When I need to boost my mood or re-focus, I…
I am an introvert, but I think when it comes to improving my mood, I always go and talk to my support systems. They always have insight into the way I’m feeling, and especially when I’m stressed over school are a really good way to re-focus myself, calm myself, and boost my mood. I think after a long day of school I really can’t go straight to homework and need to have a good long chat with my mom, and that kind of just helps me unpack emotionally for the day, so I can go upstairs and focus on my homework.
– When I am sad, angry or frustrated about school, doing… helps me be more productive or calm.
My go-to is, go for a walk, sounds and scents calm me down, and I happen to live right next to the Coquitlam river. Which I was trying to portray with the image above. The sound of running water is very calming to me, along with, on a sunny day, basking in the sun is very refreshing. It’s just me and my thoughts, and that solitude allows me to re-center my thinking and breathing. While it doesn’t solve my problems, or my struggle my anxiety, it gets me to a place where I am able to get back to work. I judge this need for walks, by just listening to myself, I recognize that I am feeling a certain way, and if it is not bad, where I can recognize it and deal with it later so I can get the immediate task at hand done, great! However, if it is urgent, then the most important thing is to stop and take care of myself, and everyone is going to have a unique routine to do so, but for me being outside Is one of them.
– I can prevent some school-related stress by …
I try my best to generally stay on top of things, my assignments and homework, all get done productively, and handed in on time or early. I think the only exception to this is when I’m sick, and when I can’t do any work because my brain is just like “absolutely no”. Even then I still review notes from in class, and do as much work as my body, and mental state will allow me to. However, I’m not perfect and I still get anxious about school sometimes, but then again, those times are caused when my workload is not particularly manageable (usually caused by my own accord thought), and I have deadlines to meet. So defiantly, the biggest thing I can do to reduce my stress is make sure I am caught up on all my work.
– When distractions are getting in the way of my work, I can …
Moving to a different location helps a lot. The good old-fashioned desk in my room is where I typically get most of my work done, because I do not work well in other spaces, my brain gets distracted by the new surroundings. However, my room gets particularly stuffy sometimes, it is also not big, and not always clean, so, getting work done in that type of environment, especially when I do not have the time or energy to clean it, is hard. So, while the change of scenery does not always allow me to get my most productive work done, it still allows me to get my work done, and for someone with adhd where, dopamine does not always allow productiveness for the day, just getting work done, is a big step, which Is really the most important thing.
Another thing, for me, is that I am specifically sensitive to audio, so anything like background noises, construction, a dishwasher running, or a clock ticking, all those things can really make me lose focus. So, I have specific study playlists, so that I will not lose focus from lyrics, or catchy tunes, I also own a pair of noise cancelling headphones, that really help tremendously.