We understand that external factors can affect your study. Whether it’s the war in Ukraine, issues in your personal life or something you read in the news, negativity can have an impact on your work.

Here is a great article with some coping mechanisms that can help you at this time: https://www.verywellmind.com/anxiety-about-ukraine-and-the-threat-of-war-5221204

We’ve also compiled a list of how NEC staff members deal with stress:

Get outside

If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we need to look after our mental health and get outside regularly. You don’t need to be running a half marathon every day but, if you can, cycle or walk instead of driving. You’ll instantly feel a change in your mood.

“I just run. I run in void. Or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void.” – Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Escape into fiction

A film is a guaranteed 2-hour time slot to chill out, stop scrolling on your phone, and enjoy time with your family or friends. There’s also nothing wrong with settling down to watch a film on your own! If you’re more of a reader, pick up a book that is entirely unrelated to the stress.

Challenge yourself

A challenge doesn’t inherently need to be stressful. It can be something calming like a cross-stitch kit or a book list. Having something else to concentrate on that takes you away from the news is ideal.

Many are currently reading through the recently announced Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist. That might be a good place to start!

Put the phone down!

Putting your phone away a set amount of time before bed can really help you to relax and get better quality sleep. Give yourself a time slot where you’re allowed to check news and then stay away from the news sites until your next allotted time slot.

Take breaks and look after yourself

If your studies are adding to your stress, make sure you are taking breaks. Anxiety and stress not only makes it difficult to concentrate but also more difficult to retain information. Break up your work into bitesize chunks and make sure you take time to relax when you can.