Edited by Olivia Spahn-Vieira
“Today and every day, control how you respond to things that are solely sent to challenge your peace. This is your superpower.” – Rachel Wolchin
There’s no doubt everyone is getting a little sick of their virtual classrooms and everything that comes with them – audio troubles, visual troubles, a professor who never seems to notice when your virtual hand is raised, or when there’s a question in the chat. Typing has become second nature, while the excuse, ‘my audio is having troubles’ has become first. Students are sick and tired of Zoom … but will we miss it when it’s gone? I’ve started tricking my mind into thinking about the positives – rather than the negatives – of online school, and it is a suggestion I highly recommend. ZoomU is not a permanent situation and has benefits that you might not have previously thought of!
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Class Involvement and TAs
Online school has pushed us to our breaking points. Endless notifications of assignments, constant readings, and a whole lot of confusion. I have one piece of advice here – make your TA your best friend. Turning the camera on shows respect and engagement which is so valued. There is nothing worse than a TA prompting a breakout room to say something and there being no response. To put it in perspective, the more eager you are to answer questions in class, the more eager your TA will be to answer your emails. By showing I’m involved in class conversations, I’ve been taken more seriously – resulting in improved marks!
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Adapting New Techniques to Focus
We all struggle to focus in ZoomU – yes, we want to watch our lectures but yes, we can shop online at the same time. It has been hard, but I’ve learned how to stay focused during my lectures and can share a few tips.
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Keep water beside you and make sure it tastes good so you actually WANT to stay hydrated (cucumbers and lemon always work for me).
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Bring a snack so you aren’t constantly hearing your stomach grumble.
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Clean up your workspace beforehand, so you can’t justify losing focus while doing something productive.
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Remind those you live with that you’re about to start a class and their cooperation in being a bit quieter than usual is appreciated.
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Delete the apps that you find yourself scrolling through during lecture off of your phone (yes, I’m talking about the three T’s: Twitter, TikTok, and Tinder).
By doing those five things, it’ll be a little easier to focus. With no one to distract you, like in in-person classes, you might even find you start doing better in online school; I sure have. By controlling my surroundings, my focus has improved, and so have my organization skills.
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Healthier Procrastination Habits
If you are someone who procrastinates (like myself), work on channeling it into something that benefits your mental health. When I procrastinate doing readings and assignments, I try to do one of the following things:
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Make a healthy meal that takes a lot of preparation so that way, I get a large break from whatever I’m holding off from doing.
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Write in my journal.
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Clean my space.
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Take my dog for a walk or workout in some way.
I’ve found that with ZoomU (and being at home), my procrastination methods have only made me healthier and happier. In the past, and living in the city, I would completely waste my time by doing something unproductive – ordering UberEats for my latest craving, spending money shopping to relieve my stress, going out to binge eat with friends. Because I can’t use these unhealthy ways of procrastination anymore, I’m able to work on myself while finding new interests.
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A Newfound Motivation
Living on campus last year, I constantly missed home and everything about it. I would count down the days until I would take the train home again. Now, I count down the days until my friends and I will meet on our scheduled Zoom call. Many students have decided this year not to reside in Toronto, while others have chosen the opposite path but either way, we are all missing a friend. Being isolated from one another for so long will only make us appreciate life so much more once we’re able to be together again. We have something to look forward to – normality. Keeping a positive mind about the future will only help us get there faster. We have something to hope for, which is something everyone needs to keep sane, when there’s a new major historical event occurring almost every day in our crazy world.
Online school has affected everyone differently; some love it, while others hate it. The positives are not always obvious and sometimes you do have to seek them out yourself. In a world full of negatives, tricking your mind into looking for the positives can keep you well. Appreciate where you are and look for the positives in your situation. Keep working on yourself; you have the time, so why not? By looking for the positives and creating them yourself, you can keep your mind healthier and more hopeful.