During my doctoral journey, I had a tendency to overthink. However, the doctoral journey allowed me to get diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. Under DSM IV, it would have been classified as Asperger's, but due to the historical name of Asperger, it is now placed under the DSM V definition of ASD.
I see a lot of students on all levels who tend to overthink. A lot of my juniors in my past two Civics and Economics classes struggled with online and in-person classes. I saw the nervousness before tests and how they did not have the skills developed to study adequately for their classes, including my own. I know that from my doctoral research, that if the basic needs are not met, then learning can not begin.
Same with college students, finding a way to break the habit of overthinking is no easy task. It took the doctoral journey for me to develop strategies to cope with overthinking. Such as reading, taking frequent breaks, and leaving the laptop in another room. My favorite strategy is getting in the truck and going for a long ride.
If I were advising a college student, I would suggest the following 15-20 minutes of studying and then a 5-minute break. The reason being, is that recent research has shown that the attention spans of upcoming college freshman are shorter than in previous generations. It is no secret that technology has shortened the attention span of developing brains. I can go for 45-75 minutes without a break, but that is because of hyper focusing on what needs to be done and my work ethic. My breaks after a 75 minute session are for a half hour.
Here are some activities that college students could do to break up their activities and not overthink.
1. Go for a Walk: Easiest thing you can do is to go for a walk. Even if its around the dorm, house, neighborhood. In Michigan, we only get about five months of good weather if that, every second of walking counted. You may be able to use the local track and at the local community college they have an indoor track. Again, go walking!!!
2. Draw a Picture: Drawing can free up creative juices. Granted, I can not draw to save my life but I love trying to do little square shapes or lines (even though I struggle with drawing a straight line). I'll have to upload a picture of some point of pictures or line doodles that I have tried to do during professional development to show you.
3. Play Video Games: Heads up for gamers. If you have a Play Station, X-Box, or any gaming system play video games for a half hour. Nothing draws you away from the stresses of college than a few minutes of Halo, Call of Duty, GTA, or even Skyrim. I am a Skyrim and Star Wars Battlefront person myself. I also play PlanetCoaster just for kicks. Play in moderation though and watch your time management.
4. Join a Club on Campus: Larger campuses offer recreational and club activities. There may be a gaming club, comics club, or a rec league you can participate in. If you live out in the country like I do, see if the library or local communities have something of interest for you to do.
5. Volunteer in a School: This is a good one for my education majors. Two hours of volunteering in any school such as a test reader, tutor, or assistant can give you a perspective on education. It also can give you a bit of a break from your studies depending on your schedule.
I have only given some suggestions on what to do and not overthink. You will eventually find out what works for you. However, if you want more suggestions, I would be glad to post them in a future entry.
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