When getting ready to get back to school, like many, you’re probably worried about COVID-19 and how it will affect you. It’s important to remember a couple of things as you prepare to get back to school. The virus is still around and may well be for a while longer. You never know how it might affect you or others so you need to be cautious for both the sake of yourself and those around you. On the brighter side, the work towards a vaccine has been promising and we will get there eventually. As more and more people take the whole situation seriously and better prepare with disinfectants and face masks, it impacts the toll the virus has on us and our population as a whole. Working together by taking care of ourselves and thinking of others is how we can slowly move on with our lives through this COVID-19 pandemic.
Of course, this is fairly obvious, but if you’re worried about getting back to school with COVID-19 around then you need to be more vigilant about your mask. That means wearing it on campus and in classrooms when you need to. It can make a huge difference in both being infected with the virus as well as transmitting it to others. It needs to be a socially accepted necessity, at least for now, that when in public everyone should be wearing masks when interacting together. That way we can keep the virus under control and focus on getting back to school and school work.
When getting back to school during these days of COVID-19 you’ll want to avoid or at least minimize “unnecessary risks.” This could mean a number of things but it revolves around taking a second to think before going to certain places or doing certain things. You might want to rethink using the school rec center until COVID is a little more under control. Minimizing these unnecessary risks can help any stress or anxiety you might have about being back at school with COVID-19 around.
It can be really important to limit your social interactions as you get back to school with COVID-19 around. As in you might need to rethink all the various parties and such you usually go to during your time at school. It really sucks, I know, but it can make a big difference for the sake of transmitting the virus among a student population. It’ll give you plenty of extra free time for more studying, more Netflix, or whatever social-distance activity you want!
Another “tip” you probably don’t want to hear when getting back to school during COVID is that you can easily use all the extra free time for your studies. The time you’d usually use when at the gym/rec center, or partying with friends you can use to study more and bring up your GPA. It’s obviously not the most fun way to spend your free time in college but in these conditions, it can be the safest for both you and those around you.
Hand sanitizer is going to be your best friend when getting back to school with COVID around. Although it seemed rarer than endangered animals earlier this year, it’s slowly coming back to the store shelves. The key is to keep a small, pocket-sized bottle with you then you can refill it with a bigger bottle when it runs out. Using it after touching public areas especially metal ones like stair handrails, doorknobs, and such is important. Those metal surfaces can keep the virus for a bit longer than most other materials. Use it after you leave a classroom, the bathroom, pretty much use it after touching anything foreign and it should help you stay healthier and help any anxiety you might have about being in public areas during these virus circumstances.
A really important part of getting back to school, or just in general, during this COVID pandemic is to keep yourself healthy. One way to do that is by maintaining a stable and well-balanced diet! You want to get your daily intake of fruits and vegetables (I suggest a daily power smoothie of greens and fruits) as well as additional vitamins and minerals from either foods or supplements. Getting your vitamins and minerals from foods is usually better and more effective but being at school can limit your food options and budget so daily vitamins can be very beneficial as well.
Another part of keeping yourself healthy is to get regular exercise! This is especially important when getting back to school because you can easily get lost in the partying and studying lifestyle that exercising can drop out of your mind. Also, without the convenience of the rec center, it can be even harder to motivate yourself. Many benefits can come from getting some regular exercise including just getting outside for some fresh air and sunshine! Being cooped up all day is not good for you so at the very least get outside for a walk or hike a few times a week.
If available and useful then utilize your school’s online resources whenever you can. It can help relieve some worry and stress about being around campus too much when back to school with COVID-19 around. You can do Zoom meetings with professors or maybe online resources from your school’s library for research.
If you’re really feeling stress and anxiety when getting back to school an important thing to remember is that COVID isn’t the only virus around. Under normal circumstances, schools are an easy place to get sick from the many other students around you in such close and personal settings. If you start to feel sick don’t immediately assume it’s the end of the world! Of course, you should be careful in quarantining yourself and going to get yourself tested wherever you can. The common cold is still out there so don’t freak out when you sneeze a few times. Not to undermine the severity of COVID because it needs to be taken seriously if we are to work together to move on and past this whole pandemic.
The final word of advice when getting back to school during COVID is to not give up! These are stressful and worrying times to be living and an easy excuse to give up on your schooling and just run home to “wait it out.” That might be a good idea at first but you might end up regretting it as well. Keep your head up and take life one day at a time and don’t make any decisions on a whim or a fear! We’ve been through similar viruses and situations before and we will overcome now just as we did then – together.
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