Are you on a #Cornacation? While you are adjusting to the transition from in-person to on-line learning, now is not the time in the semester to slack off. Try these tips to help you stay focused, enjoy the change, and remain in a state of peace. PS, you’re welcome!

Stick to a Routine

So you don’t have your 8 AM class at 8 AM anymore! (Can I get a praise?) Hold on to that positive vibe, but don’t stay up late and then oversleep the next day.  Now is a great time to set for yourself a routine or stick to the one you had while on campus. Here are some ideas to help with that:

• Keep the one you had—so if you got up at 6 AM to head to the gym, try not to deviate from that or adjust the timing, but not by more than an hour. Head over to your Insta and check out Palm Beach Atlantic University student, Hannah for indoor workouts (@health.han) or head to the great outdoors for some hiking/biking/jogging/walking.
• Create a new motivating routine—remember that New Year’s resolution to exercise? Well take a jog/walk and start your studies. Taking a walk is proven to increase your creativity! But stick to your new routine. It will help be more productive.
• Write it down and then schedule it—list out everything you have to do (on-line classes, study/read, eat, sleep) and the things you want to do (video chat with friends, video games, hang with the fam). Next plug it in to the calendar app on your phone, or go old school with a day planner. Heck go crazy and color code!

Creating a routine for yourself is super important! Your priority as a student is to keep engaged in the learning process—so make your school work (including study time) a scheduled priority. Creating a routine for your new normal decreases stress and anxiety and increases your sense of stability.

Schedule your Social Life (texting, social media, phone calls)

Okay, I know that may sound weird, but are you DMing friends on IG about class content while sitting in Freedom in American Society? No, no you aren’t. Ain’t nobody texting about FDR or the Federal Reserve. If you wouldn’t do it in a live class, then don’t do it while learning on line or during your self-paced learning/reading time. Save your brain cells. Stay focused!

Pick a Spot

Find a motivating (not distracting) place that is your learning zone! If you can, designate one dedicated space just for you and just for academic work. This will help you create a work/life balance! Some other things to consider:

• A door—if you will be on Zoom or in an interactive online learning environment, you want to minimize background noise and distractions. Also, please put yourself on mute when you aren’t talking; we can hear the patter of your fingers on the keyboard and your kid sister in the background.
• Lighting—it’s glorious to have a view and sunshine, just don’t have it behind you. Uh, hello backlighting. Awkward!

Okay, so how do I maintain my sanity?

Yeah, we get it. It’s not the spring break or semester you were hoping for. And basically everything’s closed. It’s not a spa day, but you can protect your mental and emotional health.

• Choose peace over panic—did you know that the words panic, pandemic, and pandemonium all derive from Greek mythology? Yup! The half man, half goat god (notice the small g). Nobody likes those P words, so ditch them! Choose peace instead. Peace isn’t a feeling; it is a state of being. For Christ-followers, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Invite Him into your day. And the fruit of the spirit include, guess what, peace! So draw from your innermost being that peace. All fear, anxiety, and panic is looking for is for you to agree with it. Instead, partner up with peace. It starts by making a choice.

• Breathe—my therapist told me years ago to breathe like fire fighters. Breathe in for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 counts. Hold for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 counts. Exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 counts. It actually slows your heart rate down and increases the flow of oxygen to your brain. Works like a charm!

• Pray/Meditate—remember that other New Year’s resolution to spend more time on your Dwell app, journaling, just hanging with God? Now is a great time to read Psalm 91 or 43. What you feed grows, so don’t feed into fear by focusing on it, prayer helps you stay focused on God. Soak in some good worship music or bust out some Bach or Beethoven. Here are a couple of favorites: if you need to overcome something, for Reassurance or Healing, for Peace.

• Set boundaries—with yourself and others. You may have to remind siblings that you are still “at school” and need time to focus. You may not be in your dorm and you may or may not still be in your pajamas (I recommend changing, it helps get your head in the game), but you are still a student. Need help with this one, this is my go-to resource on how to set effective and healthy boundaries, by Drs. Cloud and Townsend.

• Huddle up and Break—no Peloton? No problem! Some of you may take way too many breaks and others just go homeschool mode for hours. Make sure to take breaks. Short ones. If you study for 45-60 minutes, take a 10-15 minute break. It actually increases learning. A fave tool of mine it the Tomato-Timer or us a custom Timer. This is called the Pomodoro method. You set the timer for focused work, and then for a break. The breaks are set times, generally 5 or 15 minutes, so you don’t wander too far down the rabbit hole of wasting time.

While your learning mode and environment look a little different these days, you can create a new normal that works for you over the next few weeks. You might be surprised.

<3 your Destiny Activator

#destinyactivator

#studytips

#LFH

#coronacation

#focus

#peace