Ixchel Perez, Reporter

When navigating college, I’ve learned that there are methods of learning my brain has worked best with as well as methods my brain has worked best against. It becomes disappointing when studying may not feel as exciting as one would want, but can also mean there is room for exploration of our learning habits. It’s important we recognize our behavior when it comes to being in educational environments, asking questions of where and when our minds are best at expanding. 

Acknowledging the setting in which your body feels most productive and safe can help influence the desire to be creative. Can you think of places where your mind is not clouded from everyday stress? Perhaps it be outdoors, or behind closed doors, finding a location that helps feed into your inspiration and focus is principle. When our bodies try to rest in areas known to raise our anxieties, it becomes troubling to create peace of mind. Choose places where  your breath slows down and clarity comes easier.  

Introduce your study session with affirmations of successful learning. The belief of gaining knowledge and overall success can increase when we begin most things with positive declarations. Affirming what you hope to gain from it helps raise mental stimulation and natural inspiration along with spiked confidence in being able to rise above the challenge. Explained in the study,“How to make self-affirmation work, based on science” by The Washington Post, science proves that the act of affirming to oneself their unique qualities and capabilities drastically uplifts self-esteem and productivity. There are great examples of learning affirmations that could be useful to many such as, “I always learn through the difficulty,”  “I always succeed beyond my set expectations,” and one I personally use constantly being, “ This effort will continue to help me grow.” 

Pay attention to your learning styles. Not everybody learns at the same speed and set of materials; for some simply listening is sufficient while for others it may take an exceeding amount of repetition. Possibly you may work best with experience and hands on activity, or maybe visual stimulation helps gather your thoughts more carefully. Whatever it may be, understanding your style of learning will realistically influence your excitement towards learning. The Bay Atlantic University website has a great informal essay titled, “8 Types of Learning Styles, a Definitive Guide,” which expands on the multitude of learning styles that can help assist many into their success.

Be mindful of the foods you eat before studying. What we put into our bodies will determine how we will feel throughout the day, so be aware of foods that affect your body’s reaction to activity. Take note of which foods help energize you and which ones may decrease your energy. There are foods known to promote natural enhancement of focus, memory, and brain function such as nuts and dark chocolate as said in the article, “Slideshow: Brain foods that help you concentrate.” by WebMD.  Practice consuming the healthier options for your body; healthy meaning it promises the increase of your own overall well-being. 

Let your creativity flow into excitement. Remember that taking the action to study is meant for the benefit of you, so allow yourself to find pleasure in the way you want to re-learn. It is in our favor to find ways of raising our genuine eagerness towards learning, realizing there is power in understanding more of what we think we might already know. Try adding colors or patterns, maybe even rhythms to play with your memorization, design activities and even games from it! Discover new methods of interest and integrate it slowly into any type of studying. Learning should be fun and empowering, so make it your own experience. 

Set the background noise to your comfortability. It is evident that a busy background can enhance a busier mentality making it more difficult to regulate functions such as planning,  reasoning, and impulse control as stated in a study of, “How does Background Noise Affect our Concentration?” written by Scientific American. Our thoughts are constantly running at the speed of light so a simple change in surrounding noises can affect your studying session incredibly. Maybe the sound of nature calls help soothe your stress, or instrumental melodies might help make you concentrate deeper, just experimenting with different sounds and volumes can definitely assist in making sense of what activates best in you. 

Remember to take necessary consistent breaks in between.  Take the time to disconnect from your dedication and partake in different outlets of recharging. Your mind and body need to rest in order to produce more productivity. Rehydrate if necessary, stretch your muscles that have become tense through the session. You can even consume other forms of entertainment or relaxation. The point is to allow yourself to pause on the activity, giving yourself a sufficient amount of time to be able to continue satisfyingly.