I am one of those students that actually enjoyed online learning and Zoom. I enjoyed waking up five minutes before my class and still managing to arrive early. I even enjoyed Zoom office hours because they were less embarrassing and daunting than their in-person counterparts.
However, the virtual setting made me sloppy. I stopped caring about how I looked because there was no real reason for me to get ready and upkeep myself on a daily basis. Therefore, I resorted to sweat pants and jackets every day.
Virtual classes did not only did it make me sloppy but also disorganized. As I mentioned earlier I would wake up five minutes before class time, and that is seriously no joke. I would attend class from bed too. I was not taking care of myself and this resulted in my own personal mental block.Â
The way I was acting was being reflected in my mental health. It was an endless cycle of pity. However, now that we are in person, I have a reason to get ready and stay organized.Â
I did not want my last year of college to be full of self-pity and feeling sorry for myself. Therefore, I made small goals for myself. I am thinking of them as baby steps.
Right now, my goal is to make my bed every morning before I leave the house. I always tried and failed at doing this in high school, so I thought this would be a great way to start getting my groove back. I also like making my bed in the morning, because it keeps me from crawling back into bed prematurely. My progress so far has been going great, and it makes me feel like I actually accomplished something.Â
Having somewhere to go keeps me motivated on my appearance too. I know we should not care about what other people think, but I do like being perceived as put together rather than disorganized. This is especially true now since it is the last time I can dress up for school. I also have been picking out my outfits the night before which saves me time in the morning and keeps me organized.
Overall, going back to in-person classes has really jump-started my life again and made me feel like I have something to look forward to.Â