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[ibsurvivors]

Sorry for the ~inactiveness~

We had pre-mocks and our usual exams this month and it was a disaster. I literally have dreams that I quit IB. I hate this so much and I hope I will manage things but it is so hard lmao. Sending love to my fellow IB students🙏

[ibsurvivors]

Study Tips from someone with ADHD who didn't learn to study until Junior year of High School

(These might not work for everyone but this is what has helped me, what's most important is finding what works for YOU)

Make it an event Dedicate an entire day to studying so you can completely absorb yourself in your work. Have a prep time where you set up your space, get your snacks, make it feel like you're getting ready for a dinner party.

Dedicate a space to your work Don't study somewhere like your bed where your body automatically associates it with another activity. Have a space where you can lock in to study mode.

Get rid of distractions Personally, I put my phone in another room and get rid of all tabs that aren't related to my work. So my brain is forced to focus in on our work

Have a journal for wandering thoughts I struggle a lot with thoughts that just come an go. If I realize I have to do something I will drop everything and go do it before I forget. To avoid this I keep a journal next to me when I work where I write down reminders and random thoughts that might distract me so I can get them down on paper and out of the way, and can return to them after my study session

Plan out and share your game plan Before you start, if you have a friend or family member available, give them a quick rundown of what exactly you're going to do and how long you're planning to take. And keep them updated on your progress

Additional optional things that might help

Make your space look organized and pretty

Light a different candle, have a different type of drink, turn your lights to a different colour, play different types of music, etc depending on what you're studying to help differentiate the "modes"

NATURAL LIGHT

(This one is highly specific but) Pretend to be a character in a movie during a study montage

[ibsurvivors]

i am not sure if i am doing the IB program or the IB program is doing me

#staytuned😜

[ibsurvivors]

adhd study tips.

by a stem student with adhd.

disclaimer!!! I’m by no means an expert in mental health or adhd but I do happen to have it. My intention with this post is to help others with adhd get more comfortable with studying so the process will be smoother for them!! At the end of the day, despite having the same disorder our brains will still work differently so do keep in mind that these may or may not help you, but are something you can try out if you’re stuck on not being able to study efficiently.

here’s some adhd study affirmations + tips on straying from discouragement if you’re experiencing burnout.

(And here’s part 2 of adhd study tips.)

I’ll start this off by listing more commonly known study tips that also work well with adhd.

change up your environment every now and then. we seek novelty even more than neurotypical people already do so switching it up will definitely help in our studies, especially if the place is well lit!

try some questions of the topic you’re trying to learn even when you know nothing about it. both neurotypical and neurodivergent brains are hardwired to remember things when we are proven wrong, and this is a great way of utilizing this neurological response!

take walks, exercise or stretch during your breaks. this tip is very effective at satiating our hyperactivity and also keeps us energized throughout our study session.

keep a notebook for your brain dump / ideas. we always either think of really stupid things or the most brilliant ideas in the middle of our study sessions and it almost always leads to distraction, but writing it down somewhere lets your brain know that the idea isn’t going anywhere and you can continue studying.

now, onto the tips that have personally helped with my adhd (and I haven’t seen many others talk about.)

alternate between various study plans, routines, schedules and techniques and always be open to finding more of them. majority of the time people always say ‘have a routine that works for you and stick with it’ but our adhd brains get bored very quickly, especially when it comes to repeated routines and schedules. I personally never stick to the same routine or plan more than three days in a row and sometimes I even make a plan on the spot and I’ve been more productive doing that than when I had only one or two study routines to switch between.

do not time yourself at the very beginning. Instead, focus on something in your studies you’re interested in and start there. what do I mean by this? well, since starting is always the hardest, when we begin our very first pomodoro we might find ourselves spending the first 25 minutes zoning out on a textbook just to get that ‘study time’ in even though you didn’t actually learn or recall anything. So to combat this, begin with something you’re genuinely curious about, or ask a question you can’t help but wonder the answer to. Once you find the answer, you might find you’re more in the zone and can continue from there. If not, take a short break and begin the pomodoros afterwards.

if you’re zoning out while reading up on a topic, try walking around while reading, looking at different sources on it or do some questions on that topic. again, novelty always gets us every time. sometimes the problem may be that the explanation in front of you isn’t making sense in your head and other sources may phrase things in a way that is better for your understanding. perhaps the problem is that you’re staying too still and you need to satisfy the hyperactive part of your adhd. or maybe your brain subconsciously believes that they already know what needs to be known about this topic, and there’s no better way to test that by trying out some questions on it.

switch between lyrical and non-lyrical music playlists, but make sure the lyrical music inspires you to excel. this definitely won’t apply to a lot of people but I found that when I constantly listened to piano, lo-fi or just non-lyrical music while studying in general, it actually promoted my likelihood of zoning out. but recently I found a playlist I deeply resonated with that was related to my studies called, ‘pov : a try-hard mid student who wants to ace everything’ and because I related very deeply with both the title and the lyrics of the songs, I was actively being encouraged to study as I was studying. but I also recognize when I really need to think in certain areas and that’s when I switch back to the non-lyrical music.

this is all I have as of right now but please do lmk if you guys want more of these!! I really wanna help out as much people as possible because my studies suffered greatly due to both my adhd and my late diagnosis of it and I’d love to help out others going through something similar.

[ibsurvivors]

The next lesson is TOK…

[ibsurvivors]

IB BIOLOGY

[ibsurvivors]

I coquit🎀🎀🩷🩷

I am literally 8-9 months away from starting my university applications and I still don’t understand what the flip tok is??

[ibsurvivors]

Hiiii!! Fellow IB students, this is a place for you all to ask questions, inform people, post funny content, and share your experiences! I am an 11th grader and I am currently in the IB Diploma Program. I created this account because from my experiences, students can have a bunch of questions about the program. Please join our account so we can hopefully make people’s life easier!!

Lots of love🎀🎀