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[CyberPanda]

I'm currently on vacation, but at the same time I'm pursuing post secondary studies. I've been studying a lot to the point of mental exhaustion. I did a practice test today, and didn't do so great. I'm honestly not going to be hard on myself, and just review my notes again and keep trying. I won't give up. But, I'm going to take a two day break, just so I can unwind and give my brain a break!

I truly admire people who work, and go to post secondary and pass with flying colours. It's truly remarkable, to say the least.

 

[Cato]

Two day break is not a break. That is a wind-down and mini-vacation.
You can do it, it is healthy.

What most people refer to as a break is a break-year.
If you do that in STEM or other non-mickey-mouse programs then it is the same as dropping out.
Almost no one can come back from a break year and pick up proper STEM studies agan when they come back.
That shit only works for silly social/race/art studies.

When I was at uni, people that came back after a break-year to my STEM classes lasted a few weeks until they realized they were so far behind and had forgotten how to study efficiently that they just gave up and dropped out after a few weeks.
When you can't keep up with the pace and you have unlearnt how to study and learn, well, uni is no longer where you should be.

 

[Yoshi]

I don't really know what post secondary is, but it is probably a good idea to give yourself some rest every now and then.

 

[ROMhack]

Nice Curry. Do take a break and come back with a fresh mindset

When you say post-secondary studies, do you mean university or master's/PhD level? I was an underachiever during my undergraduate degree and an overachiever during my master's degree. There was so much burnout with the latter as I was 'on' non-stop for an entire year, I neglected many other parts of my life — working like the relentlessness of a forest fire. Many academics are the same.

Being your own best friend can pay dividends at moments like these.

 

[Papa]

That's not a break, that's a weekend. You should be enjoying them regularly so that you're more relaxed and therefore more productive during study time.

 

[ROMhack]

Also if you're looking for some basic inspiration, I came across a useful article recently:

2. Focus on the activity, not the outcome

The Stoics drew an analogy with archery. As absurd as it might sound, the goal of archery isn't about hitting the target, but simply to shoot well.

Hitting the target is out of your control – a gust of wind might blow the arrow off course. So instead, you should focus on mastering the technique of archery. That won't guarantee you'll always hit the target – there will still be gusts of wind – but it will increase the likelihood of hitting it more often.

Most importantly, the goal of shooting arrows as best we can is completely within our control, and no annoying side winds can stop us from achieving that. Thinking along these lines helps us to bring our happiness back within our control.

How to rethink your idea of success in the new year – according to ancient Stoic philosophers

In 2020, try to forget external ambitions you can’t control and focus instead on cultivating the right frame of mind.

theconversation.com

 

[Flying Toaster]

You should be taking a day or two away from studies sprinkled through the semester. There is a group of STEM students I go backpacking with once a month on two day trips and it is the greatest reset button we can have for the stress gained through the year. If only I could get them to stop giving me shit for being in the Psych program.

Don't drop the program just take a breath.

 

[Jooxed]

shit i went to college and dropped out for like 3 years before I went back. That is a break from studies.

 

[lil puff]

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking a step or 2 back for as long as you need, whether a day or a year. Sometimes you can get too engrossed, too close or buried within and start to lose perspective, or even start to overthink things on the short term. It's good to have a secondary activity to deflect to.

This isn't relegated to studies, it's pretty much anything.

I can tell when I need to step back while writing music if start going in circles, becoming obsessed with minor details, or just sitting there looking at a screen. I step away for however long, and something tells me when I'm ready to go back at it. Things are always clearer after the return.

 

[CyberPanda]

Thanks for all the tips guys. Appreciate it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Take your break, rebrand yourself and come back better, no one here is questioning you OP.

 

[eot]

What most people refer to as a break is a break-year.
If you do that in STEM or other non-mickey-mouse programs then it is the same as dropping out.
Almost no one can come back from a break year and pick up proper STEM studies agan when they come back.
That shit only works for silly social/race/art studies.

When I was at uni, people that came back after a break-year to my STEM classes lasted a few weeks until they realized they were so far behind and had forgotten how to study efficiently that they just gave up and dropped out after a few weeks.
When you can't keep up with the pace and you have unlearnt how to study and learn, well, uni is no longer where you should be.

Maybe that has more to do with the people taking a break, and the reasons why. I basically didn't study for a year in the middle of my degree (physics) because reasons, and at some point I said fuck it and took like two years worth of credit in one year. I'm not sure what you mean by forgetting how to study, especially in math type subjects. You just work through the problems. Maybe you mean having bad study habits, but that's just about discipline. General problem solving skills don't evaporate in one year.

 

[HoodWinked]

Reading this made me reflect on my own time at University. It's really kind of nuts how much you are expected to complete in the final weeks of a semester. Wrapping up the big final projects while simultaneously prepping for mutiple final exams, some with only hours between each other. But in the end people still get through it somehow.