How to study when you're tired

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their personal struggle with chronic tiredness, despite maintaining a healthy lifestyle with proper sleep, exercise, and diet. They explore the concept of emotional tiredness, explaining that tiredness can be an emotional response, much like anger or anxiety, triggered by past experiences or perceived threats. The speaker emphasizes understanding and managing tiredness as an emotion, offering strategies such as meditation, better sleep habits, and lifestyle changes to combat it. They also discuss how their journey led them to reduce caffeine dependency and adopt better focus practices for studying, while acknowledging the importance of consulting a doctor for underlying health issues.

Takeaways

• 😀 Chronic tiredness can affect individuals even when they get enough sleep, eat healthily, and exercise regularly.
• 😀 There are two types of tiredness: chronic tiredness (from sleep deprivation) and emotional tiredness (resulting from emotional triggers).
• 😀 Emotional tiredness is essentially an emotion, similar to feelings like anger or anxiety, and can be handled in the same way.
• 😀 Tiredness is not just a physical feeling but also has mental and bodily components, where thoughts of fatigue are accompanied by physical sensations.
• 😀 Emotions, including tiredness, serve a protective purpose, signaling when something might be a threat to our well-being.
• 😀 Misfiring emotions, like emotional tiredness, can occur when the body perceives non-threatening situations (like social events) as energy-draining threats.
• 😀 Tiredness during activities like studying can be a result of past negative associations, and retraining the body to see them as safe can reduce fatigue.
• 😀 Meditation can help reduce emotional tiredness by acknowledging it as a sensation and allowing the body to calm down.
• 😀 While emotional tiredness is common, physical tiredness may also stem from sleep deprivation or health conditions, and it's important to consult a doctor if needed.
• 😀 Lifestyle changes, like reducing caffeine intake, eating small snacks for energy, and taking short walks, can help manage tiredness effectively.
• 😀 Understanding that tiredness is often a misfiring emotion and making lifestyle adjustments can significantly reduce overall fatigue and improve energy levels.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker has faced throughout their life?

The speaker has faced chronic tiredness, feeling tired all day despite getting enough sleep, exercising, and eating healthily.

How does the speaker differentiate between chronic tiredness and emotional tiredness?

Chronic tiredness is caused by sleep deprivation or burnout, while emotional tiredness is linked to emotional responses such as anxiety or stress, which misfire and lead to fatigue.

What realization did the speaker have about tiredness?

The speaker realized that tiredness is not just about needing sleep, but can be an emotional response, similar to feelings like anger or anxiety.

How does the speaker explain emotions, including tiredness?

Emotions are both mental thoughts and bodily sensations. For example, anger involves angry thoughts and physical symptoms like heat rising in the body. Tiredness works the same way, with tired thoughts and physical sensations like drooping eyes or lethargy.

What is the purpose of emotions, according to the speaker?

Emotions serve a protective purpose. For instance, anxiety warns of potential danger, while tiredness can signal that something is not worth expending energy on.

How can tiredness be a misfiring emotion?

Tiredness can be an emotional misfire when the body perceives situations, like social events or studying, as threatening, even when they are not. This misperception leads to fatigue as a way of conserving energy.

What role does meditation play in the speaker's approach to tiredness?

Meditation has helped the speaker reduce emotional tiredness by allowing them to recognize tiredness as an emotion and manage it more effectively. This practice helped them regain energy after moments of fatigue.

What advice does the speaker give for combating emotional tiredness related to studying?

The speaker suggests retraining the brain by not giving in to tiredness when studying. Instead of napping, the individual should persist and understand that tiredness may be a misfire related to past experiences, like a history of unsuccessful studying.

How does the speaker suggest managing physical tiredness?

The speaker mentions that physical tiredness could be related to genuine sleep deprivation or health conditions. In these cases, seeing a doctor and addressing sleep hygiene or physical health are essential.

What are some solutions the speaker recommends for reducing tiredness throughout the day?

Some solutions include eating a small snack before studying, going for a walk to refresh, and switching to more engaging study techniques like active recall to combat boredom or disinterest during study sessions.