Studying at home all this time has been a real struggle for everybody, especially when you’re taking classes in the same space where you normally relax. Here are five ways to destress from courses and assignments:
- Physical activity
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A great way to distract yourself is moving around! You can exercise, do yoga or dance around your room; whatever makes you feel better. Exercising before class leaves you feeling energized and ready to take on the day. If you don’t have any specific routines, then YouTube is now your best friend. You can look up what videos work best for you! I personally love MadFit and her 10-15 minute video routines.
If you don’t feel like sweating too much, then you can always try yoga― you can get in some much needed stretches after sitting on a chair for hours. Apart from this, yoga helps to distract your mind and release all the tension and stress in your muscles. I enjoy Yoga With Adriene’s YouTube channel to relax.
Another way to get rid of everything and your body moving is by dancing. You can also procrastinate a bit while making the perfect playlist to shake the stress away.
- Cook
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Get together a list of all those Tasty videos you saved at some point on Facebook and go straight to the grocery store (protecting yourself from COVID-19, of course) and buy all the ingredients you need to start making those recipes! What better time to try new dishes than now, being at home all day long? You do have to eat, after all, and having a good and healthy routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner will help you feel better and have something to look forward to.
- Get creative
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Is there something you would like to learn or practice more? Then separate at least 30 minutes every day to dedicate completely to this new activity. It could be something as simple as sitting down to do some writing, or maybe learning how to play an instrument, or even just painting in a coloring book! The Internet is a precious resource we have in the palm of our hands, so use it to your advantage by making a list of everything you want to learn and look up online how to get these things done.
- Clean
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This may not sound as fun, but hear me out: it serves as a great distraction. Something as simple as making your bed every day after waking up will instantly help you feel better. Keeping everything clean and organized takes time, and separating minutes of your day each week will help you feel more comfortable and happier.
BTW: Do not, I repeat, do NOT study with your pajamas on. It will make your day feel longer, and keeping the routine of taking a bath and getting dressed will help you get started with your day.
- Organize
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Take advantage of the extra time you have to do what you always said you were going to do. Organize your room, your bookshelf, kitchen items, toilet paper, whatever makes you happy! It will take time and, with some background music, you might actually have a good time. Even if it is not entirely separated from online classes, preparing a weekly schedule of your readings, assignments and exams also counts as organizing and helps you get ready for the next week of classes.
I hope this motivates you to start something new, and distract you from the struggle of daily online classes. Try at least one of these ideas and see how your mood changes and your day goes by faster than before!