Prior to spring break, there were stray comments in classes referencing the first person in Philadelphia to be tested for coronavirus. The virus, at that point, still seemed like a distant worry. Needless to say, the situation has escalated rapidly with the exponential growth of the disease and the following response by over 200 universities to shut their campuses down and send students home for the semester.
Home means different things to different people. Home may provide a wonderful, loving space with home cooked meals and family dinners, or it may be a less happy space filled with tension. In these unprecedented times, tension and anxiety are likely to invade even the most ideal home situations. It’s neither easy nor natural to socially distance yourself, but right now it’s a necessary precaution. There’s no right or wrong way to socially distance yourself, but here are my tips to do it in a way that is responsible and can be productive.
- Set Boundaries
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As a person of color, I realize that “boundaries” might be a foreign concept in some ethnic households, but do your best to create a space for yourself that you’re comfortable in. Explain that you have 100 pages of academic text to read for a single class and that maybe you don’t have time to eat dinner with your family every night at 6pm. Do your best to be empathetic.
- Set Up a Workspace
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As college students, our semesters didn’t end (though it feels like we’re having a massive snow day on a global scale), they moved online. That research paper you were worried about before spring break? Chances are you are still expected to complete it, but now you have to do all your work from home, which you might not be used to. While it’s possible to take your classes from your bed, do yourself a favor and move to your desk or kitchen table. Set up a Google Calendar with alerts for all major and minor due dates and appointments. The atmosphere of a college encourages productivity, but that’s on hold. It’s your responsibility to create a productive atmosphere for yourself.
- Maintain a Physical Practice
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I don’t want to say that the timing of this global pandemic has been nice, but if this was happening two months ago with 20 degree weather ahead of us, that would have been terrible. It’s lovely out, take a walk. If you don’t want to go outside, find an indoor practice that works for you. Many gyms are shutting down as the virus spreads, so now is the time to start a home yoga practice if that’s something you’ve been interested in.
- Find a Hobby
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We all dread those first day of class icebreakers where we have to pretend like we don’t all just watch Netflix in our free time. Take this time to tap into a more creative part of you or learn a new skill. Write out a comedy sketch, play the piano, learn how to code, read that book you bought at the airport last year before you watched movies the whole flight.
- Reach Out
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We’re about to video chat more than we ever have before, don’t limit that to class. Reach out to old and recent friends and continue to take advantage of office hours with professors. It’s an uncertain time for everyone; people will value your efforts to connect with them.