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Studying with mental health
Hey guys 😊
Im looking at studying again soon however the problems lies in that i have a short attention span and have difficult remembering things.
Oh and not to meantion lack of motivation!
So any tips would be great or any ideas on how to practice or something would be really handy
Please and thank you 🙂
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Re: Studying with mental health
Nice question! @scared01 @Bee @mrmusic @N1ghtW1ng what do you think?
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Re: Studying with mental health
Hi @scared01 good see that you want to continue studying.
Umm some tips for this well i use a week planner. I must admit that some things as easy to do when it comes to study 📖. I always stick to my planner when it comes to study so then i get in to a routine of it. Treat your self with little things at first when u complete a unit. Break down the unit in to different parts. So instead of looking at a whole unit that may contain 20 some thing questions break it down in to groups of 5 or 4.
Always keep you 📚 textbooks/ resources near by. HAVE FUN is the most important thing I could tell you and to pick something that interesting to you as you will find that it will be easier for you to want to complete it
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Re: Studying with mental health
I really like the idea of this thread!
For me I study online. So I can study when I'm having an okay day with my mental health, and I can leave it when I'm not feeling mentally well

I really like the suggests @Eagle has made! I would definitely start by thinking about what interests you, and I guess your motivation for wanting to study. I've known people who have done a course because they wanted to learn more about it, whereas others start the course for career opportunities.
I would even look into what support services are available to you if/when you commence study. As that could be the difference between what you do or how you study

I hope this helps, but if you have more questions about studying online or want to talk about it, I'm here

Remember you're amazing just as you are

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Re: Studying with mental health
@scared01 It's awesome that you want to go back to studying!
I think the first thing is to choose something that interests you. I know when you're depressed it can be hard to find anything that interests you, but it's much easier to be motivated to study when you care about the topic. Do you have any ideas of things you might want to study? I think you were doing medical terminology before, is that right?
Sometimes I've found it necessary to study part time because of my mental health stuff, having a smaller workload is a lot more manageable. There's nothing wrong with taking a bit longer to do your degree, and if anyone asked you could always say that it's because of your caring responsibilities
When I've found it really hard to focus, tools designed for ADHD have been really helpful! Things like text to voice readers that let me listen to a research paper while I read it, using beeline reader, writing lists of the things that I need to study and breaking it down into steps. Things like that.
Also I would recommend getting as much support from your uni/college/apprenticeship etc as you can. My disability support unit has been a lifesaver tbh. They can help you with stuff like getting extensions on assignments and getting accomodations in class (like being able to take short breaks or whatever else you need) and getting more time or quieter rooms in exams. I've had some teachers who are really good too, like sometimes I just tell them at the start of semester 'look, I have x problems and it means I might be absent/leave class/have doctor's appointments/have panic attacks/etc.' Usually they're sympathetic and want to help.
If I think of anything else I'll come back and add it
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Re: Studying with mental health
Thank you @Bee@DruidChild@Eagle
For your advice and input. I hope its helping others too.
Ive picked things or well had a look at courses that do interest me so its not so much that department and im a pretty organised person when it comes to schooling.
Its more getting that oomph to sign up and have some.sort of concetration level. Even when im interested in things i still struggle to retain information or be able to concentrate
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Re: Studying with mental health
Did you have any tactics or try anything that did and didn't work for you?
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Re: Studying with mental health
Hey @Birdeye when i was last studying my mental health wasnt this bad. I was having more good days then bad and felt more motivated and excited to do it. My organisational skills helped alot though
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Re: Studying with mental health
In re to signing up and maintaining a concentration level, I think thats something we could tackle in a step by step process.
So once you've picked your course it would be a case of signing up etc. I haven't found that part specifically overwhelming so I'm not sure what to suggest right now.
With motivation, thats a but trickier. For me I like to break things down into smaller managable tasks, we also have the uni student support thread too! Which even if your studying through TAFE (like myself is still applucable, otherwise we could start a TAFE one if required / wanted )

That feels quite tricky tbh, while you've said your organisational skills helped, you've said you feel like your mental health is worse.
Do you feel like you've got enough support to take on study? Or do you feel study would help provide a distraction?
Ultimately whether you decide to take on a course or not we'll be here ready and willing to support you through it ❤
I hope this helps
(I feel like I've gone off tangent and rambled a bit 😛 )
Remember you're amazing just as you are

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Re: Studying with mental health
I know unis do, and I wouldn't be surprised for TAFEs to also.
At my uni, if we let them know what's going on for us they'll make adjustments or at least try their best to make adjustments to assessments. Often this means extensions, but there are a lot of other things that different students get like entirely different assessments.
If you can't find it on their website, or aren't sure about it, could you send the institution an email?
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