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This assessment helps reflect and identify what motivates you so you can move towards your goals positively.

Know Your Motivation Style

Regular practice of the following techniques can have considerable long-term effects like the ability to accept and be aware of the present moment and increased overall well being.

Soothe Your Mind

This assessment helps you to discover different types of energy reserves within you and ways to restore them.

Locate Your Energy

Improving sleep quality and working on sleep issues is vital for better mental health and positive moods.

Breathe In Calm

Feel safe in sharing your emotions with Wysa's AI chat

Practice this positive visualisation exercise to feel a boost of confidence.

Dream Ahead

A mindful exercise to observe the floating thoughts within one’s mind and build acceptance.

Observe The Here And Now

This story helps us understand how the stories we believe and tell ourselves affect us.

Find A New Lens

What is my state of emotional wellbeing?

Stretch in bed

This is a great exercise to learn how to manage conflict. Practice this when you feel agitated and need to calm down.

Calm Within

The WHO has defined burnout as a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, and it is characterised by:
• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion
• Increased mental distance or feelings of negativism or cynicism from one's job
• Reduced professional efficacy

Anne Helen Petersen, the author of "Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation", attributed the generational phenomenon to a mindset of hyper-productivity at work, which starts in childhood from intensive parenting to the way we interact with digital technologies today.

The chronic stress of burnout can result in negative physical and mental health effects such as poor memory and concentration, depression, anxiety, irritability, headaches, insomnia and gastrointestinal infections.

Mental burnout is just as serious as a physical illness. If left unchecked, burnout can cause a long-term impact on your physical body and mental health. See a doctor or mental health professional, and take a mental health day off from work, if you need to. Taking the time to regularly check-in on your mental health and assess how you're coping with work will save you more time, stress, anxiety and the chance of burning out in the long-term.

Why burnout is hitting young people hard

How to stay motivated: The Locus Rule

This Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) exercise has been proven by research to be the most effective way of dealing with negative thoughts and feelings.

Find Perspective

We may not realise it, but we all undoubtedly play a part in one another's day-to-day happiness. So, what would happen if all of us did everything we could to ensure each person we encounter has a good day? What would our world look like if we started spreading positivity wherever we go, however we can? Here are 5 tips to start making the world a better, happier place!

1. Smile - the simplest way to begin spreading positivity is to smile. Sending a warm smile someone's way can really make a difference. It's the non-verbal way of saying, "it's going to be okay"
2. Compliment - we often keep our thoughts to ourselves, which can be a good thing, but we need to stop holding back what might alone make someone's day. This also means telling someone how much you appreciate them

3. Utilise your social media accounts - make an effort to post positive, uplifting articles and pictures on social media
4. Be helpful - lend a helping hand wherever you go
5. Keep the negativity to yourself - we all feel negative sometimes, but that doesn't mean we have to bring everyone else we encounter down with us. However, this does not mean holding in any serious feelings - sometimes, it is good to let it out and allow others to help

5 ways to spread positivity

Emotional self-assessment

While there is nothing wrong with working hard to achieve our goals, we are often so caught up in pursuing them that we forget to live for the present moment. A good way to reframe the way you think and approach life is to practise mindfulness - it's easier than you might image. Mindfulness means paying attention to your sense of the present - choosing to put away distractions and be in the here and now.

We can look after ourselves by imagining that we all have an emotional and psychological "bank account". When we keep this account topped up, we feel that our lives are meaningful. So when there are "withdrawals" due to negative experiences, our account will not get depleted. We can do this by accumulating positive experiences, big and small. These "deposits" will help us to stay positive and deal with stress better.

This, in a nutshell, is what positive psychology is about. It's not just about avoiding the negative but moving into the positive and playing to our strengths. Research on positive psychology has found that the happiest people are good in something they enjoy, they use their skills in service of a cause they believe in, and they count on friends and family for support.

So do something you love! You may find that joy isn’t elusive after all.

