For most Sheffield students, leaving your student accommodation is the reason for making yourself look presentable each morning. Otherwise, why bother with combing your hair or dressing smartly? Even for students who are studying like crazy to complete now-online classes and exams, it can be tempting to sleep all hours (or no hours) and let your study schedule be your only form of time-keeping.
The reason not to do this, and to dress neatly and groom daily, might surprise you. As it turns out, the daily routine is essential to keeping us sane. Letting the clock get away from you, never turning on the lights, and living in your PJs can actually make you feel more stressed out about your exams, the lockdown situation, and the future in general.
Studying Sanely In A Student Property During Lockdown
Many Sheffield students today are isolated within their Sheffield student properties, alone or with roommates, worrying about end-of-term and studying like crazy. While studying is important and you absolutely should hone your mind and memory every day, it's also important to keep yourself sane with a routine and good self-care. We know, it sounds a little crazy, but the matter stands: Putting on dressing neatly each day can make studying easier.
Why? Because when you allow studying and remote classes become your only anchor to the world, everything else - including your stress - can spin out of control. To help, we've put together a few helpful (and hopefully fun) tips for students to stay sane during these historical end-of-term conditions.
1) Go to Sleep and Wake Up at the Same Times
We know it can be fun to stay up late with your roommates in your snug Sheffield student accommodation, watching movies and studying together. You may even feel more focused and mentally sharp late at night. That is wonderful and, without physical classes, you can completely rearrange your sleep schedule. However, you should still go to sleep and wake up at approximately the same times every 24-hour cycle.
Whether you sleep from 10pm to 6am or sleep from 9am to Noon, a consistent sleep schedule will help you get to sleep faster, sleep more deeply, and feel more grounded when you wake up. Good sleep is also essential for building and retaining memories of what you have recently studied.
2) Stay Connected With Classmates Online
It can be easy to feel isolated during the lockdown. Many young people are struggling with the sudden change from a highly social school lifestyle to staying indoors alone or only with current Roommates. In Sheffield, there is a study being conducted right now on how the lockdown is affecting university students.
You may not realise it, but isolation can become an acute source of stress. It can help to stay connected with your classmates and school friends through online platforms instead of meeting on campus. You can still have lunch together (at the same time on camera), study together, and even enjoy the telly together by sharing video calls online - all without setting foot outside your Sheffield student accommodation.
3) Make a Study Schedule by Assignment, Subject, and Due-Date
Don't let studying take over your life or fall by the wayside. Instead, make a schedule for what you will study and for how long. Organise your study-time by subject, assignments, and the urgency of upcoming due-dates. Partner up with your roommates to study together if you share classes or have similar topics and form study groups with your now-remote classmates.
Stick to the schedule you build, neither studying too little or for so long at a stretch that you give yourself a headache.
4) Remember the Little Self-Care Tasks
Remember the comb and trousers? There's a little more to taking care of yourself each day than looking right, and off-screen self care is essential for your day-to-day sanity. Students stuck at home without reasons to leave the house often fall behind on things like tooth-brushing, laundry, exercise, and washing behind the ears.
Each person has their own self-care routine, make sure to keep yours up. Physical health translates to mental health, and mental health translates to focus and good marks. Not to mention fighting off those lockdown snack pounds.
5) Exercise Any Way Feels Right
It's also important to keep up your physical activity, even if you're limited to a small room or a shared house. We know, this can be tough and we're definitely not suggesting every student become an at-home bodybuilder overnight. Instead, just keep your body moving. Put on music and dance around. Have an energetic nerf-gun battle with your roommates. If you have a pet, take them for walks. You can even go running, as long as you don't get within 6-feet of the next jogger.
6) Spend Time With Your Roommates
If you have roommates in your student property, you already share all your immunities and illnesses with them anyway so it's safe to hang out. In fact, we highly encourage it. In this time of social isolation, it's important to connect in-person with whoever you can; AKA: those you share a house or room with. Study with your roommates, exercise with them, and throw popcorn at the telly with them. This social connection is more important to your sanity than you may realise, even if you're not besties with your roommates. After all, you might be best friends after being locked-down together long enough.
7) Make Time for Play and Study Breaks
Remember: All work and no play makes Jack pretty loony. Going stir-crazy is a real concern, and it only gets worse if you study 100% of your waking hours. Take the time you need to relax. Plan for snack-breaks and the occasional half-hour episode of something light-hearted to break up your study sessions and the time between online classes. Remember to relax and find reasons to smile. Don't let yourself sit still for longer than two hours at a stretch, and try writing a few jokes into your next essay.
8) Relax, Don't Feel Too Pressured
Last but not least, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. We know that the pressure may feel like it's mounting to make good marks on your final exams under unusual and isolating conditions. We know that many students are really feeling the stress mounting. But stress is just energy waiting to be released. You get stressed because your body wants you to have the energy to deal with whatever you're worried about.
Since studying and focusing on assignments means holding physically still, it's important to let that stress-energy go. Alternate between intentionally relaxing and exercising or playing to calm your body and your mind. You will be mentally healthier for relaxing, and you will be much better able to focus on and remember what you study.
Here at Claypenny Properties, we specialise in Sheffield student housing which means we have met several thousand students over the years and we know this year is an especially tough one for current students. Hang in there and keep your head together. Remember the comb and trousers, stay connected with your mates, and don't let studying take up all of your time.
If you need anything regarding your Sheffield student accommodation, don't hesitate to contact us. We are here for you. Good luck and stay safe.
