After so many back and forth decisions this year, I finally made the decision (and even had to get approved) for remote learning this fall semester (MAJOR) eye roll but whatever. There were so many factors that came up to my decision and I was even so close to taking a gap semester off of college, but I decided to push through. Honestly I’m not sure if I regret it or am grateful for it right now.
Let’s talk about the positives… this will be brief, haha.
I think the most beneficial thing to me staying at home was for my own health and to just stay with my family during these times; I just did not feel like leaving amidst so much chaos. As for my health, I was recently diagnosed with some minor lung and heart inflammation which isn’t bad, but could get worse. The risk of getting sick and hindering my body just was not the move so I decided to stay put for my health and well-being.
Now some of the negatives…
I think the biggest thing for me currently is that my mental health has not been the best. I think going through all of my doctors appointments and finding out that my body is not to its optimal functioning has caused so much added stress and anxiety. I feel like so many things are being out back for me, physically, especially as a dancer and a barre instructor, I HAVE to take it easy on myself. It sucks being the type of human to always push herself no matter what, and I honestly feel a little hopeless not knowing that I can’t and shouldn’t overly exert myself right now. I think one lesson learned from this is to be patient. During all of quarantine and even now society has told me to do other things to benefit myself and build myself up for my brand or business, which I have, but it has all become too overwhelming and I personally have dedicated a lot of time to a lot of things. So it is time to sit back and eliminate the things that are not good for my mental stability nor are not going to benefit me in the future.
Remote learning has made me addicted to my computer, my phone, and my email. It’s crazy. I find myself in bed just overthinking about work, dates, deadlines, etc. I am used to this kind of thing, but somehow the workload and expectations have increased for being ONLINE, and that does not agree with me at all. Sure, I get sh*t done, but it drives my mind crazy and even bothers my eyes to where I can barely look at a screen with sanity sometimes. I now have to ensure that I have time away from my devices and just dedicate time to tune into myself and the people around me who I love.
My Personal Solutions So Far For Remote Learners:
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Take a class or do your work somewhere besides home: I found myself sitting in a Panera one Friday for probably four hours or so doing homework. The change of environment is healthy.. do it. But do it SAFELY.
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Exercising. I have honestly gotten super lazy and discouraged because of my personal conditions but encouraged myself to simply go out for a walk one day. Just to get away from the four walls and to breathe some fresh air and enjoy nature. (The day I did it my wifi went out alllll day so it sucked but I think it was super necessary for me to give my brain a break.)
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Eat Properly!!!
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Take Your Vitamins!!!
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Take a Bath… self care days are TOO IMPORTANT right now.
I found myself in a complete rut these past two weeks, just completely forgetting to prioritize myself, my body, and my mind. It’s scary to think that I have to PLAN these moments out of my life and my current schedule with school and work. I have forced myself to take these breaks and these times off and I come back feeling beyond refreshed and ready to get work and whatever I have to do that day DONE! I hope I can get to a point in my life where taking a break comes natural to me and I don’t constantly feel guilty for doing so.
I hope my little story and some of these tips help you ladies reading this and I hope this encourages you for the rest of the semester. I know it’s hard, but we all have each other virtually in this Her Campus community and I have never been more grateful for it now.
Please reach out to me if you ever wanna chat, need a new friend, or just wanna share ideas with how we are pushing through this remote world! I’d love to hear from you!
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