Boost your mind and emotions with these simple activities:
• Take up a favourite exercise
• Catch up with old friends and colleagues
• Learn a new skill such as photography, or pick up a new language
• Join an interest group or support group
• Volunteer for a good cause

The keys to happiness: Mindfulness and positive experiences

The dictionary definition of frustration is the "feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of an inability to change or achieve something". The problem with frustration, no matter the context, is that being "upset or annoyed" adds a second layer of suffering to the emotional suffering you're already caught up in. Frustration clouds the mind, making it hard to see if there's constructive action you could take to improve your situation.

1. Recognise that you are not alone - everyone gets frustrated at times so be sure not to make things worse by blaming yourself
2. Don’t treat the feeling as if it's set in stone - don't think of it as a permanent feature of who you are. Holding this emotion lightly makes it easier for you to move on
3. Work on developing patience when frustration is present - recognise its impermanence nature and patiently wait for it to blow out of your mind

4. Contact a friend/ relative who doesn’t mind listening to you "unload" - talking with someone who shares your frustration can suddenly make it bearable
5. Administer self-compassion immediately - all this asks is that you be kind to yourself. This means not blaming yourself for what emotions you're experiencing at the moment. Self-compassion also includes doing something nice for yourself

5 things to try when you're frustrated

Anxiety happens when you encounter a level of stress which is too much for you to handle. Stretching yourself beyond your capability could lead to unhealthy levels of anxiety, which may result in health problems or an irrational fear, affecting your daily activities.

To better manage anxiety levels, there are simple relaxation techniques that can help you to be more mindful of the present moment, relax and regain control.

The purpose of this exercise is to help you find relieve from stressful situations.

Follow these steps:
1. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Take several breaths at your own pace.
2. Examine the sensations going through your body. Continue deep breathing, and feel the expansion and contraction of your body with each breath.
3. Notice if there are any images that come to your mind. Observe them without passing any judgments.

4. Start with your head. Notice if there is any tension or feeling in your forehead, eyes, ears, nose, mouth and jaw.
5. Proceed to scan for any sensations in your neck, shoulders, forearms and hands. Notice if there is any pain or stiffness in your shoulders. Are your shoulders relaxed and flexible or are they stiff and tense? Are your fingers clenched or relaxed?

6. Continue to scan the rest of your body; your spine, abdomen, hips, legs and feet. Observe the feeling in your joints and between your toes.

Whenever your mind wonders off during the exercise, remember to bring your attention back by focusing on your breathing.

The purpose of this exercise is to help you focus better. Better control over your thoughts helps keep you calmer and makes you less vulnerable to emotional distress.

Follow these steps:
1. Brew yourself a cup of hot, simmering tea.
2. Find yourself a comfortable spot and seat. Make sure there is minimal distractions.

3. Place the cup of tea close to your chest and feel the warmth of the steam. At the same time, inhale the aroma of the tea deeply and exhale slowly. Enjoy the scent and take slow sips.
4. Feel the warmth of the tea move down your throat and into your stomach.
5. If you find your thoughts wondering, bring your focus back to your deep breathing and the warmth of the tea.
6. Repeat these steps until your mind is calmer and more focused.

Coping with anxiety

Why do many of us struggle with achieving our personal goals, such as eating healthier or exercising more or getting more sleep? Why can't we just do it? It boils down to a lack of sufficient self-motivation.

Motivation is an internal process where a person develops a strong reason for accomplishing something.

Everyone is motivated in different ways and by different things. According to researchers, people are motivated to do something because:
• It is fun
• It is intrinsically rewarding
• They want approval from others
• They want to achieve personal goals or standards
• It fits with their personal beliefs

Motivation can be drawn internally - by setting our minds on our goals or pursuing personal growth. External factors of motivation include things like social influence, health concerns and incentives that may be provided to us.

Both types of motivation can be helpful in different situations. Motivation is not just confined to the inside of an individual, but also exists in an interpersonal or environmental context.

