The ending of the long summer holidays heralds the start of going back to education or work.
For those returning to uni – it’s exciting to catch up with friends but not so easy to get back to learning, homework and getting up early.
To help you get back on track here are some tips –
Reset:
Adjust sleep routines – get back on track to a regular bedtime, start waking up at a reasonable time in the morning, some universities will start lectures by 9am and you may need to factor in travel time.
Lead up to returning to university with a couple of weeks of clean living:
Going back to university will possibly entail going out, parties, drinking and eating differently. You may also be just completing time away at festivals. Having some time to drink less or not at all and eat regularly and well will help be in a better state to deal with first term university excess and help set standards for when you want to get back on track.
Get motivated:
Remind yourself of why you are following through with a university education and what you want to accomplish. Be inspired to make your reasons for why you are doing this work.
Review what has and hasn’t worked previously and create a framework of change to ensure you can make your goals work for you.
Get started and practice. Motivation is driven by momentum so get ready by reading, completing any summer assignments, focussing on what your educational goals for the year ahead might be and making some plans.
Focus on your financials:
Getting back to university requires managing money sensibly. Review your current financial status and ‘cut your cloth’ accordingly. Make some financial goals and think of the steps that will be needed to ensure you can reach them.
Invest in yourself:
What do you need to grow? Make a list of your needs and plan on how you might address these. For example, you might need some extra tutoring to help get up to speed on a particular subject but not have the resources or time to make this happen right now.
Research what might be available to you instead, for example, an online learning tool. You may also wish to learn something new by planning to join a club or activity.
Reach out to old friends and to new:
Meet up with school and other friends at home so you can remind yourself of the secure friendship based you have. Connect with newer university friends and check their dates and setup of a possible meeting date when you are all back.
Looking after existing mental health difficulties:
Connect with university welfare in advance of your return. Make sure you have adequate medication if you take it.
If you have a condition that requires regular monitoring, make sure that you’ve got your first appointment booked in before you return. Become familiar with the local area in advance of your return. Check out where your local support systems are based and keep details handy, for example, pharmacy, GP, A&E, student support. Ask anyone who supports you at home to help create a list of things you
can think, do and connect with when at university.
Explore the safety net on each of the stem4 apps and fill these in.
Finding it difficult to motivate yourself to focus ahead?
With the help of a Move Mood companion choose the actions you would like to build into your routine and get back on track.
