thestupidlawstudent

[thestupidlawstudent]

Hey!

I've been spending everyday in the library to write my paper. I failed the one I had to write earlier this year and this is my last chance to pass. The deadline is in 2 weeks 😬 wish me luck!

[thestupidlawstudent]

Hi. So I failed my criminal law paper. Sigh. I currently write the other provided criminal law paper. Anyway I thought I knew which offences I had to examine but a requirement needed for a few of them is probably missing.. I am a bit confused now because if the requirement is really missing the offender would get a really low punishment and a few important things (like carrying a gun) would go unpunished.... I'll talk to a friend about this and then I'll see. The good thing is that even if I'll negate all the offences I still need to examine them and this is asked of us. It's not important to affirm many offences but to examine them even if they'll be negated.

[thestupidlawstudent]

I think I want to start studying Spanish again because I downloaded duolingo and I noticed how much I understood... Also Spanish is kind of logical to me, in contrast to French... French man... that language fucks me up... Maybe I'll do a Spanish course in the summer, although it's only a week long, I think it will help!

[thestupidlawstudent]

Ramen, a lecture and talking about Adhd

A picture from yesterday! I wanted to eat my ramen during lecture... The ramen was quite nice.. The lecture? Not so much... I couldn't really process anything my professor said which wasn't good.

I'll visit my psychiatrist today and I'll get my prescription, I didn't take my meds for almost a week because I forgot to schedule an appointment but yeah. I sometims worry I'm faking having adhd... Because I don't remember what studying was like before knowing I had adhd/ before taking meds and I don't know if I can focus better with meds, but I notice that when I take them it feels easier than without them because right now reading/listening to a lecture feels like hell but I don't know if its because I'm distracted like maybe I am just bored or smth... and sometimes I feel like the meds are a placebo and my brain is like "lol you don't have your meds so you can't focus" and sometimes I can focus without meds and I just feel like a huge fraud 😅... Sometimes I wonder what it means to be focused, because maybe I could be focused but I'm just to lazy/undisciplined to do so (not saying people with adhd are lazy, it's the other way around. I know people with adhd aren't lazy and I am worried that I am just secretly lazy and say it's adhd)

Sorry for the rant but it's just really annoying to work everyday and not get anything done and worrying that you're just incapable...

[thestupidlawstudent]

Watch the clouds go by with me

[thestupidlawstudent]

Those are really great tips and I'm happy that they aren't shallow tips like "drink water✨" ❤️

how to study with a mental illness!!!! aka a guide to simultaneously caring for yourself and your academics

(disclaimer: this is from purely personal experience and is not a substitute for seeking professional help. these are just personal tips as i was formally diagnosed with depression and anxiety in the third year of college, but had been showing symptoms even in high school. different methods help for different people, but i really hope some of these things can help a struggling student out, because one of the reasons i went on studyblr in the first place was that i felt really lost and anxious.)

1. done is better than none. sometimes an assignment you have to turn in would be objectively easy to complete, but it takes longer to do so because you’re afraid that the final product won’t be as good as you want it to be, or as good as a professor expects it to be. it’s hard to remove those expectations, but it is a little easier when you remember that getting some points (no matter how many they are) are better than getting a deduction for late submissions or not turning in the project at all. many people – including myself – suffer from perfectionism in university, but it is overall more important to complete something to the best of your own ability, and learn from the feedback on the project later on. more importantly, often, you’re doing better than you think you’re doing, so surprise yourself. you can do it. just start.  2.  keep careful track of your deadlines.  much of my undergrad anxiety came from the fact that i knew something was due, but couldn’t keep track of it, or didn’t want to confront it. it’s better to confront it because you have more time to do it slowly and thoroughly. as soon as you hear about an impending exam or paper deadline, keep track of it. personally, i use google calendar. from there, you can make smaller plans and break down your goals to make it more doable! 3. don’t be afraid to ask for help.  there used to be a huge stigma against mental illness, but thankfully, many educational institutions are much kinder and more considerate about it. if you really can’t meet a deadline or come to class, let your professor know. most professors are kind, reasonable people who genuinely care about you and your well-being. even one of my scariest professors granted extensions to a girl who was genuinely struggling with serious depression, and the college of law i’m in takes mental health very seriously to the point that they instruct faculty how to deal with such cases.  if you’re not able to talk to a professor, try to ask help from a classmate or a friend who can share notes or fill you in on how they accomplished a certain assignment. many people will be happy to help. you are not a burden, love. 4. be kinder to yourself.  mental illness is like any illness. it often keeps us from doing as well as we’d like to be because it’s a genuine and serious health problem. sometimes it helps to keep this in mind when we flub a report in class (as i did several tens of times in undergrad), get a bad score, say something ridiculous during recitation, or mess up a paper. it’s okay to do your best while you heal. you know you’re trying your best, and slow growth is still growth. 5. on that note, care for your other needs.  one of my happiest and most fulfilled semesters (even though it was my busiest) was when i had time to see a psychiatrist, run, pack lunches and fruit to school to eat healthy, and have a reasonable-ish sleep schedule. this was during my thesis semester. while i had to take an incomplete, and finish my thesis the next sem, because i was attending to my own needs, i felt like a living, breathing, learning, happy person. and i finished my thesis the next semester. it’s better to look after your own physical health and needs before your academics. 6. sometimes, it’s better to do nothing and rest. you deserve it.  part of the reason i’d been doing horribly in law school was that i didn’t sleep and it was making me mildly unbalanced and incredibly suicidal; not to mention the fact that i wasn’t really retaining any information or performing well. rest days are just as important as days when you study because rest IS productivity.  7. take your meds. see your psych or therapist if you have one. avail yourself of mental health services on campus if there are any. these genuinely saved my life at a time that i thought i was beyond saving. please go seek help if you can.  BONUS: MY STUDY SETUP ON A TERRIBLE MENTAL HEALTH DAY (like today) - i try to clear the space and clean up as much as possible. it makes me feel like i have things under control, and have my work things where i can see them. - i eat something healthy, like fruit, and get a lot of water. i keep a water jug on my desk because it clears my thoughts and helps me replenish the fluids lost from crying (1/2jk). it also really keeps up my strength for the study process. - i turn on a calming playlist, like a jazz or lofi or ghibli playlist. in another window, i turn on a rain sound video on a softer volume, and it helps center me. - it helps when you have a soft or calming scent to calm you down. i use a lavender room spray, and it makes me feel cozy and productive, but in undergrad, i used this tea-tree lavender mix and it smelled like sunny afternoons and guitar coffeshop playlists. it really is nice. - there are breathing exercises and gifs all over the internet. they help calm you down when things seem Too Much.  i really hope this helps, guys. don’t hesitate to message me if you’ve been having a hard time with school or life or anything. please, please care for yourselves. you can do it.  – sam