Motivation and reward are biologically linked to specific chemicals in the brain. An example is dopamine, that carries messages to areas of the brain, which then signal the rest of the body to respond.

Using brain mapping, researchers find that "go-getters" have high dopamine levels in areas of the brain that affect motivation and reward. In comparison, people who are laid-back show high dopamine levels in different areas of the brain.

Goal-setting is an important strategy to change our own behaviour. By changing our motivation levels, we can set goals to motivate ourselves. These goals should be sufficiently challenging but not unattainable, and specific. Having a specific goal will help in making deliberate plans for reaching these goals and help you stay motivated.

Many start out strong when achieving their goals. However, many of them fall by the wayside over time. Changing a specific behaviour requires the individual to be intentional about the change he/ she is making. Reminding ourselves of the reasons why we got started is one helpful way.

While high levels of motivation typically lead to better outcomes, overconfidence can lead to unrealistic goals, which lowers motivation when they are not achieved.

For young people, it is best if motivation can be internalised. If extrinsic motivators (such as money) are offered in a controlling manner, it can decrease motivation. But if extrinsic motivators are offered in a way that promotes choice or increases the responsibility of decision-making, these external demands can be transformed into personal goals and values.

Understanding motivation

1. Compartmentalisation (when negative emotions from home affect your work) \n2. Deep breathing &amp; relaxation techniques \n3. The 10-second rule \n4. Clarify \n5. Blast your anger through exercise

6. Never reply or make a decision when angry \n7. Know your triggers \n8. Be respectful \n9. Apologise for any emotional outburst \n10. Never bring your negative emotions home

Managing your emotions at work

Academic burnout can be defined as a negative emotional, physical and mental reaction to prolonged study that results in exhaustation, frustration, lack of motivation and reduced ability in school. It is the culmination of many weeks or months studying the same material or working on the same project, or from continuous years of schooling. It is a chronic condition from long-term study or school work.

Symptoms of academic burnout include:
• Feeling exhausted no matter how much sleep you get, resulting in fatigue and insomnia
• Lacking motivation
• Lashing out at others and increased irritability due to frustration
• Lacking inspiration and creativity 
• Loss of confidence in academic abilities
• Incapability to meet important deadlines
• Increased pain and tension in your body, such as headaches or sore muscle aches

Symptoms of academic burnout include:
• Higher frequency of illness due to stress and exhaustion
• Increase in bad habits such as overeating, staying up too late, or any habit you tend to acquire when you are stressed or not taking care of yourself
• Inability to concentrate on school work or lectures
• Feeling bored or uninterested in aspects of school or areas of leisure that you used to enjoy
• Feelings of anxiety and depression

There are ways to change your habits and lifestyle to prevent burnout in school:
• Make time for enjoyable activities
• Get plenty of physical exercise
• Get outside
• Make time for social activities
• Develop good relationships with professors
• Set reasonable goals
• Avoid procrastination
• Get better at time management
• Take a step back
• Work-life balance

Here are ways to overcome your academic burnout:
• Seek help from a professional
• Recognise the symptoms of student burnout and don't ignore your mind and body - if you know you have the symptoms, it's time to make changes
• Don't ignore your burnout as it will only get worse if you just keep pushing yourself
• Manage your stress levels
• Make important changes such as rearranging your schedule for a better work-life balance

Here are ways to avoid burnout for students:
• Create reasonable goals
• Stick to deadlines, avoid procrastination
• Sleep 7 to 9 hours per night
• Eat healthy and drink water
• Make friends with school colleagues so that school is also fun
• Take plenty of breaks throughout the day
• Set aside time for enjoyable activities throughout the week
• Take a vacation or staycation every once in a while 
• Take walks and get outside when you can

Academic burnout is a real condition that is possible to self-treat by taking the right measures. Try to take a step back and look at everything in your life and your academic work that might be contributing to your burnout and make the necessary changes. Don't feel shy to seek help from your friends, teachers, family and peers, and always seek professional help if yo feel you can't kick the burnout on your own.

