Dear Rachel,
First of all, stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine. I know now you’re home and sometimes it’s hard to even get the motivation to climb out of bed to go to class. I know back at UMass it was easier to get up, get dressed, and go to class. Now, your classroom exists in your bedroom and it’s hard to change out of PJs; it’s hard to not sleep through all of your six back-to-back alarms; it’s hard not to just say “screw it” and skip your third class in a week. It’s easy to do all of that, and my point is: It’s okay to cave in sometimes.
I know how much you beat yourself up for missing a class, or for missing a deadline, or for not being on your A-game 24/7 with everything put together and everything immaculately in its place. I know you feel bad for not checking off everything on your to-do list, and I know you feel bad for not eating healthy or not working out properly because your measly treadmill in the basement is not the Rec Center.
Here’s the bottom line: You are doing just fine. I know it’s hard to understand that because you’re measuring yourself against the standards that have been set in place at UMass. But things are different now. It’s hard to even imagine the global pandemic because things are moving so quickly and unraveling so fast and sometimes it’s hard to keep all the intense headlines and crazy statistics straight. Sometimes it’s hard to care about organic chem or your latest final paper when your loved ones—and even innocent strangers—are being affected by the virus.
Don’t be so unkind to yourself. You’re fighting a battle with your own sense of motivation now, and it’s okay to let go a few times, ditch the pile of assignments, and have a self-care night. Seriously, you and everyone else stuck in this situation deserve it. But here are a few tips that I have for trying to stay on track and corralling all those anxious emotions.
Time management, time management, time management. If that means trying to wake up early to give you an extra hour or staying up an extra few hours, do it. Finals season is upon us fast and hard, and you need to do your part to at least try and stay on top of it. Don’t start cramming a few nights before. Do very small amounts in sections each day for the last one or two weeks leading up to finals. This will leave you way less stressed and you’ll feel more confident and less burned out by the big day.
Planning. Planning is so overlooked. I use a bullet journal! Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do before starting any work or even eating breakfast is to plan out my day. I make a little checklist in my journal of all my goals and the tasks I want to accomplish. It’s so satisfying to see them checked off at the end of the day. Sometimes I even plan out rewards I want to give myself if I have a particularly difficult or tedious day, or if I finish a tough assignment!
YOU are important. No matter how much you are slaving away for exams and final papers, do not forsake your mental and physical health. Don’t just constantly stay in your room—try studying in different places in your house, it could do wonders not only for your concentration but for mixing up your routine. Make sure you do a facemask once in a while! Try some DIY ones too, you never know which ones are the best for your skin. Do not forget to do your skincare routine in the morning and night—if your skin gets bad, it’s literally because you’re getting lazy with taking care of yourself. Play music whenever you pass by the piano, it misses your playing as much as you do. Make art whenever you feel overwhelmed with stress – squeezing the paint out onto the palette, mixing it together, and finding that targeted color that you dreamed up in your mind is the best cure for anxiety. Make playlists on Spotify that relax you, go for a walk around your neighborhood while staying six feet apart from any other walkers or joggers, and always make time at the end of the day to chat with family and friends.
You are so important! I appreciate you putting in the amount of work you do for your classes and trying to make the best of a difficult situation but be kind to yourself always. There is light at the end of this tunnel.
Love you!
Rachel
All images courtesy of the Her Campus Media Library.