It’s safe to say the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions, challenges and changes for everyone.

Adapting to a new routine and way of living isn’t easy to come to terms with and it’s understandable that some people are experiencing feelings of anxiety and discomfort during this period.

At first, more time at home may have seemed a luxury for some due to extra time with family and longer lie ins in the morning, however it’s easy to see how this sudden change from the structure of University life might cause more stress than excitement for some.

And although it’s important to make the most of the positives in this situation, such as allowing yourself time to relax, sticking to a routine can give a huge boost to your mentality and make you more motivated at the start of each day.

It’s also important to find some balance in your routine which means neither forcing yourself to spend seven hours studying each day, nor making 3pm lie ins the norm.

Within your routine you should try to combine the following things to ensure you’re both getting the most out of your day and allowing your mind and body the rest it deserves:

• Something educational: revising, learning a new academic skill/language, working on an essay
• Exercise: running, cycling, walking, home workout, virtual dance class
• Fresh air: a great way to clear your head
• Something fun/ creative: learning a new creative skill, baking, writing a blog post
• Face-to-face communication with household family members
• Virtual communication/ a call with a friend
• Something relaxing: reading a book, watching a film, doing some knitting/drawing/a puzzle

 

Here’s the routine I’ve started to follow which you could adapt to suit you:

8.00-9.00: Wake-up naturally and enjoy a cuppa in the lounge with the family

9.00-10.00: Make my bed, do a workout/stretch and get myself showered

10.00-10.30: Make a nutritious breakfast- usually a refreshing fruit smoothie

10.30-12.30: Work on a Uni assignment

12.30-13.30: Get some fresh air in the garden and make some lunch

13.30-14.30: Do some work for my part-time job (managing the social media for a newspaper)

14.30-15.30: Family walk in the countryside

15.30-15.45: Chill with a cuppa/ watch the News or some TV

15.45-17.30: Do some baking/ read a book/ do something creative/ play on my Nintendo Switch

17.30-18.30: Help parents cook dinner/ spend some time with my sister

18.30-19.30: Eat dinner with the family

19.30-20.15: Time with the family: playing a game/ facetiming the grandparents/ watching TV

20.15-21.30: Contact friends/ facetime them

21.30- 23.00: Wind down time: read a book, look for isolation inspiration online, watch a film

 

Give yourself some time off

As much as it’s important to add some structure to your day, it’s also necessary to allow yourself some freedom during the week. And whether that means giving yourself the weekend to stray from your routine or allowing yourself a couple of afternoons a week to freestyle the activities you do, this is really important for maintaining a positive mindset and not feeling like a robot!

For more tips and advice for getting through this unusual time, visit the University’s Information Page and make sure you join RUSU’s Community Facebook group.

Written by Taz Usher.