What is academic burnout?

Stress is an inevitable part of our lives. And life is full of potential sources of stress. But stress is not always bad - in small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. However, when you are constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pays the price.

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. However, it may not be obvious where your true sources of stress life, and all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

Common external sources of stress include major changes in life (e.g. financial, starting work). Common internal sources of stress include negative self-talk and the inability to accept uncertainty.

There are many ways to cope with stress, but all require change. You can either change the situation or change how you react to it. When deciding which to choose, think of the 4As: Avoid, Alter, Adapt and Accept.
1. Avoid unnecessary stress - not all stress can be avoided but there are quite a lot of stressors in your life that you can eliminate by:
• Learning how to say '/no'
• Avoiding people who stress out
• Taking control of your environment

2. Alter the stressor - this often involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your life:
• Express your feelings instead of bottling them up
• Be willing to compromise
• Be more assertive
• Manage your time better

3. Adapt to the stressor - if you are unable to change the stressor, try changing an aspect of yourself by:
• Reframing problems
• Looking at the big picture
• Adjusting your standards
• Focusing on the positive

4. Accept the things you cannot change - there are events in life (e.g. loss of a loved one, economic recession) that you cannot change or prevent. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are:
• Do not try to control the uncontrollable
• Look for the upside
• Share your feelings
• Learn to forgive

1. Make time for fun and relaxation - you will be able to handle life's stressors better as they come
2. Take charge of your life - be it your thoughts, emotions, schedule, environment or the way you deal with problems. The key is to be the one in charge
3. Find balance in work, leisure and relationships - this will provide you the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on

Coping with stress

GAD is characterised by persistent and excessive worrying. People with GAD may constantly expect disasters and may be overly concerned about money, health, family, work or other issues. They find it difficult to control their anxiety even when there are no clear reasons for concern. People with GAD struggle to stop their cycle of continuous worrying and feel that it is beyond their control.

• Persistent worrying or anxiety that is out of proportion to the impact of the event
• Overthinking; making plans and solutions for all possible outcomes
• Perceiving a situation or event as threatening, even when it is not
• Difficulty handling uncertainty
• Indecisiveness; fears of making the wrong decision
• Inability to set aside or let go of a worry
• Inability to relax, restlessness and feeling on edge
• Difficulty concentrating

Click the link and scroll down to take the GAD-7 test! The score is obtained by adding the scores for each question. Instructions for interpreting the scores are also provided.

Do note that the self-assessment tool is provided for informational purposes. You should not use the information for diagnosing a health problem or mental health disorder. Consult a healthcare professional for diagnosis and treatment.

Living with GAD can be a long-term challenge. It also often occurs together with other anxiety or mood disorders. In most cases, GAD can improve with psychotherapy and/ or medications. Making lifestyle changes, learning coping skills and using relaxation techniques can also help to alleviate GAD.

Keep calm and take the anxiety test

1. Be sad \n2. Put together a self-care kit &amp; don’t forget it at home \n3. Eat well \n4. Listen to audio books \n5. Do productive spurts of 45 minutes

6. Keep pesky co-workers at bay \n7. Eat at your desk \n8. Get some sun and fresh air \n9. Spend time in the bathroom \n10. Ask for help

10 ways to deal with sadness when you still need to work

Are you a glass half-empty or half-full sort of person? Studies have demonstrated that both can impact your health and that being a positive thinker is better. Those who are optimistic have a lower risk of dying from several major causes of death and have:
• Better quality of life
• Higher energy levels
• Better coping skills

Positive thinking won't make all of your problems disappear but it will make problems seem more manageable.

