HOW TO OVERCOME STUDY STRESS

Life and learning can be a stressful experience at times. Being able to destress and come into the present moment is a powerful tool for any student, and it can be an effective way to overcome anxiety, nervousness and fear.

Here are some mindful study strategies to implement with your children or with yourself, when you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed. It will help you to become calm and centred once again, so that your studies can continue in a positive and constructive manner.

1. When you discover that you or your child has become bored, distracted, annoyed or frustrated with study, stop and return to the breath. Count the breaths and notice how they slow down. As the breath slows down, so does the mind. A calmness within the body and mind makes it possible to think and study more clearly and effectively. 

2. Ask your child or yourself to identify and name the emotion being felt.

3. Ask your child or yourself to express the true emotion being felt. Really feel the emotion and locate where it is sitting in the body.

4. Ask your child or yourself to explain in words what is happening. This will bring awareness to the present time problem.

5. Identify if there is a word or a phrase that your child or yourself does not understand.

6. Clear up the word by using the Word Awareness Procedure.

7. After clearing up any unknown words or phrases, tune into the senses. Notice and pay attention to: a) Any smells b) Any sounds c) Any sensations; heat, cold, pressure, weight etc. 

8. Look around the room and find anything in the environment that is liked or cherished. Name the item. Repeat this 10 times.

9. Walk around the environment or room and touch items and things that interest you. Really pay attention to how things feel and look. Continue this process until you or your child seems brighter or more relaxed and calm.

10. Recall a time when you felt pleasure, amusement or great happiness. Recall this pleasure moment with all the senses, such as sight, sound, colour, weight, touch, emotion etc.

Finish by taking 5 deep breaths and notice if you or your child are feeling any better and ready to continue studying. By this time, you or your child will be feeling lighter and brighter.

These Mindful Study Strategies are used by Live and Learn Education specialist tutors, and are part of the Holistic Educational development and mentoring program. Practice these Mindful Strategies any time, and discover for yourself how simple and helpful they are.

For more information on clearing up unknown words go to the Word Awareness Procedure article. 

LEARNING HOW TO LEARN

LIFE IS LEARNING

By Michelle Constance

The basics of life begins with the ability to learn and acquire knowledge. The acquisition of knowledge is a complete and Holistic experience. It is one that encompasses an array of strategies and practical activities. For many, this basic task is a huge hurdle to jump over, when considering either the beginning of educational life or maintaining excellence throughout our professional careers and leadership rolls. 

Life is learning, and if this passion for learning is lost, then we will see a decline in the overall consciousness of our society in general. There is virtually no activity you engage in that does not involve the use of your ability to learn and comprehend. Without continuous learning you will fail to live up to your full potential in life.

Recognising that learning can often be a stressful and uncreative experience, it is now time to develop a new Holistic direction of living and learning, in order create a life of abundance, creativity and passion. Acomprehensive Holistic Education must be one that:     

• Rehabilitates the desire to learn. 

• Provides the opportunity to learn how to learn. 

•  Offers strategic ways to overcome barriers to learning that slow down or impede the living and learning process.

• Provides an opportunity to unlearn false information and ways of learning.  

• Offers the ability to master and apply all that is learned in any field of life.

• Develops self confidence, competence and creative flow. 

LEARNING STYLES

Learning styles refers to the different methods by which a person takes in, understands, expresses and remembers information. There are 4 predominant learning styles: Visual, Auditory, Read/Write, and Kinaesthetic. Adopting a mode of learning and understanding what works best, is a valuable discovery for the student.

Visual learners learn through observation. Visual displays, pictures, charts, colours and highlighting are all valuable tools for this style of learning. For visual learners, recall of images is more efficient than recalling words. Use of pictures, models and diagrams are all essential. One of the tools we teach in the HEART Method of learning, involves the use of Demonstration Kits which teach the student how to model and show what they are trying to learn.

Auditory learners learn through listening. As such, attending lectures, tutorials, and group discussions are helpful. Reading and sounding words out loud are absolutely essential for these learners. It can also be really helpful to engage in group discussions about course concepts and topics. I often ask my students to explain to me their new topic of learning as if I were a student. They must teach me what they have just learned. This dynamic of learning is a masterful way of consolidating information. 

Read/Writelearners learn through reading and writing. As such, university style courses suit these types of learners fairly well. Making lists of glossaries and condensed study notes are useful tools for the read/write learner. Definitions of words and descriptions of concepts can be written to clarify the key data being studied. If a student can’t rewrite a definition or describe a concept in their own words, there is a good chance that there is an aspect of that concept that they didnt fully understand. The HEART Method of Education offers tools in which to clarify terms and learn the value of word definition for successful learning.

Kinaesthetic Learners learn through doing and incorporating all of their senses into the experience. These type of learners think in 3D pictures or holographic perception. Dyslexics often run into difficulty when trying to read two dimensional writing and imagery on paper. These type of learners often experience and perceive the world a little differently as well. They have almost a  “being with” experience of the environment. Some learners speak about being “in the zone” and in actual fact it is a natural spiritual perception phenomena. Recognising this type of learning can have a tremendous effect in helping the student to manage themselves whilst learning. Often I have found that the student needs to move around a lot in order to locate themselves in space and time. After a few processes, the student becomes relaxed and more focused. Use of kits that provide mass and form are also valuable tools. Creating models and duplication of concepts helps the student to memorise and conceptualise the material being learned. As a result, the student is able to recall information at will and duplicate the data for further use. Here, the demonstration kit is extremely useful and makes learning a very enjoyable experience.

For more information Contact www.liveandlearnservices.org

May your life be abundant with Learning!