Last Updated on August 28, 2023
You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and updated information on how to study when you are tired,how to be productive when youre sick. Read on to learn more. We at collegelearners have all the information that you need about motivation when youre sick. Read on to learn more.
How to study when you’re sick
Introduction weeks are over, classes are about to start and the freshman flu lurks in hidden corners. While being sick is a chore, falling ill right at the start of the school year can be a major setback. It’s safe to say that runny noses and fever dreams don’t help with productivity. But who says that finals can’t rhyme with the flu? If you’re like me and happen to be both bed and book-ridden here are a couple of tips to get you through your first couple weeks of classes.
Pomodoro it
The Pomodoro method consists of working in 4 sets of 25 min with a 5min break in between each round and a longer break ranging from 15 to 30 min after 4 sets. The division of the Pomodoro into 25/5/15 is completely up to you. Many people customize their Pomodoro timing to best fit their workflow. The most important aspect is that alternation between mid-sized work sessions and short breaks which can keep you focused on the task at hand for longer. What makes the Pomodoro Method perfect for studying when sick is that each task is naturally divided into feasible increments. You can even take 5 min naps during your breaks! Check out the best timers for the Pomodoro method in our article about improving study habits.
Get moving
Yeah, it’s tempting to stay holed up in your room surrounded by textbooks and/or tissues. However, sometimes a breath of fresh air is exactly what you need to get some energy. Just taking a 5 min walk (bonus points if it’s during your Pomodoro break) can help clear your head and potentially your sinuses. If you don’t feel like going outside, take some time to stretch and relax your muscles. Exercise is a great way to get your blood flowing which will make you feel better.
Drink some water
I’m pretty sure that water is in every listicle out there from dealing with skincare to depression but it’s worth the emphasis: don’t forget to drink water and stay hydrated! Water helps produce saliva and mucus which are both very handy when fighting a sore throat or a dry nose. Water also helps regulate your body temperature. Our bodies are 60% water so it’s needless to say that it plays a vital role in the basic maintenance of our bodies. No matter the pace you’ve decided to study at you need to stay hydrated in order to maintain said pace and eventually get better.
Proactively study
When you’re sick, you don’t have the leisure to passively intake information and hope it sticks. Start by dividing all you have to study into small realizable steps and ordering them by priority. This will help you get through the day without feeling overwhelmed. Make flashcards and test yourself on key terms. Instead of repeatedly reading information, by writing it down you engage with the material in a different way. Have a group video call where you explain and present some of the information with your friends. Again, this is another way of engaging with the material: if you can explain a concept well then you probably know it. Don’t focus as much on rote memorization as much as contextualized understanding.
Healthy snacks
Studying and being sick are both physically draining activities that when combined tend to have a negative effect on each other. Along with water, food is what will get you through a last-minute cram session without crashing. Why healthy? Though it is tempting to eat your exhaustion and stress away, you do still need to take care of yourself. Food is fuel so you’ll need the best kind if you plan to study when sick.
Get comfy
A cozy environment may induce napping but comfort is always worth it. Grab some tea, coffee or hot water, blankets and whatever painkillers you’re on to create an environment that’s both studious and soothing. Studying when you’re sick is hard enough. There’s no need to make it worse by sitting at a badly lit desk for 5 hours straight surrounded by empty packets of tissues. Create a space you want to be and study there.
So you’ve written 5 to-do lists, went boxing, ate some carrots, drank 5L of water, incarnated hygge and you still don’t feel okay… what now? Most of the time students are victims of the belief that every occasion is the last. If you’re too sick to study and can’t make it to class then don’t go. There’s no point in worsening your physical and mental health for something that definitely won’t impact your life as much as you think it will. You can take resits, or ask for an extension or even god forbid take that class again. Nothing is worth ruining your health for, not even the illusion of a college degree.
motivation when you’re sick
Your body is precious. It is our vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha
Getting sick is rarely, if ever fun for anyone, but we all get sick. You can cheat on your taxes, but you can’t cheat on sickness.
When we get sick, we all have a choice of how to work with illness. We can choose to be miserable or we can choose to learn about ourselves and grow from the experience. Since I have had such a hard time with the latter, I’ve investigated 5 ways to practice with illness.
1. Reflect on the benefit of health.
Often illness brings into focus what we wish we could be doing when we feel healthy.