Here are tips on how to think positively:
• Focus on the good things no matter how small or seemingly insignificant they seem
• Practice gratitude - this has been shown to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and foster resilience
• Keep a gratitude journal - writing down the things you're grateful for can improve your optimism and sense of well-being

• Open yourself up to humour - laughter lowers stress, anxiety and depression
• Spend time with positive people - negativity and positivity have been shown to be contagious
• Practice positive self-talk
• Identify your areas of negativity
• Start every day on a positive note - create a ritual in which you start off each day with something uplifting

Trying to be positive when you’re experiencing serious distress can seem impossible. Positive thinking isn’t about burying every negative thought you have. The lowest points in our lives are often the ones that motivate us to make positive changes. When going through such a time, see yourself as a good friend in need of comfort. What would you say? You’d likely acknowledge his feelings and remind him that he has a right to feel the way he feels.

Negative thinking and the many feelings that can accompany it, such as pessimism, stress and anger, can cause a number of physical symptoms and increase your risk of diseases and a shortened lifespan.

Stress and other negative emotions trigger several processes in our bodies, including stress hormone release, metabolism and immune function. Long periods of stress increase inflammation, which is implicated in a number of serious diseases.

If you’re feeling consumed by negative thoughts and are having trouble controlling your emotions, see a doctor. You may benefit from medical help, such as positive psychology or therapy. Persistent negative thoughts can be caused by an underlying psychiatric condition that requires treatment.

You won’t be able to undo years of negative thoughts overnight, but with some practice, you can learn how to approach things with a more positive outlook.

Benefits of thinking positively and how to do it

Recently, there's been a lot of talk about the particular stresses of being a millennial - like feeling a need to look great on social media, or the fact that more and more people are working freelance, which comes with the added pressure of having to find the next gig. Feeling overwhelmed by all of this has been dubbed '/millennial burnout'.

• Feeling exhausted
• Feeling depleted of the motivation to perform to the standard that you were before
• Feelings of cynicism, such as feeling as though what you're currently doing is pointless and won't help you in the future
• No longer enjoying a course or other activities that you once did
• Feeling isolated

The physical symptoms of burnout can be extensive. Hana, 21, said that as a fresher at university, she developed a twitch in one eye and a spasm in the other - which she thinks resulted from a constant emotional drain. The pressure to be seen to be doing all things and to be thriving in them was a common theme. Not only that, but Marcia, 24, thinks it's even encouraged by some universities.

Gauthier, 26, said that it was the added burden of financial responsibility that was overwhelming. Others such as Aishah, 27, said it was because they wanted to be seen to be doing as well as their peers.

If you're feeling burnt out, Dr Theodosiou recommends looking into the arrangements that universities have for people who are experiencing any kind of mental health need. It is also important to have a professional figure out that burnout is actually what you are suffering from. This is so that burnout isn't equated with anxiety and depression, as you need to make sure you're getting the right treatment for your personal needs.

Burnout: What it's like to suffer the symptoms at school or university

A plan is like a reminder of things that you have not done for the day. But plans can fail. So know your weekly goals first, then break them down into daily goals. This prevents the problem of setting overly ambitious goals for every day, only to realise that you cannot finish them, which causes you to be less motivated. Planning on a weekly basis gives you a long-term perspective and also allows you to take it easy for your everyday tasks.

You may not have realised how much your friends' attitude can influence your attitude. Stay with people who complain about study all the day, you are not likely to have a positive attitude towards study. Stay with people who are genuinely interested in the subject of their study, so they can spread their positive energy and love to you even without you noticing it.

You need to have one more positive friend - yourself. We talk to ourselves every day no less than we talk to our friends. How we think about study has a lot of impact on our motivation.

Psychologists have proven that self-talk has a profound impact on our attitude on a daily basis. And it is something that can be faked in the short run.

A reason for lack of motivation is that you don’t understand the modules well. You always can’t figure out the right answer, or you don’t know what the lecturer is doing and you lose interest. You should tackle the root problem.

This is likely because you didn’t pay attention to the first few lectures that served as foundation for subsequent content. So start learning the module from scratch again - this may seem slow, but it truly helps you.

