Taking regular breaks from work helps in studying in many ways. With breaks, your ability to concentrate improves and you can cope better with the study day. When you plan and stick to your daily breaks, you’ll learn time management and exercise your stress tolerance.

Take a break from your studies with the Pomodoro technique! The optimal working time for concentration is 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. After four work sessions, a longer break is taken, for example 30 minutes. Try Pomodoro at LUC Well-being Services’ Study Retreat under guidance or try it by yourself in Pomofocus.

Quick tips:

• Take microbreaks! Rotate your shoulders a few times or otherwise correct your posture.
• Get up to drink a glass of water.
• Look away from your computer screen, look out the window, and look as far away as possible. This will also give your eyes rest during the day.

In addition, you can try, for example, these short break exercises while working: 

• Sit less, feel better – Bottoms up break exercise 1
• Sit less, feel better – Bottoms up break exercise 2
• Sit less, feel better – Bottoms up break exercise 3

It is important to take care of mental well-being even when it feels like “everything is okay”. Below you will find information, tips and various exercises to support mental well-being.

If you are concerned about your own coping, please contact with a low threshold FSHS (Finnish Student Health Service) appointment booking Contact the assessment of the need for treatment team – FSHS (yths.fi) or universities well-being services Contact us | LUC-hyvinvointi (luchyvinvointi.fi)

Groups that support mental well-being – FSHS (yths.fi)

Mental health – Nyyti ry

Front page | Mentalhub.fi (mielenterveystalo.fi)

How to seek help for mental health issues? – MIELI

The Finnish Central Association for Mental Health | MTKL

Take your relaxation tips here! Feel free to try different exercises to find the most suitable ones for you. Once you have done the exercises under supervision, you will also be able to do them independently after a while. For example, try these: 

Five-minute Yoga/Meditation

Five Minute Mindfulness Meditation

Slow Looking Meditations with the National Gallery 

When starting studying, many of students will leave their homes and move away from their friends and family. With this change of life there might be pressures and expectations about studies but also social life, making new friends and to be part of different student groups.

If you feel lonely or perhaps isolated, ask for help from Contact the assessment of the need for treatment team – FSHS (yths.fi) or universities well-being services Contact us | LUC-hyvinvointi (luchyvinvointi.fi)

There is some good information about loneliness on Nyyti´s website:

LONELINESS – Nyyti ry

Social network and loneliness | Hyväkysymys.fi (hyvakysymys.fi)

Self-compassion is being warm and kind towards oneself when facing pain and having setbacks in life, rather than ignoring one´s feelings or hurting oneself with self-criticism. Self-compassion is self-kindness. Self-compassion is very much connected with accepting yourself and being good to yourself.

There is more information about self-compassion down below.

Self-compassion – FSHS (yths.fi)

Self-compassion – Nyyti ry