Meeting the Challenges of School, COVID, Et Cetera

Especially “Et Cetera.” Everyone’s challenges are unique to them, and the challenges are constantly changing with the globally shifting COVID knowledge, rules, opinions . . . 

I outlined a mix of the pluses and minuses to the new COVID normals in different campuses and promised to share ways to deal with some of them this week. Reflecting over the past year and speaking with colleagues and students on what has made school more doable than not, here’s what I found:

Students were most successful in adjusting to the new and varied challenges of campus and COVID if they adopted a change mindset–accepting that life was going to change, to continue to change, and that they would continue to adjust and adapt.

Students moved from “I can’t schedule–I can’t even have time to schedule my time!” to prioritizing doing exactly that. If you want to check your coping strategy against that mindset or to adapt aspects of it, here’s how it works:

Expect change: Plan for the unexpected.

Expect that life back on a hybrid campus will be neither like life before COVID nor like Distance Learning. For example, going back to campus, you will need to allow extra time for getting to class and extra time between classes: Schedule those travel times.

Stay informed without catastrophizing.

As new COVID information and new rules come down, avoid catastrophizing. Monitor your campus COVID alerts and new rules daily, but only once a day.

COVID-related concerns.

Name your COVID-related concerns. Don’t stop there–draw up a plan.

Draw up a plan to deal with each concern. These concerns and plans will be different for everyone. One example: “What if I test positive?” Here you will need to have ready alternatives for keeping up with courses while you are quarantined, a list of who you will need to notify, and notes on what you will need to do to look after your health. Write it down.

Performance-related concerns. 

Name your performance-related concerns. Don’t stop there–draw up a plan.

Draw up a plan to deal with each concern. For example, “All my exams last term were untimed, open book. What if I mess up with timed, closed-book proctored exams?” I can assure you that even if you take a hit here, you can recover by using on-campus and online or individual coaching services. Source them out now. Schedule at least an overview online scan of what is available and when.

Social and relationship concerns.

Name your social and relationship concerns. Don’t stop there–draw up a plan.

Draw up a plan to deal with each concern. For example, “What if someone in my circle doesn’t wear a mask?” You need to have thought this one out before it happens–and to have decided a tactful way to deal with it, or how big a risk you are going to choose to take. Note: it helps if you choose new social contacts that share your views and practices.

Self-care, Self-management.

Keep on or adapt the systems of self-care and self-rewards that work for you.

Daily review each evening, and brief daily touch base with your scheduler each morning–and endorse yourself as you do this.

Review now what your key rewards are, what motivates you: Have these slipped? Build them back in–but adapted for your life now! Even small meditations, for example, can offer benefits beyond expectation if done throughout the day. 

The key to surviving change is accepting, planning, scheduling, and then rewarding ourselves for each step of each effort.

This all sounds pretty much like getting the best from our academic lives before COVID, come to think of it. Sounds simple, easy to state–and a real challenge to keep up! So Good on you! whatever stage you are at (and I know you are in the process, or you wouldn’t be reading this blog!)–endorse yourself, and carry on!

And let me know how it’s going! [email protected]