The Zoom blues are real — I totally get it. It gets hard sitting in one spot all day staring at a screen. It's even harder to attend online video meetings or classes, and not receiving the normal, everyday connection of talking with someone face to face. Here I have listed seven different tips that I have come to realize over the past two months in school. I hope that by sharing these tips with you, you will know you're not alone in this and you can get out of the Zoom blues.
1. Don't give up!
This tip is the most important one I want to stress. I know we are all probably hitting the "grind season" of our classes now. Exams are starting, the material is getting harder, and those semester-long papers are starting to be written. But just because you may be stuck at home or holed up in your campus dorm doesn't mean you can give up on that work. It is so easy to push work aside, lunge into bed, and scroll aimlessly until you realize it's 6:00 p.m. and you didn't get any work done, but avoid that and just get your work done.
2. Set goals for yourself.
Don't forget to keep your goals! I feel like it's so easy to get lost in assignments, online work, and busy work for classes that we lose sight of our main goals. Don't forget where you came from and how you started. Think about what you want for your future, regardless of the pandemic. Even if those goals start out small, planning, and eventually achieving them will help you move forward personally, academically, and mentally.
3. Keep a schedule.
The worst thing that I've done during my days at Zoom university is have a poor sleep schedule, eat at random times of the day, and shower at 3:00 a.m. It is so important to keep a schedule so your body can regulate itself and maintain its natural rhythm. When we have enough sleep, eat three meals a day, and allow time during our day to get things done, we feel so much better and content with life.
4. Keep in touch.
Try to keep in touch with family and friends during this time. Just talking on the phone or Face Timing for a couple of minutes each day will keep you in tune with the world around you and other people's lives. It does the soul good to communicate with others and have someone to share our opinions with.
5. Remember you are not alone!
It is so easy to feel isolated and lonely when we are stuck by ourselves, but in reality, there are hundreds of thousands of other students just like you and in the same situation. Many of you attending Zoom classes this fall know that there are other students in your classes that are probably doing the same as you are — working online, socially distancing, and mostly keeping to themselves.
6. Seek opportunities.
Don't let this pandemic hold you back from seeking opportunities! They are still out there and you have to go to them, they won't come to you.
7. Take time for yourself.
Last but not least, take time for yourself. I struggle with this tip because I always find myself thinking I could be doing something else or working on homework. But it is essential to make time for your hobbies, maybe a nap, or an hour or two of that amazing new Netflix show you found to detox from your work.
As students, we can't give up. Don't let the situation stop you from achieving your passions just because the world was placed under an unforeseen circumstance. To rise above any challenges is to be a good student. Continue to strive for your goals, and don't let the Zoom blues get to you. Remember, we are all in this together!
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