Here we go again… school is online and we’re at home, what’s new? After almost 8 months of Covid-19 taking over our lives, we find ourselves in a similar scenario of having to go back into quarantine. To be honest, the first time this happened, back in March, it was somewhat exciting; having to stay home, creating a new routine, and not knowing what was going to happen next. But after becoming unproductive, having limited abilities to go outside, and spending more than 6 hours a day on zoom, it became exhausting.
It’s definitely interesting the shift that happens from living a normal life to one that’s completely at home, and although here in Sri Lanka we’re still allowed to go to certain places, I’m afraid we might have to go back into lockdown and I’m trying to mentally prepare myself for that change. Although I enjoy being at home, working in my own space, and not having to leave the comfort of my home, I think it’s definitely difficult to create a balance between sitting in front of a screen and being active outside.
However, since this isn’t the first time I’m preparing for such a thing, I have learned a lot from the past quarantine and am definitely more ready than I was before. I have discovered tricks that help me stay on task and be more productive, such as working from a place other than my bedroom and setting a screen time limit on my phone for social media apps. I have also found that waking up earlier and working out before class or during breaks helps me stay awake during the day and sleep well during the night.
Despite having some unproductive days, (Friday afternoons), and not being extremely motivated all the time, I try to remind myself how crucial this year is with regards to my university life and how I should push myself to be the best I can, as it can only get better from here. I’m willing to make adjustments to my new life and continue learning from this experience in order to grow wiser and stronger and one day be able to tell the story of life during a pandemic to my kids.