When you’re fresh into college, your stress levels are high. You’re in a new environment, dealing with new people, and you are also faced with the challenge of having a lot of things to study, as well as managing your time on your own. If you’re the type of person who gets anxious when having to deal with so much all at once, it can be hard to find ways to calm down. The first year of college will be a time when you have to get used to the new student life. In the meantime, you need to find ways to keep calm and stay focused so you can handle the amount of material you have to study on top of all the other things that are happening.
Luckily, there are many ways to regain your focus and make sure you keep calm about the things about to come. Below you can find some tips on how to stay focused and keep calm when you’re fresh in college.
- Block Your Social Media Apps
Nowadays, one of the biggest temptations when you’re trying to do something important is social media. It’s not uncommon to plan just to check something out on your Facebook quickly, and then get stuck scrolling for 5 minutes without realizing it. It’s also easy to get distracted when you hear the sound of a notification coming through, and then easier still to start texting with your friend and keep at it for two hours.
If you are guilty of this, you should consider getting an app that blocks your access to different apps like Facebook, Twitter, emails, text messages, YouTube, Twitter or any app that you’re guilty of using for too long. AppBlock and Freedom are some of the most popular apps for this.
- Make Sure You Get Enough Sleep
If you have difficulty getting enough sleep, you’re not the only one. A good portion of Americans are struggling to get enough sleep. However, this could have a negative effect on your health, and it will also negatively affect your ability to stay focused in college. On top of that, your short and long-term memory will suffer a lot as a result.
People have a hard time falling asleep for different reasons. Some have muscle and joint pain, while others are simply tossing and turning without any success in falling asleep and shutting their brains off, despite feeling tired. For muscle and joint issues, you can simply revitalize them with the Joy Organics CBD cream. Many people have tried this product and it has helped them more than they expected. But what else can you do to fall asleep if you seem to have a hard time doing it?
You should try switching off all your electronic devices at least an hour before you go to bed, as otherwise the light from the devices will keep your brain awake. Don’t drink any caffeinated drinks after lunch, and make sure your bedroom is quiet and cool. Do some things to relax before going to sleep, like taking a warm bath or reading a book.
- Create a Schedule
You can keep up with your responsibilities by creating a schedule and sticking to it. If you feel like you don’t have enough time for anything, the schedule will help you fit everything into your day. So, not only you will have time to deal with your college responsibilities, but also have some time left over for a little fun.
When you don’t have a schedule, everything is chaotic, and you may end up making bad decisions or missing important assignment deadlines. A schedule will put you in control of your time and help you deal with everything sustainably.
- Get Rid of Distractions
Although social media is one of the biggest distractions, there are other things that may distract you from your tasks. In order to stay focused and calm, you need to eliminate them. So, you can do this by telling the people around to leave you alone for a certain period of time, and by moving to a quiet area. Make sure to get rid of anything on your desk that might grab your attention. This way, your focus will be on your college assignments only, and not on anything else.
- Set Realistic Goals
Goals will make it easier for you to work your way towards a certain result. But in order to feel motivated, you should consider both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are the best way to gain a sense of accomplishment and stay focused, because it’s easier to accomplish a small goal and reap the benefits. Once you accomplish something simple, you can give yourself a small reward and then move on to the next one. Short-term goals can focus on the next year or the next few months. These might include studying everyday for 2-3 hours, working on assignments and going to classes.
Meanwhile, long-term goals should be related to what you want to achieve after the next year. This might be your bachelor’s degree or master’s degree.
- Stay Grounded
Staying grounded means you should always be in contact with valuable people in your life who can encourage you to keep going. You will not be able to accomplish your academic goals by having too much fun, however staying isolated from everyone will make you feel lonely and unmotivated to move forward.
So, make sure you are still connected to the people you love. They can remind you to work hard for your goals and make sure you achieve them. If you lack motivation, your loved ones will help you get back on track.
Final Thoughts
New things always come with new challenges, especially when it comes to starting college. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of how to keep your focus and keep calm when you’re fresh into college. Try these tips and you will surely be able to enjoy your life while successfully getting through your studies. College years are some of the best years of your life, so you should enjoy them to the fullest. Make sure to stay healthy and work hard to achieve your dreams.