College Study Tip #9: Take Care of Your Brain
Neglecting self-care won’t help you learn, and you run the risk of college burnout. So, you have full permission to take the time to care for your mind.
This post is part of a 10-week series on study tips for college students. (Most of these tips apply equally well to high school students!) Look for one top tip delivered to your inbox weekly on Thursdays in March through May. You can find all the past tips here.
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Likely, you’re already on summer break when this newsletter hits your inbox. That means your brain is probably far away from school and in vacation mode.
But that’s fine. In fact, that’s awesome for mental health. We live in a hustle culture where the prevailing myth is that more is more. In other words, you’re supposed to be constantly working toward whatever goals you’re aiming for.
But, believe it or not, that mindset doesn’t increase productivity. It may sound counter-intuitive, but more breaks mean more productivity.
There are several reasons for this, and if you want to dive more into the topic or the science behind why rest matters, I wrote all about surprising productivity killers back in 2019. But the general gist is that our brains need rest to process information. And this is as true of learning as it is of job tasks.
When you push yourself to “do” all the time, you aren’t giving your brain space to think about or process information. This is one reason late-night cram sessions don’t work.
So next time you’re tempted to burn the midnight oil or overwork your way into better grades, give yourself permission to take a break. Rest, in addition to all the other modes of self-care listed below, could be the best thing you do for your brain.
Take Breaks
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There’s a reason schools schedule regular breaks. Even at colleges with summer sessions, there’s always at least a short break between semesters because students and teachers need them.
Both tend to overwork during the semester, which is a recipe for burnout. Burnout happens when you overwork to the point of impairing your mental health and you deplete your energy until you’ve become too mentally exhausted to do anything more.
So decompression time is essential. But it isn’t just summer, winter, and spring breaks that make a difference. Our brains need time to rest every day.
The mind needs time to process and consolidate knowledge. Without this, science shows our brains can’t function optimally. That means, without adequate downtime, learning is impaired.
And downtime is especially critical if you’re pursuing any kind of creative endeavor, which includes pretty much any kind of writing. That’s because our subconscious minds need time to process thoughts. Thus, our best ideas often come to us when we aren’t actively thinking about them.
As a professional writer of both fiction and nonfiction, I can tell you this happens to me all the time. I might be driving along the freeway or sitting at my son’s swim lessons, and suddenly, the perfect line of dialogue or ending for a scene pops into my mind.
Creativity needs time to breathe.
As someone who works multiple jobs and is a mom, I learned this lesson the hard way. I often wrote articles in my “free” time, which typically meant at night after my son went to sleep. Sometimes I didn’t sleep at all, and I’d have to “get up” the next day and somehow function at my day job.
All those lost nights and weekends meant no downtime. I didn’t have a second to just “be.” So it wasn’t long before my creative well completely dried up. Thus, working non-stop became the opposite of productivity for me.
Fortunately, I now guard my free time jealously. And not only does it make work more joyful, but I’ve also become more productive for it.
Get Enough Sleep
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In addition to taking adequate breaks while awake, getting enough sleep is crucial. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve tried to function on a lack of sleep and could barely blunder my way through a class. Just ask my students.
I always joke that coffee is a teacher’s best friend (#teacherfuel). But the truth is, coffee can’t make up for inadequate sleep. Though you may be able to make it through the day with the help of caffeine, it’s not doing your brain any favors.
You function less optimally when you’re surviving on a lack of sleep. And both your mental and physical health suffers.
That’s because the body does a lot of “housekeeping” while you’re sleeping. This includes removing toxins from the brain.
Sleep is also necessary for learning. Without sleep, you can’t form or maintain the pathways that let you create new memories and process new information. This is another reason cram sessions aren’t great. If you’re up all night studying, your brain doesn’t get the sleep it needs to process memories, and thus, you’re less likely to remember everything you tried to stuff into your gray matter.
Plus, it won’t help you learn new material in your courses. When you try to stumble through the next day on a lack of sleep, it’s much harder to concentrate and respond quickly.
Feed Your Mind
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We’ve all heard that a nutritious diet keeps our bodies healthy, but did you know that what you eat can also affect your brain function? Research has uncovered that a diet high in sugars and processed foods causes inflammation that prohibits the formation of new neurons.
Neurons are the brain’s pathways, so forming new neurons is essential for learning. Thus, the more nutritious your diet, the better you’ll be able to process and retain information.
Of course, we all know dorm food is notoriously terrible. And as a recovering lifetime chronic dieter who’s struggled with an eating disorder, I’m the last person to tell anyone they should stick to a specific diet.
So eat the ice cream if you want to. After all, it’s summer! And, hey, you can even call it “brain food” if you ensure it’s got some dark chocolate, which is rich in magnesium, flavonoids, and antioxidants, or some chopped nuts, which are full of healthy fats the brain loves.
While you’re at it, also lean into all the fresh produce available this time of year, and stock up on antioxidant-rich berries and dark leafy greens, both of which are excellent brain food.
You can even turn it into a fun summer activity by visiting the local farmer’s market or a pick-your-own strawberry farm.
Move Your Body
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Like with eating nutritious food, research shows that exercise also helps strengthen and build neural pathways in the brain.
And summer break is the perfect time to indulge in movement that feels more like fun than a daily chore.
So, while you’re working on your tan, dive into the pool and take a few laps. Go for a stroll in the park or hike in the woods. Break out your bike and go for a ride. Or block off the neighborhood street and bring out the soccer nets or basketball hoops just like when you were a kid.
Of course, exercise is essential year-round. But it gets a lot harder to fit it in during the school year. But when August comes around, know that science shows that even short bursts of exercise, as little as two minutes a day, are beneficial.
So break up your study sessions with a quick set of jumping jacks, run up and down the dorm stairs a few times, or crank up the tunes (headphones on, of course!) and start dancing. Your brain will thank you.
The Bottom Line
Though we live in a culture that primes us for overwork — from coursework overload to the hustle culture of the business world — it doesn’t help anyone become more productive. Quite the opposite.
So, while planning for coursework, study sessions, and writing time is essential, ensure you also schedule time for self-care, including sleep and downtime.
Want More?
Not yet convinced you need to slow down? Here’s how to tell your brain needs a break.
And if you need more convincing that you should get some shut-eye, read up on all the reasons our brains need sleep and what happens when we don’t get enough.
Yes, exercise absolutely affects your brain, not just your abs. Hear it straight from the experts at Scientific American.
And if you struggle with anxiety, here’re some tips on coping with anxiety as a college student.
What’s New?
Now that the semester is over, I’ll be bringing you new summer-related content. Stay tuned for new printables for planning study abroad trips, road trips, and general travel experiences.
I’ll also be focusing on more kid-centric content over the summer. So please share this newsletter with anyone you know that has littles at home, especially elementary age. They’ll be tons of free content perfect for making your own summer camp at home.
What Am I Loving Right Now?
I know I tend to share a lot of food-related content in this section; maybe I’m hungry when I write these newsletters? But I seriously love Catalina Crunch’s Cheddar Snack Mix (Amazon link for illustration purposes, but you can get it cheaper at your local grocery store.) I love Nacho Cheese Doritos, but they raise my blood sugar. This snack mix hits the same taste notes without the glucose spike — which probably means it’s excellent brain food!
Speaking of excellent stuff for your brain, this Mother’s Day, my husband gifted me with a Nodpod sleep mask. As a side sleeper, I’ve never been a huge fan of sleep masks, as I find the straps irritating. But this strapless sleep mask lets me get comfortable shut-eye while simultaneously preserving my marriage. (Hubby likes to play video games late at night, which means a lot of annoying flashy lights. . .)