A week ago, I received an email from the president of my university claiming that there will be in-person classes this upcoming spring semester with a particular focus on classes that students need in order to graduate on time. Yesterday, my planned spring schedule of all 400-level classes went fully online. This current fall semester has already proven to be mentally draining and incredibly difficult. If your thoughts are like mine, you’re probably thinking: “how can I do this again?”
First and foremost, it is okay if you can’t do it again. The most important thing above all else is not if you graduate in four years and it is not your grade point average — the most important thing is you! However if taking a semester off is not an option for you, there are ways you can stay sane and healthy coming into this virtual spring semester.
- Be kind to yourself
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Online school is no easy feat, whether you live alone or with friends, strangers, or family. It can all feel very overwhelming, very quickly. So as random as this sounds, don’t attend your virtual classes in your pajamas. Getting dressed everyday and keeping up with personal hygiene is important to establishing a healthy routine for yourself as well as veering away from depressive episodes. I live alone this semester so I typically have no one to impress with my appearance. For my personal comfort and confidence, I shower every day and put on clean clothes every morning. I don’t even own a mirror outside of the medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I dress to impress myself, even if it is just some sweatpants. If your workload is ever feeling overwhelming, don’t shy away from a breather. Meditating is a healthy way to break away from the monotony of school for even just a few minutes. And take snack breaks! I have missed too many meals this semester by losing track of time at my computer.
- Find a hobby
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Specifically, find a hobby away from your computer. I love my computer, don’t get me wrong, but it is important to break up your day so it doesn’t entail sitting at the computer from 9am until 7pm. It could be as uncomplicated as going for a walk or a drive, getting into yoga, reading a book, or it could be more complex like painting, writing, or even learning to cook or knit. When your entire life revolves around engaging with your computer for school or for work, it is important to ground yourself in things that you actually like to do.
- Make friends and make plans with them
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Do it virtually too. Something I have been doing so much this semester is playing Jackbox with my friends because we can do it from our respective homes and we can’t stop laughing while we play. I’ve made an effort to reach out to people in my classes and get to know them. A realization I have had lately is that there likely is not a person who couldn’t use a friend right now. I have had phone calls, Discord meetups, and Zoom calls with people to work on school, to let off steam, to play games, and to just exist together in this time.
It is important to establish the things that feel good for you right now and to be aware of what you are getting into this upcoming spring. What is working for you? What is not working for you? As much as I don’t want to admit it to myself, laying in my bed for 2 hours in the middle of the day to play on my phone is not something I want to carry with me to finish out this semester or begin my spring. I am working to solve this by deleting all of my social media accounts. This may be extreme to some and not a solution for them whatsoever, but it is working for me personally and that is what counts. Something that is really working for me is waking up at a specific time everyday no matter what. Establish these things so you are prepared to take this on. Remember: you are not alone in this.