What are some things that could benefit mental health, improve time management, and boost motivation?

Virtual learning has undeniably made it harder for students to maintain motivation and a stable routine. Personally, I’ve had to be very conscious of my work and stay organized because my sense of time-management has really left me. I often complete smaller assignments quite late in the nighttime because of procrastination, and staying on top of long-term projects has become increasingly difficult. Try and make the most of this upcoming winter break and prioritize your mental health! Though the holiday season traditionally brings time with friends and family, it’s difficult to interact safely this year. This may result in a lot of spare time in the next few days (and the winter season in general). Try to designate a specific time for schoolwork and other mandatory tasks in your life so that you can also allocate set time for relaxation and personal hobbies. This may simultaneously help you feel productive and organized throughout your day and enable you to get your work done efficiently without thinking about it constantly. When you are able to put schoolwork out of your mind, you will have more time to explore new activities, including things you can do from home! (Baking, reading, yoga, and so much more.) However, not every moment has to be planned out – dedicate some time to actively relaxing too! Maybe binge a Netflix show, hang out with a sibling, or even just nap.

My teachers being supportive is really helping me!

This is fantastic! Our teachers have put so much effort into providing extra support for all their students, and it can be really helpful to take advantage of it. Personally,  I’ve found it most helpful to meet with teachers during office hours to work on writing assignments. The screen-sharing functions of Zoom actually lend really well to helping in this context – both you and the teacher will be looking at the exact same screen, and you can highlight specific passages or words to which you want to draw attention. The same goes for working out math problems and other school subjects. Outside of class, though, there are so many other ways to stay connected and feel supported. You can use your advisory (and advisor specifically) as a support resource. My advisory periods are fairly lighthearted and consist primarily of online games and general banter — it is nice to see my friends’ faces and hear about their lives. Utilize other student groups you may be a part of, too! The varsity girls basketball team has been meeting over these past few weeks with one of our goals as just to stay connected and get to know each other better since we aren’t to be on the court right now. Chances are that many students are in the same boat as you- just reach out! We are all in this together, and it would benefit us all to take advantage of the support we are given and use the resources (teachers, friends, extra hours built into the schedule for better time management, etc.) we can.