sophia

There are so many small things to be grateful for—aliveness, safety, people we love—our days have been spent reading, sitting on the step to our flat’s balcony in the sun, drinking coffee and playing as much music as we can. We sing and dance and go for walks and open our windows and lie in bed listening to the birds. Today our neighbours spontaneously shared their barbecue with us, across the gap between our two balconies. The block is like one big family all waving at each other and being kind. 

In the evenings we call our friends and families to say we love them. Everyone worries about money, rent, credit. My granddad says he’s kept up all my notes around the house. “see you friday, love you!” tucked in the bathroom mirror. 

- get dressed and style your hair as if you’re going to school/work - even use the same perfume/ cologne as you normally do  (trick your mind into being motivated)

- plan things out - everything (plan out your week, day, meal, etc. you can make these as specific as you’d like. this will help you stay on top of your work as well as stay healthy, especially if you live alone.)

- make studying/ working the first thing you do each day - best if you can start in the morning (minimize the tendency to procrastinate)

- just start - don’t worry too much about perfecting or finishing anything yet (if you don’t start then there’s nothing for you to perfect or get done. and it will never get done)

- listen to old and simple (aka non-distracting) podcasts, Youtube videos, or café/ chattering white-noise, etc. simply leave them as background noise to create an illusion of being outside your room (bring the presence of people to you. my favorites lately have been slam poems from 2016, Mae Martin’s stages, and Awsten Knight’s crackhead podcasts)

- set timers, for both study sessions and breaks (so that you don’t overwork, burn out, or procrastinate. the Pomodoro technique works great here)

- take advantage of the comfort of your own home (light a candle, have crunchy snacks, play loud music, review notes out loud while pacing around, wrap yourself in a blanket burrito, study on your bed if you can focus there like me, etc. basically anything you can’t do in a classroom, office, or the library)

- if you miss your friends, call/ text/ facetime them, make a study group chat with them, etc. (that is what technology is for)

- choose recreational activities/ self-care for your breaks instead of going on social media (go on walks, make small art, play an instrument, stretch, take a nap, etc. I usually reach for my guitar, brainstorm writing ideas, or sketch very simple line art.)

- if you want to go on social media, do it during meal times - or the 15 minutes after your meals that you can’t work just yet (it also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting time)

- study in different rooms for a change of scenery (dining room, living room, the patio, etc. I have an armchair next to the window that I study in whenever I need some sunlight and don’t have to write anything down. however, if you need a designated place to focus on your work, you can also use these alternative spaces as designated “relax” or “creative” place for your breaks)

- use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself (get enough sleep, drink water, exercise, talk to your family, take your meds, be mindful of your mental health, etc.)

Feel free to add your tips. The current situation sure is unpleasant but it is unavoidable. All we can really do now is take care of ourselves, others, and try to make the best out of this.

Since we all are a little bit homebound right now, I found myself to get bored like crazy, which is why I put together a list of things you can do to entertain yourself!

Have a long dinner with your family - especially if you normally don’t see them that often, it’s great for both parties to know what is happening in your or their life

Help your family with the household if you’re home all day and they still need to go to work. They are stressed as well, and even by doing small things like laundry or vacuuming you help them a lot!

Call further relatives - they will be happy to hear you’re alright and even happier to know that you think of them

Meet up at home with a few close friends, if you want to (but limit it to 3 to 4 and make sure they’re well!)

Read the book with the 1,000 pages you always wanted to finish

Watch a new series without a bad conscience (I want to watch the new episodes of Élite, but also give The Witcher and Marvelous Mrs Maisel a try)

Rediscover old (video) games; this can be chess or other board games, but also Sims or Animal Crossing

Have a spa day - make your nails, have a bubble bath with a bath bomb from Lush you have owned for so long but never had the time to use it, have a face and hair mask

Study from home if your uni got closed or postponed, gather the material and watch the videos if your uni provides them!

Do some online courses (LinkedIn Learning offers quite good ones)

Read the newspaper or watch the news to keep up with information

Listen to and discover new music and create playlists

Find out about possible jobs or internships you can apply to now that you have the time for it, and don’t forget to update your CV!

Bake delicious chocolate chip cookies, in most of the cases you have everything you need at home already

Go online shopping or make a list with things you want to buy

Read about anything you always wanted to learn more about or watch documentaries

Make plans for the future - your dream vacation, job, house, whatever!