Don’t panic. Sometimes when students are anxious, they want to study even less. Instead, take time to create a plan for your exam revision. Again, don’t be overly ambitious. Your sense of achievement from (almost) finishing a day’s plan is an important reason to keep you motivated for the next day.

It is never a good strategy to study all day. Do light exercise routine every 3 hours to refresh your mind. Switch between subjects to study.

5 tips to stay motivated as a student

Frustration is a type of emotional reaction to stress. It's common to have this feeling when you encounter daily stressors at home, at school, at work and in relationships. In many cases, frustration is short-lived and tends to pass as the situation changes. But sometimes, it can be longer-lasting and take a more serious toll on your well-being. Frustration can affect a person in a variety of ways, including psychologically and physically.

• Anger or losing your temper
• Feeling anxious or on edge
• Feeling annoyed
• Experiencing changes in your eating habits
• Having trouble sleeping or experiencing other changes in your sleeping patterns
• Getting overwhelmed and giving up on tasks
• Irritability
• Using alcohol, nicotine or other substances to cope
• Avoiding the people you are frustrated with
• Engaging in physical actions to express your feelings (e.g. sighing, frowning)

Frustration tends to happen when your goals or expectations don't work out the way you want. Common causes include:
• Daily hassles
• Interpersonal conflicts
• Stressful current world events

These can arise from either internal or external causes. Internal frustration involves feeling unhappy with some aspect of yourself, whether it is your efforts or your behaviours. External frustration involves being stressed by something in your environment.

Frustration can have lasting effects on your well-being, including:
• Aggression that may be directed at yourself or at others
• Depression
• Poor self-esteem, particularly when the sources of your feelings tend to be internal
• Unhealthy behaviours when people cope in maladaptive ways such as turning to alcohol
• Stress - feeling stressed can cause frustration, and frustrating situations often generate stress

• Improve your emotional intelligence 
• Distract yourself
• Practice mindfulness
• Use other relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or progressive muscle relaxation
• Change your attitude - those who see things as under their control tend to be less stressed about what happens to them
• Make healthy lifestyle changes - get good nutrition, proper sleep and regular exercise
• Draw on social support

We all feel stressed and frustrated from time to time, but you don't need to allow these feelings to take over your life. By learning to manage your response to stress and frustration, you can reduce the impact they have and improve your overall well-being.

Understanding frustration

Resilience refers to how well you can deal with and bounce back from the difficulties of life. Resilient people tend to maintain a more positive outlook and cope with stress more effectively.

Research has shown that while some people seem to come by resilience naturally, these behaviours can also be learned. Here are 10 techniques you can focus on in order to foster your resilience.

1. Find a sense of purpose - in the face of crisis, this can play an important role in recovery
2. Believe in your ability to cope with the stresses of life
3. Develop a strong social network - it is important to have people you can confide in
4. Embrace change - flexibility and adaptability is an essential part of resilience
5. Be optimistic - understand that setbacks are temporary and you have the skills to combat the challenges you face

6. Nurture yourself - take care of your own needs by eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep
7. Develop problem-solving skills - people who are able to come up with solutions tend to cope better
8. Establish reasonable goals to deal with the problem - take a step back, assess and break the problem into manageable steps
9. Take action to resolve the issue
10. Keep working on your skills - resilience may time to build

10 ways to build resilience

It uses a technique called submodalities which gives you control over the inner representations of an emotion.

Get An Extra Boost

Sadness is a universal emotion that all humans experience. We cannot stop the brain from triggering sadness in the body, even though we can stop our mind from experiencing sadness by suppressing it. When we deal (or not deal) with sadness by burying it, symptoms like anxiety, depression, numbness or a nagging feeling of disconnection from one's authentic self may result.

There is nothing weak about feeling sad. It's as human as can be.

Crying is one way we release sadness. And releasing core emotions, like sadness, is vital for our immediate and long-term emotional health. For those of us who struggle to get the tears out or who want to procecss sadness but find it hard, the following might help.

