Feeling stressed is completely normal, especially during times of uncertainty or whilst approaching deadlines and exams. Head to the Student Support website and check out this page full of helpful tips on how to manage and reduce stress. There’s a lot of advice on there, so try out a few different things and see what works best for you.
During times of stress, staying focused on tasks like writing assignments or revising for exams can feel difficult. Take a look at this page for more tips on staying focused and motivated. The Counselling Service are also offering a range of free workshops, including ‘Mindfulness for Concentration’ which you may find helpful if you’re struggling at the moment.
It’s totally normal for us to be finding it hard to concentrate. When we have a lot going on, we’re more likely to feel overwhelmed and lose focus. Our concentration is affected by lots of things, which means that there’s a variety of things we can try to help give it a boost. We could be find it hard to concentrate when we’re experiencing challenging thoughts or emotions (e.g. anxiousness, uncertainty). In this case, a good way to refocus our attention is to allow ourselves to feel these emotions. The following steps might help you to do this:
Another reason for losing focus might be our environment. Our living circumstances might be causing more distractions. It’s important to manage these distractions and give yourself the best chance of concentrating well. Start by identifying the following things:
For more resources to support you, click here.
Other Tips
Mindfulness can help us to become less critical of ourselves when we’re losing focus. Mindfulness meditation is a great tool to help us to focus on the present moment. By noticing when our mind wanders and bringing our attention back to the present moment, we can start to gently direct our focus and notice improvements over time.
Exercise can help to improve our concentration during the day. A short walk in the middle of the day is enough to boost our focus.
Sleep is important for focus. Maximising our sleep quality will help to boost our concentration. Try to set a bedtime routine that helps you to unwind before sleeping (e.g. switch your phone off 30 mins before sleeping).