Keep up with sports by watching workout or dance videos, or go for a run in the park since all sports classes got cancelled as well

Everyday magicks for my witches working that office grind

☕️stir your morning coffee or tea counter clockwise to dispel negative or stressful energies

📒enchant your daily planner or notebook to help keep you organized

🔮place a confidence glamour on your lip/chapstick

📝use your finger to trace sigils for success on important papers or projects

💎keep black tourmaline near your computer to dispel electromagnetic smog

💧place quartz or rose quartz near your water bottle to keep you energized

🌬use lavender essential oil and a small diffuser to keep you relaxed

☀️take your lunch break outside if you can and soak up the sun’s energy

🕊bring a snack for your local crows, and whisper your goals to them while you feed them

🕰take multiple stretch breaks- take the time to ground and center

🌼place wards around your desk to keep out unwanted distractions and visitors

💰secure a silver dollar to the bottom of your chair or under your desk to invite wealth and success

okay, so here in california precautionary measures against COVID-19 have become increasingly intense. most schools have closed and are preparing to make the transition to “distance learning” aka online classes. this is a big change for many of us – but don’t panic!

welcome to surviving online classes 101!

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✐ self discipline

this is more of a warning than a tip. working from home means you will have to exercise a lot more self discipline. it can be a little bit boring or lonely at times. you cannot count on motivation from others (professors, classmates, friends, etc.), so you will have to learn some self discipline. 

✐ create your own classroom

a good way to make the transition is to try and mimic the classroom setting as closely as possible. something that might be helpful is to set up a space designated for work. try to avoid the temptation to work in your bed or on the couch. that trains your brain to be alert in those places and makes it harder to relax/fall asleep. at least during online lectures, try and eliminate distractions that wouldn’t be present in a regular classroom (like tv or netflix playing in the background, or having your phone out)

✐ dress for success!

dress in the way that makes you feel most productive. if you’re one of those people who usually rolls into class wearing sweats and still kills it, good for you! if you’re one of those people who needs to put on a full face of makeup to feel alive and ready for the day, do that! even at home!! i personally never wear makeup but if i try to be productive in pjs… disaster. i’ve also found that cute workout gear makes me feel badass while still being comfy.

✐ create a schedule

now more than ever you need to figure out how to manage your time. you can use a planner, bujo, google calendar, the forest app, whatever. just make sure you keep track of things like

due dates and TIMES

exam dates

lecture times

hours spent studying

meals (pls eat 3 if possible)

water intake

sleep schedule

✐ pack your bag like you usually would

i know this probably sounds so dumb, but when you’re done working clean up after yourself. pack everything up like you would at school, to sort of signal to your brain that academic time is over for now. and then unpack and set up when you’re ready to get to work again. this is just another way to trick your brain into that school mindset while you’re stuck at home.

✐ don’t overwork yourself

break up your studying into chunks. being cooped up all day can make us feel like we’re wasting time, but be sure to schedule breaks and reward yourself after a solid study session. i’m a big fan of the pomodoro method, and it can be customized really easily to allow for more or less study/rest time. 

✐ maintain a healthy sleep schedule

now is the time to develop that healthy sleep schedule we all dream about. staring at a computer all day is exhausting and hard on the eyes and brain, so make sure to give them enough rest and time to recover each night. also, consider investing in glasses that block blue light, even if you don’t usually use glasses. this will keep our eyes young lol. 

✐ communicate with your teachers and classmates

most of us are making this transition to online learning together. any time you have questions, email your professor. reach out to your classmates at the beginning and exchange emails/phone numbers/social media so you can build a support system. if something goes wrong, screenshot it immediately and reach out to your professor. technology isn’t perfect, and mistakes can happen, just communicate them.

✐ turn things in early

this is my biggest tip. when you are relying on online submissions for assignments and digital lectures, you always want to allow extra time to fix any errors you might encounter. your professor will also be much more willing to help you fix a problem two days before a deadline rather than two minutes before a deadline. eliminate that uncertainty by playing it safe with online submissions. 

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The Met Opera is releasing a full recording per day.

Feature film archive

Open library

MS-DOS Games

 The Live Music Archive

 Ephemeral VHS collection

Berlin philarmonic

Museums

Peaches the Mouse by @my-darling-boy

450 Ivy League courses

Natasha and Pierre, King Lear with Anthony Hopkins and Much Ado About Nothing with Tennant and Catherine Tate

Learn Ancient Languages

Live stream from Monterrey Bay’s Aquarium via @hummingbird-hooligan

Project Gutemberg via @sailoreuterpe

in the past, i had to prepare for several exams by self-studying for long hours at home, so over the years i’ve learned the best ways to adapt to this situation, which i now present in this little infographic. i hope it can ease some of the pressure! 💜

Your time spent fighting has not been a waste.

The experience that you’ve gained has only made you stronger.