• creating study groups with your friends
• studying to do good in the world
• flashcards!!
• coffee at 2 am
• being obsessed with highlighters
• finding a secret spot to study
• the perfect study playlist

• sitting in the park, studying
• texting your friends little motivational quotes
• beautiful bullet journals
• Camomile tea
• scented candles
• creating the perfect study environment
• calming yourself before an exam
• studying to help and create

• procrastinating. a. lot
• “oh look I spent 2 hours on wikipedia again”
• studying to finally understand everything
• embellishing notes with cute little drawings
• ancient libraries
• helping friends on the night before the exam
• pretty desktop backgrounds
• the sound of turning a page in a book
• finding the perfect word to use in your essay

• to-do lists and vision boards
• knowing exactly what you have to do to achieve your goal
• finishing your essay in the middle of the night
• „intellect without ambition is like a bird without wings“
• succulents on your desk
• the feeling of getting that A
• studying to achieve greatness

Are you going to make yourself feel worse if you study now? Is pushing through going to jeopardize your health? Are you just feeling too awful? If so, it’s okay to let things go for an hour, a day, a week, or longer.

You come first. Always.

Do you have PRN or OTC medications that can help with symptom management? Have you taken your daily meds? Do that before you try to do anything else. You’re going to be able to get a lot more done (not to mention the fact that you just plain won’t feel as miserable) if you take whatever medication you have available to you rather than trying to tough it out.

Have you gotten some sort of nutrition? Are you sufficiently hydrated? Do you need to close your eyes for a few? Do whatever is accessible to you in the moment to take care of yourself.

What absolutely has to be done now and what can wait until you’re closer to your baseline?  Are there things that you can get an extension on? Professors that are more lenient with grading? Classes you have opportunities for extra credit in? Does it make sense to skip class and use those spoons to get work done? On the assignments that you have to get done now, is there anything that you feel comfortable doing a mediocre job on just to get it done?  Figure out what’s the most important and go from there.

If you’re going to turn things in late, miss class, need an extension, or just want to give your professor a heads up that you’re not feeling great and X may happen as a result, shoot them an email. The sooner the better, but it’s infinitely preferable to send a last second email asking for an extension (or to send one after the fact) than not to send one at all. If you can, I’d also really recommend talking with your professor before there’s a problem, but if that’s not a possibility, don’t stress it.

If you feel like this is going to be a longer term issue, it’s a good idea to communicate with disability services and/or your advisor to see what your options are.

Find a study spot that you can work in effectively and make yourself as comfortable as possible. When my pain levels are high, I don’t like to work it public spaces where I have to sit upright and deal with the extra sensory input, so I usually get set up on my couch with a heating pad, my maternity pillow (these things are the best), and a lap desk. 

Maybe for you it makes sense to set yourself up in the bathroom so you don’t have to run back and forth every two seconds. Or maybe you need to work somewhere dark and quiet. There’s really no way to do this wrong, so play around and figure out what works for you.

A 10-2 system often works well for me, but this is another one where you really can’t do it wrong. Take as many breaks as you need for as long as you need them. Play around to find something that feels comfortable for you.

Didn’t get everything you wanted to done? That’s okay. Didn’t get anything at all done? That’s okay too. It’s okay to rest. Your well being is always the most important thing.

• environment: where you study matters. don’t do it where you sleep, if possible. i block out time to go to the library or coffee shop, but you can also try a park, empty classroom, study room, etc. 
• pomodoro timer: as an ADHD student, using a pomodoro timer app has helped tremendously. other options include Forest and similar apps, but my brain tends to just go “okay, let the tree die then.” even this timer doesn’t always work for me, but it works often enough that i use it to study. 
• cook on sunday: or whenever you have a free chunk of time. cooking takes a lot out of me so i usually do it twice a week, sunday and wednesday night. i’ll chop up a lemon, de-frost frozen chicken, rub it in spices and olive oil, and put parchment paper over it, then put that in the oven. + i make rice with chicken broth instead of water. together it’s a solid meal. simple recipes using as few ingredients as possible are a lifesaver for me. search “easy recipes,” “simple recipes,” and the like for tons of options. 
• forgive yourself: it’s so hard for me to do and has taken time. you are going to have days where you simply can’t get anything done. it doesn’t mean you’re lazy. it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. even if you missed an assignment, you can still get a good grade in the class. furthermore, you NEED the recovery time. it is NOT time wasted. 
• counseling: if you have on-campus counseling, take advantage of it. even if they aren’t your main therapist, or you don’t usually go to therapy, or you don’t get along with the first person you see. try going a few times and find someone to click with. having access to someone who can write a doctor’s note is vital. 
• disability resources: if you need them, get in their program! do it! i don’t care if it makes you feel weird, if you don’t feel like you deserve it, etc. do it! do it! it’s one of the best things i did for myself on campus, and it’s the reason i can still go to school. 
• tell professors early on: i have adhd, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and borderline personality disorder. there are going to be days when, even with counseling and medication, i will absolutely not be able to go to class or pay attention or what have you. if a professor knows i’m dealing with this stuff, they’re more likely to give me a break than they would otherwise. 
• plants are the bomb. name them. look up care sheets for them. talk to the people at plant shops, if you have any in your area. take them for walks. read about them. watch tv with them. sing to them. plants have saved my life many times over and they don’t ask much in return. 
• stockpile your happiness. i keep a list of things that bring positive emotions to me, and come back to it when my mood starts to swing down: things to do, video links, music, vines of cute animals, whatever. conversely, keeping a playlist of songs that help you get through pain can be exceptionally important when it’s three in the morning and no one is texting back. 
• there’s more than the national suicide prevention hotline. they get a lot of calls and are most concerned with whether you’re in immediate danger, and aren’t the best people to call in every situation. i say this because people reblog suicide prevention hotlines all the time, but don’t consider what the general purpose of each one is for. it can feel really shitty to be brushed off by someone who doesn’t think you’re “in crisis enough” for their services, so makes sure to have options saved beforehand. local crisis hotlines, text crisis hotlines, & online messaging crisis centers are important to keep on hand. 
• look for off-campus resources, too. see if there are any organizations in the area that could help you that aren’t tied to the school. again, it is good to have as many options for help as possible. 
• sometimes a rubber band on the wrist is the best option. or throwing ice cubes in the tub, or wrapping yourself in a blanket because it’s the only thing keeping you together right now. if i’m having the urge to self-harm, snapping a rubber band against my wrist is a safer option for me, even if it’s not THE safest option. like, ideally i would draw on my arm with marker, but if i’m in a bad enough state that won’t be enough for me, you feel? the safe coping mechanism that you’ll actually use is FAR more helpful than the safest option you never will. 
• online community. i frequent the #actuallybpd and #actuallyadhd tags on tumblr because these are people that understand what it’s like, and can help me vent my frustrations when i have no one to turn to. just remember not to over-engage in discourse if it’s bad for your mental state, like it is for me.
• look up pictures of the diaphragm and how it works. i literally didn’t know what my diaphragm looked like, so breathing was even harder than it would’ve been otherwise. looking up animations of it helped me learn how to breathe slowly and deeply, which was not actually something i knew how to do. 
• white noise is the only way i can focus on studying. really. 
• asmr, binaural stuff, etc. if it helps you and it’s safe, there’s nothing wrong with it. i know the jury’s still out on whether it “actually works,” but even if it’s placebo, it helps me calm down quickly. 
• remember why you’re here: to learn, apply that knowledge, meet people, and make the world a better place. or to make cash money, whatever.