A couple of months ago, if you would’ve told me that everyone would be forced to take classes online, work from home, and stay inside for the duration of Spring 2020 and possibly longer I would have told you that you were insane. But fast forward to the present day to realize you were right. Although I enjoy spending more time with my family like we did before moving away to college, the new normal has made me inherit more stress due to the drastic, 0-100 transition from in-person to online class lectures and homework. Not to mention that most households like mine are now accommodating for multiple energetic individuals with nothing to do and nowhere to go which makes going stir-crazy all too normal. But despite all this, I have come up with multiple techniques to relieve day-to-day stress, stay motivated and remain entertained indoors.
For online classes and work:
Now that I have access to a TV, phone, computer and online resources all the time while doing schoolwork online, I find it 10 times more difficult to stay focused and procrastinate less. To help with this I have started writing down things I need to do for school in a list so when they are complete, I can check them off. I am also more visual when it comes to plans and schedules, so I tend to work best with printed calendars which can be easily printed off the internet and put into my hands.
The most problematic thing that I am still working on is the amount of time I spend on social media. Before the pandemic, I would only go on because I was bored and needed my daily fix. But now since we can’t go outside except for essential purposes I find myself looking at TikTok videos and Instagram way too much to be normal. The best way to get rid of this problem is to put my phone away and only check when all my work is done for the day. I will admit this is a process that I will continue to struggle with, but the effort to change is still there.
For mental health:
After canceling all my Spring Break plans, I found myself feeling lonelier and more reminiscent than I had ever been of the times when I could see my friends and hang out whenever I wanted to. It’s no surprise that this pandemic has caused many of us to feel more anxious and depressed because of the shift in responsibilities and the temporary lack of human contact. But this shouldn’t stop us from reaching out to the people who are most important to us. I make it a priority to talk to at least one of my friends every day and instead of texting I’ve opted for video chatting. Also, another great thing to do is spend more time with family. If everyone is cooped up in the house all day anyway then family game night and quality family time can easily be arranged.
Disclaimer: I realize that home situations vary from household to household. Being at home might not mean spending quality time with family. If spending time with certain family members is triggering or harmful in any way then I encourage you to spend as much time away from them as possible. If you are in a potentially negative and dangerous situation both physically and/or mentally there are hotlines and other resources that can assist you during this time of controlled isolation.
For fun:
If you seriously have nothing to do there are many great options to keep you occupied. Some of my favorites include exploring new TV shows and books, learning a new skill or adopting a new hobby, cooking something new in the kitchen with family members or trying something that you’ve always wanted to do that you never had the time to before. These are very generic but provide the basic ideas that you can customize depending on what you like and what resources you have at hand. Endless time means endless possibilities so don’t let a rare opportunity to do something unique and special pass you by. I say do whatever you want to do if it makes you happy and helps cure your boredom while this whole situation blows over.
Conclusion:
At the moment, there is no telling how much longer this virus will persist. The top priority is to slow the spread of the virus and not let ignorance and mistakes cost us more time in the future. So, in the meantime, we can only hope to stay healthy, productive and positive so when we do come out of quarantine we continue with our lives as swiftly as we did before.
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