1. Mind your well-being: It can be difficult to concentrate if you are not feeling well.  For example if you have been sleeping poorly and you haven’t been eating regularly, it's no wonder that it is hard to concentrate. Sometimes it helps if you just pay attention to a regular everyday routine and e.g. enough sleep and rest, eating, moving your body and going outside.

2. Optimize the conditions: Where and when are you trying to concentrate? Are the conditions helping or harming? We all need different things to be able to concentrate. Some may find it easier to concentrate at home and others in the library. Some people benefit from silence, while others concentrate better with a little background noise or music. Think about the situations in which you can focus best. If you can't always go to the place that is optimal for studying, you can try choosing the quietest corner in the library and putting earplugs/headphones on. If fidgets helps you concentrate, bring one with you.

3. Plan and break tasks: You can plan your study day so that there are different kind of parts: a flow part, when you do a task that requires concentration, and a shred part, when you for example  answer emails and take care of smaller things on the to-do list. Larger tasks should be broken down into smaller pieces. It is easier to focus on a clearly defined task. You could also split the time for example using pomodoro technique.

4. Avoid multitasking: Multitasking can seem efficient, but jumping from one thing to another challenges the brain in a harmful way. You can try to take a pause when you find yourself doing many things at once. Then it is possible to stop and make an actual decision about what you are going to do right now.  If something pops into your mind while you're studying, write it down and do it later. When you are trying to concentrate, putting your phone away usually helps.

5. Take breaks: It is not necessarily realistic to concentrate for many hours at a time. It is important to take breaks between tasks that require concentration. What kind of breaks suit you the best: moving your body, going outside for a while, a snack, chatting with a friend or something else? You can also try the pomodoro technique that has breaks written into it. First you work for 25 minutes at a time and then take a 5-minute break. After a few pomodoro sessions, there is a longer break.

6. Move your body: Exercise increases the brain's dopamine level, which helps with concentration. Exercise improves also memory. Try exercising before a task. In addition, you can try to combine movement with a task that requires concentration, e.g. listen to a lecture recording while taking a walk. You get an extra benefit when you exercise outside especially in the mornings, because it maintains the circadian rhythm and has a positive effect on your state of alertness.

7. Practice concentration: Brain areas that control concentration can be strengthened. The ability to concentrate can be actively practiced by doing something long-term that requires concentration. For example, you can challenge yourself to read a book or do a craft that requires concentration. Studying also trains your ability to concentrate. Practicing the ability to concentrate requires time and repetitions - however, every act towards better concentration counts.

8. Relax and get bored: It's important to give the brain the opportunity to process and organize the things that happened during the day. Quiet moments give your mind a chance to recover. For example, you can enjoy nature, take a slow walk, pet an animal, or do something with your hands.

9. Less screen time: You could take a moment and consider your screen time. Often we just grab our phones automatically and dive into social media without even noticing. Notifications also interrupt other activities. It's good to think about when you want to use your phone: e.g., during lectures, using the phone diverts your attention away from the lecture and in the evening it keeps your alertness high. You don't have to give up all screen time, but think about whether you want to be carried away by algorithms or whether you make an active decision about how to use your phone. Is there something else you would like to do with the extra time?

References:

Hahto, K. (13.3.2023). Opeta aivosi keskittymään. Helsingin Sanomat. https://www.hs.fi/hyvinvointi/art-2000009361649.html

Huotilainen, M. & Moisala, M. (2018). Keskittymiskyvyn elvytysopas. Keuruu: Tuuma.

1. Observe your feelings. How does it feel to go back to the campus and participate in live teaching? It is no wonder, that although you have been waiting for getting back to the campus, you might have negative thoughts and feelings about it. You should try to recognize these thoughts and feelings. Try to approach them with understanding and without guilt. You can ask yourself, why are you feeling anxious about getting back to the campus.
2. Routines are helpful. Getting back to the campus can bring missing rhythm to your life, so enjoy the possibilities and structure of campus life. It might be easier to attend live lectures than plan your own schedule. In addition, it might be easier to separate studying and spare time if you study mainly at the campus. Walking to the campus is a great way to get physical activity and sports activities are available in the campus again. You can enjoy your lunch in a campus restaurant, and it is a nice change to study in the campus instead of home. Remember, that even though your lectures are still distance lectures, you can go to campus for independent study work.
3. The first steps are often the hardest. Anxiety and stress typically decrease when you notice that going back to the campus went well and you survived. The next time will be easier. Start with small steps: go for a walk in the campus area, have lunch in the campus restaurant or decide that you will work for an hour in the library. Remember that you are not alone: many students and staff members are going back to the campus. There are individual differences on how long it takes to adapt to the campus life. It is understandable that things that felt normal before can now feel difficult.
4. Which habits were good when you had distance studies, is there something you can keep doing? It might be difficult to get back to the campus life if distance studying suited well for you. Did you realize the importance of taking breaks or did you learn how to separate spare time from studying during distance study period? Try to adjust these good habits also to the campus life.
5. Leave time for resting. Hopefully, getting back to the campus brings you joy. However, it is important to accept that you might get overwhelmed easier than before covid. Take notice on how these changes manifest on yourself and adapt your routines accordingly. It is essential to rest enough and make sure that your sleep routines are suitable for early morning wakeups.
6. It might feel uncomfortable to go back to the campus alone. Don’t be afraid since everyone else is also just coming back to the campus. Gather your friends and go to the campus together - you can for example arrange a study session in the campus or have lunch together in the campus restaurant. Use various group chats to activate your classmates: it is likely that you are not the only one missing company. Try to spot acquaintances in a lunch table and join them. Could you invite someone to join you and your friends?
7. Remember that help is available. You might be worried about covid safety and that’s why it is important that everyone follows the safety guidelines. If you have some worries, you can always talk with teachers, campus chaplains or study psychologists.