With its grey skies, and frosty weather, winter can be a rather gloomy period for many of us. Winter comes in at an odd time of year; if you’re in school you’re probably fresh off your winter break, trying to get back into the swing of things. However, this is a process that has only been made more strenuous by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve endured this pandemic for over 2 years now, and many of us are still fully operating online. As a result, the line between work and relaxation has been blurred out as our days are filled with seemingly never-ending online meetings. Feeling burnt out is now much more common than it used to be. As such, finding motivation can be extremely hard to come by. After numerous lockdowns and restrictions, we are used to them, but that doesn’t make them feel any less isolating. In the midst of this worrisome and stressful period, it can be easy to feel apathetic. Sometimes when we’re locked in, constrained to the four walls of our homes, we feel as though life comes to halt. But it doesn’t. We must go on and find it within ourselves to stay motivated.

The pandemic began when I was in grade 11; I am now in my first year of university. In high school, I specifically remember being able to go to school, be with my friends, come home, do work, and relax for a little. In other words, there was a set division between my life as a normal teenager and my life as a student. The pandemic changed everything. Because of it, I found myself working up to ten hours a day, with very minimal time for relaxation or connecting with friends. In the beginning, this didn’t feel that bad. But after doing it for so long, I hadn’t realized how much I was burning myself out. For a long time, I found it difficult just to get myself to sit in front of my computer and do work. Of course, I didn’t have much of a choice but to keep going. Accordingly, I had to start making some changes and take whatever steps that I could in order to motivate myself and make my days feel just a little bit easier. Below, I have included my three main tips for staying motivated during this COVID-19 winter.

Keep in Touch: Personally, one of the main things that makes me feel detached and unmotivated is not being able to see my friends or family – my support system. One thing that allows me to stay motivated in these trying times is keeping in touch with them so that things don’t feel so unusual. Many streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ have settings so that you can do a group watch; set up a movie night! Set up group calls, and take those five minutes to text someone and catch up. I know it seems like there isn’t much to talk about because our lives in isolation are relatively fixed, but it is still so important to keep in touch and maintain your relationships.

Develop Productive & Healthy Habits: The pandemic has added a significant amount of auxiliary stress and anxiety. In trying times as such, it can be easy to neglect our self-care and to become impulsive. It can be easy to procrastinate and avoid tasks that may cause us stress; after all, it’s only natural. Therefore, it is important to try to develop some habits which can help you to stray away from that. These habits can be anything from creating a to-do list or making a point to take frequent breaks. In fact, research shows that taking time to relax is essential for your brain as it increases focus and concentration. It also helps tremendously in reducing stress. Personally, a healthy habit I like to do is at the end of the day, I write down three good things that happened that day in my journal, even if the day didn’t feel so great. It reminds me that even in the dark times, I still have so much to appreciate and be thankful for.

Stay Organized: Sometimes when you’re feeling disoriented and all over the place, it can feel like there is more to do than there actually is. So, it is highly important that you find ways to keep yourself organized. In my own experience, I have found that creating a schedule and having a rough outline of what I would like to accomplish in the day has been helpful with orienting myself and my work better so that I can make some room for down time.

Sources:

Khidekel, Marina. “Wondering How You’ll Get Through a Pandemic Winter? Try These 9 Tips to Stay Connected and Motivated.” The Muse, Daily Muse Inc, 2022, https://www.themuse.com/advice/microsteps-self-care-success-coronavirus-pandemic-winter.

Meilleur, Catherine. “Motivation: a Driving Force for Learning Engagement.” Knowledge One, Knowledge One, 3 Oct. 2019, https://knowledgeone.ca/motivation-a-driving-force-for-learning-engagement/.

Terada, Youki. “Research-Tested Benefits of Breaks.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 9 Mar. 2018, https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks.