Winter is right around the corner, and while the holidays are certainly something to look forward to, the same can’t be said for exams. Right around this time of year, you look forward to going home and, sadly, lose the energy that keeps you going. This is especially true if you’re not used to the seemingly unending nights and non-existent mornings that this season brings, which can even lead to some seasonal depression. You can find yourself struggling to get out of bed or even doom-scrolling for hours while feeling guilty and anxious.
If you don’t identify with the description above, that’s great! You seem to be acclimating very well to life in Estonia and don’t need suggestions. If this feeling does sound familiar, though, don’t fret because you are not alone! This is an infamously widespread occurrence among students.
Food and Groceries
CREDIT: Patrik Tamm
If you’ve got a busy schedule like me, you’re well familiar with the struggle of finding the time to do grocery shopping or even make food. But, in times like these, it’s important to remember that food is necessary for us, not only to function, but also to feel better in general. Luckily, living in the technological age comes with its perks, one of which is the many apps and websites that help deliver food directly to your door.
Estonia has quite a selection of these apps, so you may choose your favourite. Some of them are Bolt food, Wolt, Tellitoit, and Fudy. My personal favourite is Bolt food, because I can see a bunch of additional tags, such as the “Halal” tag, which makes my life a lot easier. On the other hand, Wolt has a subscription called Wolt+ which gives you additional offers and such, so it fully depends on your personal preference.
Exercise and Physical Activity
CREDIT: Ken Oja
Sometimes, the main barrier between you and your exercise is the commute, at least I know that’s the case for me. Especially in the winter weather, when the urge to hibernate at home is stronger than ever. Luckily, many online resources can help you get in even the shortest workouts at home.
For instance, if you’re already a member of the MyFitness gym, you could use the Netfit program, which has a variety of workout videos that you can do from the comfort (and warmth) of your home.
Many fitness YouTube channels have workouts ranging from HIIT to callisthenics to yoga. Doing a quick Google search and seeing the best channels for your favourite type of physical activity is always a good idea.
Academics
CREDIT: Ministry of Education and Research – Aivo Kallas
Academic life can be challenging to manage, especially during a slump. Whether it be keeping up with deadlines, preparing for a lab, studying for an exam, or writing an essay, there are always new curveballs every day, which can be exhausting.
For revision, there are a plethora of tools that help in that area. These include, but are not limited to:
- Quizlet: Has a library of publically accessible flashcards and notes. Offers the ability to build your own flashcard sets.
- RemNote: Automatically converts your notes to flashcard sets for revision.
- Anki: Build and keep track of your own flashcard sets. You can also search for downloadable sets online and use those.
- Scholarly: Summarises topics from a given pdf.
In terms of academic writing, many AI-powered tools can aid in the process. For instance:
- Grammarly: Checks your grammar and provides plagiarism checks. As a University of Tartu student, you get free access to the premium version.
- ChatGPT: This can be used to generate ideas. Refer back to The University of Tartu’s guidelines on AI use for learning to avoid plagiarism.
Keeping deadlines in check can be tedious, so it’s always good to have a reminder form constantly present. I personally use a combination of all the following apps to help me with this, but it’s also possible to rely on any single one of them. They are:
- Google Calendar: This can be synced to many different calendars so that you’ll get the reminder regardless of when
- Microsoft To Do: As a desktop app, you can make it a pop-up so that you can constantly see it on your screen. It also has the functionality to send notifications as deadlines approach.
- Moodle: Assignments with a closing deadline on Moodle can be set to send reminders 24 hours or more before the assignment closes.
- Notion: Keeps track of all your tasks and sends notifications accordingly.
Counselling
Last but certainly not least, asking for help and guidance in a slump is always okay. Here at The University of Tartu, we have a counselling centre that offers psychological counselling, among other forms of counselling. If you ever feel the need for support or help, just remember that it is nothing to be ashamed of, and that’s what they are here for!
Please feel free to read more here: https://ut.ee/en/content/psychological-counselling
There is also the option to go to the student-led conversation circles organised by our counselling centre. There, you can share your successes and challenges and get to meet new people from other studies, all while still having a support system to help you. The conversation circles are organised every other week though, so be sure to check the Conversation Circle page for more information on them and how to register there.
Final Thoughts
All in all, navigating slumps can be annoying and challenging, but don’t let that discourage you! It’s normal to rely on and utilise tools to help you succeed and ask for support when you need it. You will succeed!
Cover photo CREDIT: Tima Miroshnichenko (on pexels)
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