Depression can happen to almost anyone, anywhere, doing anything. It can be especially damaging if you are studying for a critical course or exam that could affect your future. Students are often under a lot of pressure. 

They are expected to show up to class on time, listen actively, take notes, absorb information, prepare assignments and take exams. Sometimes, the results of their activities aren’t what they had hoped to achieve. 

How to Overcome Depression While Studying?

This can be scary if results and grades are tied to maintaining a scholarship. Constant pressure, fear, and general stress can lead to burnout. The good news is that you don’t have to do this alone. There are resources and people who can help you. 

5 Powerful Tips to Overcome Depression While Studying

Here are five ways to help you overcome depression and complete your course of study, without feeling like you have no more life in you.

1. Get Some Sleep

Sounds crazy? Sleep deprivation will deplete your personal energy batteries faster than just about anything except lack of water or food. 

If going to bed and getting a full eight hours of rest isn’t an option, go for the power nap. Find someplace safe and comfortable to relax, set an alarm, close your eyes and start counting backward from 100. Even if you don’t fall asleep, you will give your brain and eyes a rest. 

2. Eat Something Nutritious and Keep a Glass of Water on Hand

Crunchy celery, an apple, some nuts, or even a bowl of chili, chicken soup or a tuna sandwich. Crunchy foods require some concentration, and the movement of your jaws helps relax your jaws. 

Protein or complex carbohydrates provide slow-release calories that can feed your brain. Just as you can’t go very far in a vehicle that is out of gas, your brain thinks better if it is getting good nutrition. Hydration is also important, especially in the form of clean, potable water. 

3. Exercise

This doesn’t need to be a ten-mile hike or a super sprint, it can be something as simple as standing up and walking around your chair. If you have been reading, taking notes, or committing information to memory, chances are that you are sitting still. 

Even stretching or doing a little armchair yoga will wake up your circulatory system and encourage good blood flow to the brain. Schedule a five-minute break every thirty minutes if you are engaged in a self-directed study session.  

4. Smile at Yourself

You might want to reserve this one for when you are alone. But stick a smile on the front side of your head. A smile helps relax the muscles in your face, releases some of those feel-good endorphins, and generally brightens your outlook on life. 

Your first few attempts might look a little manic, but keep after it. It might seem crazy that something as simple as a smile could make a difference to your day, but if you are simply feeling a little discouraged, a smile can be a mini-booster. 

5. Use a Computer Program That Helps You Focus

There are software programs that provide tools that can help you structure your study time. You can set a time limit on how long you will study in one stint, and a time limit on your rest or relaxation time. 

A good program will not only allow you to schedule your work time, block distracting programs or remind you to take a break, it will also flash uplifting quotes and sayings by way of encouragement. 

Ask for Help to Overcome Depression While Studying.

These are simple, quick fixes to give you a boost and help chase away basic, garden variety feelings of fatigue and hopelessness. However, if you are struggling with the material in a class, talk to your instructor. 

Ask for some help. If you have a reason to feel depressed, such as the loss of a loved one or some other serious thing going on in your life, seek help from a counselor. 

If you are feeling down and hopeless but have no special reason for it, do not hesitate to seek professional help. Depression can range from just feeling out of sorts to being a serious clinical condition.

You do not have to weather it alone.

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