It has come to my attention that this isn’t an “Animal Crossing Break” and may i just say, I’m a little bummed out. All jokes aside it is crucial that we stay inside as this pandemic is impacting so many peoples lives, but yes, going outside has NEVER seemed more appealing. So take a deep breath and lets dive into some ways we can all stay sane and productive until things go back to normal.

1. Make a space for working

The minute I sat down at my messy dining room table and tried to do homework it was a disaster. I wondered why it had become so hard for me to focus and get things done. How can I have a clear mind if my work space is full of clutter? I decided to move into my desk and after cleaning it up I’ve created a nice at home school atmosphere that’s only a foot away from my bed. So if you’re feeling “cluttered” maybe find a new table/ area to focus solely on your work.

2. Take some You time

Family Time is fun and I’m honestly enjoying that my family is all together, since we are normally all over the place. However sometimes I just want everyone to leave me alone. Now, instead of screaming st everyone and slamming doors its important we take time in our day to be left alone. This can be doing homework, watching a movie, reading, painting, or napping. If someone tries to invade on your personal time just calmly say “I’d rather be left alone right now” or “Can I do it in a minute I’m working on something?”.Trust me these few minutes that I get away from my sister have really helped me “cool down”.

3. Do fun activities

We get it you’re in high school and “too cool” to hangout with your family. But get over it. Doing fun activities with your family can give you something to look forward to or an activity to do so you’re not wasting your time on TikTok. My family had PowerPoint night where we each made and presented a PowerPoint on whatever subject we wanted. Also, my family loves the movie Ratatoullie, so for a night we made the dish Ratatoullie and all dressed as the characters. It may have been stupid and weird, but we all found it really fun and it gave us something to be excited about!

4. Try to keep your normal routine

This one is hard because waking up at 6 a.m. is #notthemove. I’m trying to incorporate my normal routine into my new quarantined life nonetheless. If you are on the track team, go on runs in the afternoon. If you do dance, do some dance workouts in your basement. Do some homework in the morning. Eat lunch. If you do some normal things it helps your brain feel more at ease.

5. Don’t just sit on your phone

TikTok is soooooooo addicting but if you should do things that are mentally stimulating and creative. If you’ve ever talked to me, I’ve probably told you that you should paint. I really enjoy paintings and that how I’ve been spending a lot of my free-time. The great thing about it is you don’t have to be good because no one has to see it! You can clean out your closet, rearrange your room, or (and I kinda regret saying this) try a new hairstyle– just be careful– there are plenty of better things to do while at home than just playing video games and watching Tiktoks, and as “boomer” as that sounds of me, I don’t think that it would hurt.

6. Stay in contact with EVERYONE

Social media is being a major life saver here and we thank it for its service. Facetime and other video chat apps are a great way to stay connected and feel more personal than a call or text (even though we all just play on our phones with the person on anyway). I suggest Facetiming your friends so that you can talk to people besides your family, obviously, but also for study groups and homework (I know, way to bring the mood down Lexi). Not only should we stay in contact with our friends but our teachers. Teachers are unspoken heroes of this mess, trying to navigate teaching without a classroom is hard work and I applaud them for how hard they are working. Using apps like Remind, Schoolology, Zoom, and Edmodo they’re close in contact. Keeping up with extra work being assigned and lesson plans will help relive some of the stress of the unknown.

7. Remember, this is a confusing time for everyone

I know its difficult to not get mad or stressed or anxious or upset. Its a crazy time. Just remember everyone’s human, they’re trying their best. The confused nervous feeling you feel is how everyone else feels too, but we can’t point fingers in blame or  anger. We need to band together (6 feet apart) and try and get through this everyday. I know its scary, but we got this as long as we stay as calm as possible and treat everyone with respect

8. Breathe

thats it. I don’t have a big long speech just make sure you’re taking time to step back and just breathe.

9. Stay Updated

We need to stay updated BUT NOT OVERLOADED. You don’t need to read every article on COVID-19, find out information that impacts your town. Then you can look at some international news from an unbiased source. Its important to stay informed but we can’t override our brains with every breaking news update.

10. BRUSH YOUR TEETH

PLEASE keep being hygienic. I don’t care if you aren’t seeing anyone for 100000 years BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND TAKE A SHOWER PLEAAASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10.36.

Follow me on Tiktok @stalebagels2.0 (no affiliation with Chippewa Valley Schools, all views and opinions are my own.)

So that’s all I got, i hoped this helped maybe gave you some ideas. I will try and post some fun activities and painting tutorials throughout the break. My parting words of advice: drink water, eat a meal, Go Wildcats! (and cougars)