Getting Through
Last week I committed to sharing tips and tricks my students and others have used to get through the pandemic with mainly good results.
Key to success over the past 25 months were some core elements:
- belief that some degree of success was achievable,
- adaptability to unpredictable change, and
- motivation–a strong desire to move toward a goal, despite setbacks and discomfort.
Keeping those core elements alive and charged was as important as any set of study tips. How to do that, week after week, varied from student to student, yet the same themes seemed common across age, gender, and academic program. Many are cliches–but maybe they are cliches because they so often work.
In no particular order, I share these themes and hope you find them affirming in your own work, as well as useful down the road.
Novelty
Taking up a new activity, even with an already tight schedule, gives the brain healthy candy. It doesn’t really matter what the activity is. People took up gardening, learning about gardening, getting a puppy, starting an exercise, yoga, or dance routine, picking up a new craft or skill, such as learning a new cuisine, spending ten minutes a day on a new language–the list goes on.
Even current routine activities were spiced up with variety: walking a new route, trying new moves, trying one new recipe each week, viewing a different Netflix genre, or reading different fiction. Reading roommate’s textbooks can be a real novelty–with the bonus of no pressure of commitment to learn the material.
Social Connection
As in prepandemic times, motivation and success depended on regular connection with instructors, classmates, classes, seminars, etc.
Reaching out for help sooner, rather than later, directed overthinking and anxiety toward practical solutions.
Many students reached further, reconnecting with old classmates, more distant family members, or building new connections with a club, political, and other interest organizations. Hearing from others facing the same issues helped normalize what had never before been, and sometimes provided solutions and support.
Small Kindnesses to Others
Students and others found meaning and good-feeling from a breadth of kindnesses: paying it forward for a meal, reading to a sight-deprived senior, coaching a student, saying thank you with a smile more often, expressing appreciation in small ways, even taking time for extra plays with the dog.
Kindness to Self
Core kindness to self meant picking up and practicing the skill of frequently pausing to briefly express genuine appreciation every time an effort was made in a desired direction.
Core kindness to self also involved maintaining physical and mental hygiene through nutrition, exercise and spiritual or meditative work.
Treats, rewards, and breaks–frequent, small treats, rewards and breaks were more effective than larger but infrequent ones.
Spending time outdoors was a critical kindness to self in so many ways. The exercise, the variety, the endorphins, and the pleasure helped counter some of the stressors we were all going through.
Maintaining the Tools
Working these themes helped students stay motivated in keeping academic and work habits active. The tools of good studentship helped keep the themes active. Scheduling, goal setting, and working the schedule, working the themes made it possible to keep working through the pandemic.
Not so different
As I review these themes and how students worked them, I see that they are not that different from the themes that students and others work to get through what needs to get done whether times are easy or tough.
The difference has been the flexibility we have had to learn in maintaining the tools and the unpredictable setbacks we have had to deal with–and we have done it through our own work, and through our connection with others.
Connect to let me know what has worked for you, and to discuss any of these themes that you would like to explore further. [email protected]