1. Get very cozy and comfortable on your bed or chair. Bring a pillow, blanket or pet to snuggle for comfort.
2. Take 5 or 6 deep belly breaths. By the time you get to the 6th breath, you should feel much more relaxed. As you breathe, try to notice the chair or bed against your body. Deep belly breathing is a skill that helps us move through our core emotions.
3. Bring into your mind the loss you have experienced that resulted in your sadness

4. Notice what changes in your body. Scan your body from head to toe as you breathe, and see if you can find the sensations of sadness in your body.
5. Stay with the sensations of sadness and breathe gently. You might start to feel the wave of sadness moving or building. Just deep belly breathe through it, noticing the sensations moving through you.

6. Ride the wave of sadness, stay with it, allow yourself to cry until it is over and the wave ends. Stay breathing until you feel calmer.

When you're ready to move again and continue with your day/ night, remember to treat yourself kindly and gently, like you would care for someone you loved.

Allowing ourselves to cry when sad, either on our own or with someone else, is good for our emotional and physical health. Ignoring emotions leads to stress in the mind and body. If your sadness feels too overwhelming to experience on your own, psychotherapists who are well-trained in helping people through big emotions will help.

Painful as it can be to ride the wave of our sadness, that is precisely how we feel better sooner than later.

How to release sadness

While it's been said that being busy actually makes us feel good, that busy feeling actually increase stress levels and leads to worse performance. These 10 productivity hacks and tricks (that are applicable both in the classroom and beyond) go a long way to ensuring you work not just harder, but smarter instead.

1. Minimise distractions, maximise productivity - put your phone on airplane mode and turn off your notifications when you are studying so that the constant buzzing does not stop your concentration
2. Keep a schedule rather than a to-do list - beyond allocating your tasks to do, allocate the amount of time you have instead
3. Keep a smart task list - there are many  apps and project trackers available to help us allocate our time better

4. Batch similar tasks - this way, you're using the same frame of mind for all the tasks involved
5. Find your golden hour and stick to it - the times where your motivation is at its highest is called the goldern hours
6. Use the pomodoro technique - break your work into 25 min small spurts with small breaks in between. This technique pushes you to work faster and more efficiently within the allotted time

7. Take breaks to give yourself a true reward for a week of hard work
8. Learn to say '/no' - helping others is great, but not when you end up causing more stress for yourself
9. Stay focused - trying to achieve multiple tasks at one time may feel like we're accomplishing plenty, but what we're actually doing is switch-tasking
10. Get adequate sleep - getting a good night's rest goes a long way to ensuring you're more productive

10 productivity hacks for studying smart (and working even smarter)

Deep Breathing has been found to reduce anxiety and calm the mind in stressful situations.

Deep Breathing Exercise

No one is expected to be on the edge of their seats with excitement at all times. Whether in relationships, school, work, or even our leisure activities, there are times individuals simply lack the motivation to go that extra mile, or even the mile itself. Sometimes, we're feeling unmotivated because we have never learned our motivational style, intrinsic vs. extrinsic, or what types of stimuli are typically necessary for us to get into action.

Take new college students who went through years of education where everything was graded and returned, sometimes with a sticker. These were extrinsic (external) rewards used to motivate. In college, it is not like this. There is rarely anything more than the grade itself; certainly, not a smiley face.

If a student who did well is now flunking out of college, it might be that this student responds to an extrinsic level of motivation.

If the student is doing well, then chances are he is intrinsically motivated. Such students do well because it makes them feel good about themselves. Their reward is personal satisfaction.

For the individual who responds best to extrinsic motivation, it is sometimes necessary to create external rewards for a job well done. These rewards have to be something that has been removed, and can be given back in exchange for academic behaviour.

There are many other reasons why your motivation may have decreased. You can evaluate the task - are they overwhelming? Or maybe you have taken on too much lately and are exhausted. It would be difficult for anyone to have motivation under these circumstances. Try to get to the "why" lurking behind the decreased motivation. Negative self-talk, or low self-esteem could contribute. There are so many elements that could be zapping your motivation.