Once, back when I was a pack-a-day smoker, I got food poisoning, and I remember the smell or thought of cigarettes made me feel so much worse. At that time I vowed not to smoke anymore. I felt the frailty of my body and I didn’t want to live a life that hurt my body. I saw how much I needed my body, how bad it felt to not be able to rely on it.
Unfortunately as soon as I felt better I forgot what I knew when I was really sick. Being sick gives us the chance to reflect on the value of health and what you want to do with your life energy when you do feel better. People who are in hospitals only have time to sit around and watch TV; is that what you want to do with your free time?
We only have so many hours and days of health. How can we use each hour of our lives to benefit the people we love the most?
2. Take time to do little things.
Write letters, reorganize your closet, or read a book of poetry. We often take small simple tasks for granted. Their simplicity can seem too easy for us when we are in the midst of a busy life, but when we are sick they might be at just the right pace for us.
I tend to “veg” in front of the TV, but reading that book I’ve been meaning to finish or writing an email to my sister wouldn’t take much energy either.
Sickness makes us slow down, so it’s a great time to do the simple things. We can use this change of pace to change perspective.
3. Reflect on the frailty of life.
So let’s face it: We aren’t going to be here forever. There is no way to avoid old age, sickness, and death. Our willingness to acknowledge impermanence can either bring anxiety or help us focus on what we want to do with our lives.
Being sick is a great time to reflect on the meaning of our lives. Sickness can be a wake up call to remind us that we aren’t made of Teflon. Alas, all sorts of stuff sticks to us in life and it’s up to us what we want to work to let go of.
What principles do you want to adhere to in life and what small things could you let slide? If you only had a year to live, what would you do with the time you have left? If someone you care about got sick, what would you want to say to that person? Why are you waiting?
Sickness reminds us of the frailty and preciousness of this life. It brings into focus that we can never know when things will change for us. We can greet this truth with fear and annoyance, or we can greet it with gratitude for the wisdom it brings us.
4. Let others take care of you.
If you are like me, you are often in the role of caring for others. Many people get stuck in the role of the capable and strong person, especially the kinds of people that read blogs about mindfulness and self-improvement.
I have often said of myself, that I make a very bad patient. I can sometimes think that if I’m not the capable one, people won’t want to be around me. Somehow, if I need them instead of them needing me, that will be the end of our connection.
You may have had this thought process that arises for you when you are sick, or need to ask for help. Maybe when you were growing up asking for help was met with accusations of selfishness, or perhaps not met at all.
No matter what the situation, it’s important to remember that letting others help us is a wonderful gift to give.
Just reflect on how good it feels to help someone we care about. Being sick is a great time to practice asking for and receiving the help and care of others. This can be especially true if we express gratitude to those helping in a way that doesn’t involve a sense of guilt or discomfort with their offering.
Accepting help authentically and expressing gratitude whole-heartedly, helps us remember how both parities benefit from the exchange of kindness.
5. Reprioritize self-care.
When we are not receiving help from others, being sick is a great time to learn the value of taking care of ourselves. Sometimes when I am sick, I can trace back to the imbalance that may have led to the illness. We often push ourselves very hard either out of desire or obligation.
This pushing can work on occasion, but each time we get out of balance we risk falling into ill health: by becoming sick, overwhelmed, or injured. We get so busy that forget about the essential art of taking care of ourselves. Illness is one way we can be called back to value of this art.
Being sick is a great time to give ourselves permission for self-care. It’s a time to get in touch with what we find soothing. It’s a time for long baths and hot tea, for listening to the rain and curling up underneath a blanket, for eating soup and reading a good book.
All of the little pleasures that we have a hard time finding time for can be enjoyed (hopefully without guilt) when we are sick.
Of course you don’t have to wait to be sick to reflect and engage in any of these illness practices. These are all nourishing practices to engage in no matter what the state of your health.
Here are some suggestions for healthy folks:
Reflect on what you’d miss most about being healthy if you were sick.
How can you use you health to benefit yourself and others?
Take some time to do one little project that would bring more peace and order to your life.
How would your life change if you did one of these a week?
Reflect on your own death and what you want to do with the life you have left.
If you only had a year to live what would your priorities be?
Ask for and receive help from someone this week, then express real gratitude for their help.
What if you exchanged kindness with others, more freely, and more often?
Finally, take time to do one act of self-care this week.
What if you regularly scheduled time to do something to bring your life back into balance?
Whether in sickness or in health, life calls for us to pay attention. Every practice that helps us pay attention lengthens the life we have left.
