{"id":20996,"date":"2022-05-13T09:55:47","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T08:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/?p=20996"},"modified":"2023-04-19T10:21:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T09:21:19","slug":"work-calm-not-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/work-calm-not-hard\/","title":{"rendered":"Work calm, not hard"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know that a little stress can be constructive \u2013 I mean, why work when there\u2019s no deadline? Too much stress, however, can be paralytic \u2013 I can remember sitting at a computer for eight hours a day with words oozing reluctantly from my fingertips at the rate of 5 wpm (only to be deleted and laboriously re-drafted). I can remember powering up my laptop to crack on with that essay only to find my resolution crumble when I glimpse the mediocrity of the previous day\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n

During exam season it\u2019s more important than ever to be attentive towards your mental health, so this blog is highlighting some of the software<\/a> we have that can help you counter stress. #ExamCalm<\/p>\n

Noisli<\/h3>\n

When we reach exam season, there tends to be a baseline thrum of activity and anxiety that reverberates through all our study spaces, silent or no. Noise-cancelling headphones are a great way to make sure you can stay focused in a shared space, and Noisli<\/a> might make an interesting alternative to Spotify when you need something lyric-less, whether in aid of either concentration or relaxation.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Libby<\/h3>\n

I love Libby<\/a>. This is a virtual library where you can download-on-loan ebooks, magazines and audiobooks; all you need is a library membership from the Beaney<\/a> (cost: \u00a31). When my daily workload – and screentime \u2013 intensifies, and my inner child recoils from the pressure of adulting, I know I need to optimise my time-outs and introduce \u201cstory-time\u201d to soothe that impending emotional tantrum. Listening to someone else recite a story allows my mind to inhabit a different space for a while and can be a grounding experience when a task threatens to overwhelm me. The imagination knows no bounds and exercising it restores my sense of freedom, improves my confidence. Genuinely, this was the best \u00a31 I ever spent.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

StayFocused \/ Forest<\/h3>\n

Prone to procrastination? Or easily distracted? Both of these tools function to limit your activity online that distract you from your task at hand. StayFocused<\/a> works like a personalised hourglass, configured so you can only spend an allotted time on your \u2018time-wasting\u2019 sites. Forest<\/a> gives you a virtual dependant, tethering the successful growth of your plant from seedling to full-bloom to the focus you show your task \u2013 ideal for anyone lacking the green-fingered gene…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you have other wellbeing tips for this exam season you can share them in our comments section below \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear them! And remember, we are a community. No-one needs to be overwhelmed alone. Our Student Support and Wellbeing<\/a> are here for you, and Spectrum Life<\/a> are available out-of-hours. #ExamCalm<\/p>\n

So knuckle down, but keep your heads up \u2013 when you\u2019re inspired, you can\u2019t be intimidated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We all know that a little stress can be constructive \u2013 I mean, why work when there\u2019s no deadline? Too much stress, however, can be … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68512,"featured_media":21048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[155576,248696,227579,10269,193457,721,127013],"tags":[257577,257576,398,257575,44,143784,721,205706,127013],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68512"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20996"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21438,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20996\/revisions\/21438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}