There are quite a few strategies that exist to assist with boosting motivatino. Some research suggests that physical fitness may affect mood. Other strategies are tailored to the specific area in which one may desire to feel motivated. It is important to note that lack of motivation, over an uncomfortable length of time, maybe a symptom of depression. In this instance, it may be beneficial to seek help.

Why am I feeling unmotivated? School, work and more!

Reduce your anxiety levels through a 6-minute audio by focusing on breaking away the negative thoughts.

Detach Mindfully

As a youth or young adult, we may be experiencing some changes or transitions in our life. Navigating these experiences is not easy, especially if we are dealing with them for the first time, and we might encounter some stress and anxiety along the way. However, we have the power to manage our emotions and take steps to look after our well-being, to emerge in a stronger and more resilient position to face life's challenges and opportunities.

We all experience emotions as a normal and important part of our lives. There are 6 basic emotions, which are universally experienced - anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness and surprise.

Emotions provide information - they help us know how to respond appropriately to circumstances we're in. All emotions have their functions. Experiencing the full range of emotions adds meaning to our lives by helping us understand what is important to us.

Although emotions are an instinctive and natural thing, it can sometimes be intense and overwhelming. That's why we can all benefit from understanding and managing our emotions healthily.

Understanding our emotions allow us to gain insights on our triggers, and on how to respond in constructive ways. Managing our emotions helps with making better decisions. Accepting our emotions allows us to view our thoughts and perspectives objectively.

1. Identify the emotion
2. Know why we feel the way we do
3. Manage unhelpful thoughts
4. Take action and adopt self-care tips

When managing our emotions, we might unknowingly fall into the mindset of toxic positivity, which refers to an obsession with positive thinking. This is the belief that people should put a positive spin on all experiences, neglecting and brushing away emotions like sadness and anger, in a bid to feel “positive and happy” all the time.

Risks of toxic positivity include:
• Increased isolation and stigma which discourage us from seeking support
• Increased communication issuse as we don't see a need to solve our relationship problems because we only focus on the positive
• Low self-esteem due to the inability to feel positive - we may feel as though we are failing

Talking to others about our emotions can help us explore new perspectives and understand our thinking patterns. Begin by picking someone to talk to. We can then share how we feel and why.

Know that we can talk about our feelings anytime - we don't have to wait for our problems to be big or have a special time to talk about them. It's good to practise talking about them earlier as it allows us to notice them.

Managing your emotions as a young adult

We all have 24 hours in a day, so why does it seem like some get more done than others? Effective time management can set off a cascade of events - it optimises the time available to you, increases productivity and efficiency, enhances decision-making and results in bigger achievements.

Being able to manage your time well is a lifelong skill. Here are some ways to master your time management skills in school.

Before optimising your schedule, it's important to take stock of your current methods and observe what works and doesn't. Gather information first, then proceed to craft well-planned time management plans:
• Evaluate your time measurement - we often underestimate the amount of time a task takes
• Optimise your peak performance time - recognising when you perform your best can help in scheduling
• Switch tasks if you're reaching lull status

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (with voice recording)

What is Progressive Muscle Relaxation?

A step-by-step guide

A step-by-step guide

A step-by-step guide

A step-by-step guide

Voice recording

2.	Jaw - tense the muscles in your jaw, then release the tension slowly
3.	Neck and shoulders - increase tension in your neck and shoulders by raising your shoulders up towards your ears. Slowly release the tension after and notice it melting away.
4.	Arms and hands - slowly draw both hands into fists and pull your firsts into your chest, squeezing as tight as you can. Then slowly release your fists.

5.	Buttocks - slowly increase tension in your buttocks then slowly release the tension
6.	Legs - slowly increase the tension in your quadriceps and calves by squeezing the muscle as hard as you can. Then gently release the tension.
7.	Feet - slowly increase the tension in your feet and toes and tighten the muscles as much as you can. Then slowly release the tension.