Study difficulties: how to manage them?

Tips on how to deal with difficulties when studying for an exam, university, etc.

Although in most cases it does not allow us to earn a salary, there is no doubt that studying is one more job; a very important area of life, in which adopting some strategies or others brings us closer or further away from having reasons to celebrate at the end of the academic cycle.

That is why, every year, hundreds of thousands of people make it a priority to get the most out of their studies, something that is not always easy. There are many obstacles that can stand between a student and his or her goals, and even knowing exactly what those problems are is a challenge.

So here are some key ideas that trained psychologists key ideas that we psychologists with training in higher education support use to help people who seek help from us to pass exams, sit for competitive examinations, etc.

How to cope with difficulties with studies?

Follow these guidelines to improve your performance when studying.

1. Sleep well

It may seem strange that the first tip has nothing to do with the time you do while studying, but it really is not. Something as simple as getting too little sleep can be causing you to underperform, even if you don't realize it..

In fact, there is evidence that spending 10 days sleeping just under 6 hours has the same impact on our mental agility as going without sleep for more than 24 hours. Fortunately, if you start getting adequate rest, your mental fluidity returns to normal.

2. Create a study plan as concrete as possible

The study sessions for each week must be defined beforehand in your agenda. It is very important to have a timetable that specifies on which days and at what times to study each of the contents you want to learn.

This will not only help you to establish your priorities, but it will also allow you to monitor your activity and know which aspects of your day to day work are the most important. and know which aspects of your daily life interfere more with your study sessions, by having a global vision of what you have been doing during the week.

3. Pay attention to the stimuli you usually receive while studying.

If you have been finding it difficult to study properly for some time, this may be because there are elements that distract you.

Maintain the discipline to stay away from distractions, establishing a list of stimuli to avoid.. For example, put your cell phone in another room so that its lights and sounds don't distract you while you study, make sure you're not near any TVs that are on, and find the part of your home where it's quietest.

By the way, even if you think that listening to music is good for studying, it is worth avoiding this too: it has been proven that the only type of activity in which listening to music does not interfere is that which is based on repetitive and monotonous tasks, which do not require much concentration, such as washing the dishes or washing up, or on the contrary those that are based entirely on creativity and artistic expression. When it comes to studying, your attention cannot be divided between several tasks, nor exposed to being distracted from time to time by the part of a song that you like the most.

4. Try to spend time in places with fresh air

If possible, start exposing yourself more to places with little pollution, where vegetation predominates. It has been proven that students who study in schools surrounded by nature perform better and get better grades, regardless of their social class. It is also known that pollution causes a set of skills known as working memory, which is our ability to retain various elements in our mind to combine them and combine them together in our imagination to obtain new information or find solutions to problems.

5. Set a schedule of breaks

It is better to take frequent breaks than to try to study for two hours at a time and end up mixing study sessions with leisure time through distractions such as YouTube videos. If you consider study sessions of about 40 or 45 minutes separated by 10-minute breaks, you'll be in control of how much time you devote to airing your mind.But if you set unrealistic goals, breaks are more likely to turn into wasted mornings or afternoons.

6. Take notes of your doubts

It is very useful to have a place where you can write down all the doubts that arise. You can do this by writing down references to the part of the notes or the book to which the doubt is related.

It is also good that in your study plan you have some time specifically dedicated to solve those doubts, either by asking professors, teachers, teachers, etc., or by writing them down.either by asking professors, classmates or seeking advice from experts on the Internet. Remember that being aware that you have gaps in your knowledge is very useful information; do not waste it.

7. Ask exam questions in your mind

You can put yourself in the shoes of an evaluator and put yourself to the test. This will bring to light doubts that you had and of which you were not aware.. For example, you can ask yourself what are the differences between two similar concepts, how are two concepts related, what are the phases into which a process is divided, etc.

Are you looking for study support?

If you are interested in psychological assistance to support your studies, you can contact our team of experts. The psychologists at UPAD Psychology and Coaching have been helping people for years to improve their performance in the face of these types of challenges. We follow up the training process and provide methods to deal with anxiety, make the most of study time, improve the ability to memorize, and many other keys to learn effectively and consistently.

You can count on our assistance either in person at our center in Madrid or through our online services if you do not live in the capital. To see our contact details, please access this page.

Bibliographic references:

• Dadvand, P.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J.; Esnaola, M.; Forns, J.; Basagaña, X., Alvarez-Pedrerol, M., et al. (2015). Green spaces and cognitive development in primary schoolchildren, PNAS, 112(26): pp. 7937 - 7942.
• Smith, C.A. & Morris, L.W.. (1977). Differential effects of stimulatory and sedative music on anxiety, concentration, and performance. Psychological Reports 41(3 pt. 2): pp. 1047 - 1053.