and then another.
@scared01 good point, motivation and procrastination are almost like two sides of the same coin in a sense
@ecla34 I always try to change location, too! Even if it's as simple as going to the lounge room to study when I usually use my laptop in my room, or sitting in front of the fire (especially because it's cold!).
4. How can we snap out of a procrastinating mood?
I'm not really sure. My go to answer is 'when the consequences of not doing the thing is too much to bear'... . Would love to hear other's thoughts!
@May_ see you next time! been awesome chatting with you tonight 😄
@Hozzles I remember studying Hamlet! It's one of my favourite Shakespeare works.
Our class was basically expected to memorise it. It was so hard because it's so long. 
@WheresMySquishy Argh, that's no good that you were expected to basically memorise it! By memory it's his longest play, and definitely one of the most convoluted.
This is how I feel when I have two assignments due in a week (this week, hahah):
Luckily this GR is making me feel a little more confident!
