This week, I tried several new study places and I really enjoyed the process of exploring around campus! Some places I studied include the renovated portion of Willard, different floors of the Hub, Hub lawn, different locations in the Pattee-Paterno Library, the nursing building, Atherton study lounges, the Business Building, and the Huck Life Sciences building. I could honestly see myself continuing to study at all of these places throughout different times of the week, and the process of changing environments was really helpful in learning more about myself as a student.
I think that my favorite locations out of the different study spots I chose to explore would be the nursing building and the floor on the Hub where there are sofas and lots of daylight. These locations were the locations where I was the most comfortable and productive. I can definitely be a big procrastinator which can lead to my mental health spiraling in the sense that I just continue to think about tasks I have to do without actually doing them. These two locations were the ones that I actually was able to tackle a lot of the tasks I was avoiding with minimum stress and maximum focus. I think this is because both of these locations were still close to my dorm, as I live in South, so it wasn’t a hike just to get to the study location itself. This ultimately made me more comfortable to go to these locations and didn’t require a lot of motivation just to get there and spend hours studying. Additionally, both of these locations had a lot of natural light. I have realized that I am definitely a person who needs a lot of natural light and not too many people around when I’m doing work and trying to be my most productive self. That is why I chose to go to these locations at times where there is daylight and not too many people around (such as over the weekend for the Hub, or in the late afternoon for the nursing building). I especially love these spots because you can look right outside the window to see downtown and Hub lawn with lots of greenery, which just makes the environment so much more pleasant.
During high school, I mostly did all of my studying in my bedroom (either on my desk or on my bed, depending on how lazy I am). However, in college I have realized that I immediately associate my dorm as a “break” sort of location, as I often just go to my dorm throughout the day to watch TV with my roommate, take naps, or chill and eat meals with my friends. Therefore, I think that in college I have to make the distinction that while my dorm is definitely a great place for me to wind down and prioritize my mental health in other ways, to maintain a positive and focused mindset with school work I need to go to another location. I definitely want to continue exploring the different naturally lit and less busy studying spots around campus, and I think it is feasible and enjoyable to do so.
The next positivity tactic I am going to try to incorporate is getting at least one meal a day with a friend each weekday, despite my busy schedule. I consider myself an extrovert and I definitely enjoy people’s company when eating meals especially, so I think that on busier days getting a meal with a friend would have a significant positive impact on my mental health.