If you’re back in college like me, you know that things haven’t been simple..at all. Schools are doing their best to accommodate students, however nothing is perfect, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. There are many ways to attend classes, one of the most successful ways being through the Zoom app, and while there are many perks to remote learning that include studying from the comfort of your own home and not having to defrost your car before driving to campus when winter hits, it can sometimes feel like the negatives outweigh the positives. Professors are more adamant about attendance because you’re already at home, and it feels like you’re too isolated from your classmates. Some of our home environments aren’t ideal for us to learn in, and if your house is anything like mine, it’s difficult to find a nice quiet place to study. The workload has been hard to handle as the curriculum hasn’t been altered and the requirements to pass a class haven’t changed, which is because the courses are still the same, everything is just remote.
Sometimes it’s hard to look at the bright side of things, and on days that everything seems to go downhill and you have no motivation to study or even attend your classes, you have to make an effort to figure out what’s wrong and how you can fix it. This helps bring yourself out of that slump, and it also helps to prevent it from happening again. Here are some things you can do to make online classes a little easier on yourself:
- Keep a bullet journal. You don’t have to be an artist to have a bullet journal! You can write and draw whatever you’d like in your notebook as long as it helps you. Every Sunday, make a schedule for the week. All professors give you a syllabus that lists all your assignments for the entire semester, and looking at it can be very overwhelming, so it’s best to take everything one day at a time and write down the necessary assignments just for the week. Make sure to include lots of colors, not just to bring a little life to your journal, but also to create a well needed difference from your boring black and white homework assignments. Colors have been scientifically proven to boost our moods and make us feel more motivated, so make sure you add that pop of color! You can also write about your emotions and how you’re feeling about certain stresses. Getting your thoughts out into the open helps you clear your head and realize your triggers so you know how to deal with them in the future. If you need some inspiration for journals, there are plenty of examples on Pinterest!
- Write down things that you’re looking forward to in the week to use as rewards for your hard work. Think of it as a bribe with yourself. If you’re feeling unmotivated and can’t bring yourself to do the work that’s due soon, start with this: “If I finish x today, I’ll have more time to do y tomorrow,” with y being a particular hobby or activity you enjoy doing. For example, if I finish my paper today, I’ll have time to go to the mall and buy myself those new shoes I’ve been wanting! Set up little rewards for yourself to get through the week. You give some and you get some, which is a good way to keep yourself on track. If you don’t finish a particular assignment, and you can’t do the activity you were looking forward to doing all week, it’ll motivate you to try harder next week. Make the rewards realistic and as fun as possible.
- Cut down your caffeine and sugar intake. Okay, just hear me out before you go to the next point. Caffeine wakes you up and gets you going, however if you’re someone with anxiety, too much caffeine isn’t good for you. It causes restlessness, fast heart beats, and irregular breathing, which anxiety already does, so why make it worse on yourself? Many people argue that drinking a cup of coffee gets them through the day, however the side effects that come with the amount of caffeine in coffee render it useless because we’re trying to relax, not become overwhelmed. This is medically proven, and I highly recommend giving it a try for just a day or two to notice the difference. Too much sugar also presents the same side effects, including having trouble concentrating. Don’t cut caffeine and sugar out of your diet completely, but cut down your intake.
- Learn your limits. We’ve all got limits and the closer we get to them, the more anxious we begin to feel. Stepping out of your comfort zone is great, but there’s a point where we can’t do anything more, and it’s healthy to recognize that. If a particular assignment is too lengthy or too difficult and you think you may not get it done on time, acknowledge that and give yourself a break. Remember that most problems can be fixed by talking to a superior who knows more than you, and in the case of school work, it’s your professor. And yes, I know talking to your professor may seem like pulling a tooth out, but professors are there to help you. Believe it or not, they aren’t out to get you. They don’t wake up every morning and think, “Gee, I wonder how I can make my students more miserable than they already are.” Sure, it seems that way sometimes, but it’s not the case. In fact, most professors are struggling just like us because this is also new to them. What we need to do is work together with them. Alert them when you are at your limit because pushing yourself too far never displays positive results.
The truth is, we’re all just trying our best right now, and we will get through this. There are many ways to destress. Some methods may work for you and some may not, but it’s the process of trying and experimenting that will make the biggest difference. Hang in there!
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