[thestupidlawstudent]

!!! This! And right back at you btw! I don't know you but by looking at your blog I can see that you are working hard and are doing your best! You can be so proud of yourself and I am proud of you too! Glad that determined people like you are going to be lawyers and judges

I know a lot of y’all are either taking or finishing exams. Y’all are all stressed out, but if y’all haven’t heard some one say they are proud of you just know I am. You have worked so hard to make it were you are now, and I’m proud of you for that.

[thestupidlawstudent]

Jo that is me @ my psychiatrist begging for my meds😂

[thestupidlawstudent]

Btw I finished both research papers I had to write! It was a huge struggle but the last night before the second assignment was the due, my beautiful significant other stayed up with me till 12pm ❤️ they are the sweetest and it was a major help because I wasn't alone. I'm waiting for the results, I think I'll get the grades for both in a month... I hope I passed both but if I have to repeat it I know it had a purpose...

[thestupidlawstudent]

Hi! ♡

I tried to solve a private law case yesterday for this course which prepares us for an exam and I had a good feeling about it buuut we are discussing it right now and turns out, I didn't have a clue... Which sucks 😅 but it's okay because this is a motivation for me to study (I'd say harder but I didn't really start studying for this exam because I haven't found the time)

Hope you are all having a great day ♡

[thestupidlawstudent]

20% is better than 0%.

Brushing your teeth at least once every day is better than none at all.

A few hours of sleep is better than none.

A few minutes outside for fresh air is better than none.

Writing a few paragraphs of the essay today is better than procrastinating till later.

Doing something is better than nothing (of course there is exception for some cases).

Do things at a pace which makes you comfortable whilst allowing you to make progress.

You can do this!

[thestupidlawstudent]

Almost 24h later, pulled another all nighter... Failed miserably

A more or less successful all nighter

Good morning, it is 7.10 am and I didn't sleep at all this night. I worked on my research paper. I took a loooooooong break and procrastinated a bit and I feel like I wrote rubbish and I only wrote like 3 1/2h pages... Idk I know that's better than nothing but I've watched videos were people wrote 6-12 pages during an all nighter and I just can't... But I have to because I want to finish it in 2 days... But I am proud of myself for at least writing 3 / 4 ish pages. I'll clean a bit, sleep a few hours I think and then do more work. Glad when that's over

[thestupidlawstudent]

[thestupidlawstudent]

A reminder to all my fellow exhausted students: 

Taking a nap is good for you (sleep is important for storing information in your long term memory)

You shouldn’t feel guilty for eating sweets/drinking coffee/drinking an energy drink while studying, to get that extra energy boost (just don’t do it too much)

It’s okay not to understand something; you’ll get it eventually 

[thestupidlawstudent]

A more or less successful all nighter

Good morning, it is 7.10 am and I didn't sleep at all this night. I worked on my research paper. I took a loooooooong break and procrastinated a bit and I feel like I wrote rubbish and I only wrote like 3 1/2h pages... Idk I know that's better than nothing but I've watched videos were people wrote 6-12 pages during an all nighter and I just can't... But I have to because I want to finish it in 2 days... But I am proud of myself for at least writing 3 / 4 ish pages. I'll clean a bit, sleep a few hours I think and then do more work. Glad when that's over

[thestupidlawstudent]

Me: *is panicking*

Me: *doesn't do my work*

Me: *panics harder*

[thestupidlawstudent]

I really want to finish my 20 page research paper till Sunday (that's on 3 days) . Do you want to know how many pages I've written? One and a half 😂 but!!! I did write like 8 pages of very detailed notes so I'll perfect those and hope it will idk be 20 pages in the end I guess...

The problem is that I only manage to work 1-2h per day on it because it just sucks so much but... It'll be fine! I hope...