Hi everyone, welcome to our next blog on “how to stay motivated during lockdown”. I am Sanshika and I am Shraddha and we are your Wellbeing Officers. If you haven’t already, make sure to have a look at our previous blogs where we introduce ourselves and “The importance of leaving comfort zones.”
Why is it especially important now?
COVID-19 is scary and is quite frankly overwhelming for many and this can have a negative effect on our wellbeing. However, there are many ways to overcome this anxiety and we will be covering this further in the blog. Reading news and constantly being surrounded by statistics is overwhelming and can cause real distress with all the uncertainty that follows. This can have an immense impact on both physical and mental wellbeing as it can result in morale being decreased and can result in a decline in our physical health as well as a result.
During the lockdown, I think we can all agree that online studying has been equivalent to rocket science and the workload seems like it is so much more than what it really is. One of the reasons is not being motivated or concentrated on our tasks as our phones are usually continually beeping and we can agree that we are too guilty of this from time to time. This can result in poor work ethic and cause stress to build up as work is not being done and this can really add up over time. As students, COVID has really impacted us and as the future generation having a collective strong mindset and work ethic will result in positive impacts both to our daily lives and the world around us.
Motivation during the lockdown is essential because it has been a long and rocky road ( and not really particularly delightful – like the cake ). As growing children, transforming into adults, we have recently learned about the numerous opportunities that are at our disposal and began uncovering life outside our little bubbles. However, the lockdown has forced us all, big and small, to go back into our bubbles. This can really affect our mental, physical and social wellbeing however being able to cope with this cloud is essential and it should be dealt with in a relaxed and calm manner. Understanding how to stay motivated especially during these times is important as morale is naturally low and having declining wellbeing can be devastating. However, it is not all negative and there are numerous ways to stay on top of your game and remain positive and motivated which is what we go on to outline next!
What activities can be done?
It is more than evident that lockdown has brought a huge amount of stress and lack of motivation and we are forced to face problems that we are unwilling to tackle. If you can relate to this then you are in the right direction to developing a growth mindset and rectifying your lack of motivation. In this blog we are going to suggest some techniques that worked for us (Shraddha and Sanshika):
Make a daily routine and to-do list – This may seem slightly cliche but it genuinely does wonders. Having a schedule throughout the day means that you are more likely to do your work and also can improve your time management as you have to structure and adjust it according to your online classes for school. I don’t know about you but simply having a to-do list brings a whole new level of satisfaction to me when I see all my tasks for the day ticked off. Although, it is important to slot in some breaks throughout the day to relax and even go out for some fresh air.
Do exercise such as going for a walk – Taking some time of your day to take a quick walk around the block can help to release endorphins, a hormone that produces a positive feeling in the body. Not only does walking improve your mental wellbeing but it also improves your physical health, something that is essential in order to work on your mental state.
Take time off work to do something that you enjoy – If you are not feeling in the mood to complete work or be productive then that is more than fine, it is important to understand that it is okay to feel that way. A way to solve this is to do something that you take pleasure in, such as watching a movie or playing an instrument, as long as you enjoy it!
Have a set time to wake up – The beginning of the day is when you first open your eyes and get out of bed, and so it is beneficial if you wake up at a fixed time so that our body adjusts instead of fluctuating throughout the week. Get up at a sensible time such as 8:30 am so that you can be productive and get into that mindset of working for the whole day.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and if you have any questions at all feel free to write them below in the comments section and we will get back to you. You can also message us through the Slack channel!
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