Self-Care for Learning

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Managing Stress

• What is Self-Care?

Video

• Stress and Learning

  You might be wondering why we are beginning this course on learning with the topic of self-care and stress management. Stress can have a significant impact on learning, particularly on memory. While stress can improve attention and alertness and thus help with memory formation (encoding), too much stress can impair our cognitive function by negatively impacting our brain's ability to retrieve information or update existing information. Retrieval of information is critical during exams of course, but is also important when we need to recall and put into action newly acquired skills. Our ability to update existing information is important when learning complex concepts that build or change over time. Learning to manage stress in turns helps our brain to learn.

• A Quick Pause to Breathe

  Before we continue, let's pause here for a very basic technique to help you get grounded - belly breathing, also referred to as diaphragmatic breathing. At any point when you need to calm and refocus your thoughts and emotions, practicing this breathing exercise will help settle and center your mind.

Make a note of how you feel at this moment; jot down a few words. Practice the technique below a few times and then make a note of how you feel after. What differences are you noticing? Did you find this helpful?

Belly Breathing steps:

1. Lay down or sit comfortably.
2. Put one hand on your belly just below your ribs and place your other hand on your chest.
3. Take a deep breath in through your nostrils, letting your belly push your hand out. Try to do this without raising your chest.
4. Breathe out through slightly parted lips, and feel your belly hand drop. Use your hand to gently push the air out.
5. Repeat for 3 to 10 cycles, taking at least 10 seconds for each breath.

What other techniques do you use for managing stress? Share your thoughts and ideas with your peers in the discussion forum.

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Memory and Learning

• The Role of Memory in Learning

  Learning and memory are two sides of the same coin. Learning refers to the process of acquiring new skills or knowledge. Memory is the expression of what you have learned. For example, consider the effort it takes for a child to learn how to tie their shoe. They need to watch the movement and listen to instruction from someone who knows how to tie a shoe. The child must also practice many times, going through each step, feeling the movement of the laces and coordinations of their fingers. This effort is learning. Eventually, the child can recall the steps without being shown or told, and finally tie their shoe quickly from memory.

And when you forget something, you have to relearn it, encoding the skill or knowledge again to memory.

Throughout this course we will reference the role of memory to learning, and in the Additional Resources section of this module, we have listed several sources for further understanding how memory and learning works.

• Sleep and Memory

  Later in this course you will discover memory techniques to improve the effectiveness of your learning. But, you likely already practice an important skill for learning everyday - sleep!

An active and awake brain is necessary for encoding new memories, such as learning new concepts and skills. But during sleep our brain is also actively consolidating our memories. According to the book, Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference, memory consolidation is the process by which recently learned experiences are transformed into long-term memory. During sleep, our brain takes advantage of less awake-time activity to make the structural and chemical changes in the nervous system needed for long-term memory.

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What is your sleep number? While everyone’s sleep number - the hours of sleep you need each night - can vary, according to the US National Sleep Foundation, adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should get between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. The Sleep Foundation offers tips for healthy sleeping, and you may also consider keeping a sleep diary [PDF] to track your sleep and find ways you can improve your sleep.

1. Keep regular bedtimes and wake up times, even on the weekends.
2. Plan time to wind down before bedtime. Minimize exposure to blue light from devices like your phone or laptop.
3. Your sleep environment should be cool, free from disturbing noises, and any light. You might want to use things like blackout curtains, an eye mask, ear plugs, and a white noise machine (or another appliance like a fan or humidifier to mask noise).
4. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and heavy meals in the evening.
5. Anything related to work and entertainment (computers, TVs, etc) should be removed from the bedroom.

• Take a Short Nap

  If your energy and ability to concentrate starts to wane, why not take a nap? Much like sleep, brief naps not only aid with memory consolidation, but can also be restorative. Sleep research has demonstrated that cognitive function - critical for learning - is improved after a nap. Napping also helps with problem solving, short-term memory, and alertness.

The ideal nap time is 10 to 20 minutes. Anything less than 10 minutes does not provide the restorative effects to your brain, and longer than 25 minutes can make you feel drowsy and cloud your ability to think clearly.

In his book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, author Daniel Pink offers a 5-step guide [PDF] to taking a "nappuccino" which involves drinking a small cup of coffee before settling down for a 20 minute nap.

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Take Five for Yourself

• Healthy Routines

  In order for you to be fully available to your family, friends and coworkers, you need to put your well-being first. This means maintaining healthy habits like getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and eating well, getting regular physical exercise, and taking breaks. You might explore wellness apps that can help you create and manage healthy habits.

It can be difficult to give ourselves the timeout we need as the pace and demands of the day push us forward. To help you take a moment for yourself, consider scheduling your breaks. Later in this course we will cover time management strategies and setting a study schedule. Add breaks directly to your study schedule and honor that time as you would an appointment with a doctor or meeting with a friend.

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Ideas for Quick Breaks

• Sunlight and fresh air. This can go hand-in-hand with getting some exercise or walking your dog.
• Meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises.
• Connecting with friends and family.

What do you do for a quick break? In the discussion below, share your favorite ideas for taking a quick break with your peers.

• Self-Care Checklist

  To help you establish healthy self-care routines to support your learning, download our Checklist for Managing Self-Care [PDF].

• Knowledge Check

  1. How many hours of sleep does the US National Sleep Foundation recommend you should get each night? 7-8 hours
  2. How long is optimal for a short nap? 10-20 minutes
  3. Which of the following are healthy, restorative ways to take a break from studying? (Check all that apply) Take a short nap, Talk to friends/family, Walk outside, Cook a meal, Do breathing exercises
  4. What are good ways to wind down at the end of the day? (Check all that apply) Read a book, Dim the lights, Use ear plugs if noisy

• Additional Resources

  For more information and resources about self-care for learning, visit the links listed below.

• How Memory Works (Harvard University)

• 9 self-care tips for online students (University of Essex)

• Healthy sleep tips (National Sleep Foundation)

• Learning and memory under stress: implications for the classroom (Science of Learning Journal)

• Learning while you sleep (Harvard Medical School)