Studying in Lockdown

Studying in Lockdown A Guide for Survival

By: Bernelee Maschaka, Logan Julius, Naa’ah Mayet, Tamlyn Titus, Tasneem Stewart

Our plan- The drawing Board So the world has gone into lockdown and everything seems a little bit upside-down, uncertain and daunting. Whether you’re working from home, studying or just waiting for this to end, the lockdown has denitely thrown a spanner in the works. What makes it worse is that we were never taught how to manage this. We had busy schedules dictated by work, uni and other things and now we’re left to our own devices BUT do not fear! This mini manual will help you organise yourself to beat the quarantine blues!

There are many ways to do this, none of them right or wrong. You basically have to nd what works for you. We gured that in order to do this we need to look at what are the factors that lead to productivity and efciency. There are many factors to be honest, but for the sake of our sanity (and yours) we’ve narrowed it down to 3 things: ourselves, our work/ responsibilities/activities and the environment.

Why these 3 things? Well rstly, a good mind-set, healthy body, energy and good attitude (among other things) allow us to function through our day. Getting sufcient sleep and doing fun things also contribute to this. Secondly, balancing our routines and activities help to keep us up to date and complete what we set out to do without burning out. And lastly, having the space and resources, available and ready, help us do these things with minimal frustration and setbacks.

But how do we align these 3 things though?

This booklet has a few tips and tricks for you to try. There are a few pages of reading (sorry!) but some pages are examples and printouts for you to try out!

We know its going to be difcult...especially with all the chores, the family, the responsibilities and all the time to binge Netix...but do not let these challenges stand in the way of your success.

2020 IS GOING TO BE OUR YEAR!

1.

me

You are the key to your own success. Find your strengths and weaknesses and use them to achieve success.

Eat healthy (try and reduce the lockdown snacks and keep healthier foods) and sleep and rest well!

Curb your anxiety and depression Being alone at home with minimal interaction with others can make you feel lonely and sad. Try some breathing exercises, mindful colouring, aroma therapy and most importantly: keep contact with friends and family. Try and keep up your chores and work BUT also don’t forget to do the things that make you feel good.

Create an exercise routine Being stuck at home, you’re not climbing those 8495 steps to get to the 3rd oor or walking across campus to get to the library. So try doing some stretches and exercises to get those endorphins released and the blood owing. You don’t need to be the next cardio king/queen but create a routine that you are comfortable with.

Improve your mind-set and a itude Keep positive thoughts going, try to limit your exposure to stressful and negative media/ corona updates (maybe allocate a time during the day to update yourself).

Feed yourself positive thoughts, set up a good network of support (family or friends) and try and clear your mind by doing a mind dump (there’s an example in the following pages) you can also try pintresting some ideas above these examples, nd what works for you.

Mind Dump Mind dumps are often a quick and effective tool to help you cope.

Sometimes the thoughts and fears buzzing in our brains are overwhelming and exhausting. A simple activity of writing out whatever is on your mind helps to quiet your mind and give clarity to your thoughts. This allows you to focus on certain tasks without trying to remember EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE. You can make it messy and fun or keep it neat and organised, its up to you. Make a space to get rid of all that is fogging your mind!

Feeling a bit down?

I’m g oing to the loun ge

Go outside, in the garden or by a window (if you do not have a garden)

Change your scenery, try going to another room or si ing elsewhere

Garden

Work out Listen to music

Medidate, pray, do something spiritually upli ing

Mental Health Adapted from OTASA student platform

“Its important to remember that your anxiety and worry is valid. It’s scary and there is almost no certainty of what is to come therefore it is equally helpful to lean into that emotion and acknowledge it instead of trying to fight it”

connect with family and friends! video call, chat or spend time with them

Self-care: face masks and tea!

Find apps: Try the Bloom App for example colour in, do a puzzle, calm your mind Learn something new : a new language, online courses, listen to a podcast, new sport

Be creative: paint, write a poem, journal, origami, scrapbooking, sewing- the list is endless!

I am grateful for...

Exercise Your exercise routine does not need to be strenuous and exhausting. Start off light and easy and increase it slowly. Remember to stay hydrated, look after your mind and body, maintain a healthy diet and balance the workout for all parts of your body. Below we have included a few exercise ideas (requiring no equipment). You can pick & mix to create your preferred workout. Youtube, pinterest and other apps have great workouts too!

Upper Body 15 15 10 10 10

push ups tricep dips burpees arm extensions diamond push ups

Abs 25 25 25 25 25

bicycles leg raises utter kicks scissors plank dips

Lower Body 20 20 10 10 30

squats sumo squats lunges (each leg) split squats (each leg) calf Raises (each leg)

Exercise

diamond push up

tricep dip

plank dip

burpee

lunges

leg raise

sumo squat

calf raise

Things that make me happy

Reasons to be HAPPY

Practice Good Sleep Hygiene Sleep Hygiene is the behaviour that helps you improve your sleeping conditions and habits

Use your bed for relaxation and sleep only, try to avoid doing work on or in the bed

Create a good sleep routine.

Exercise earlier in the day

Create comfortable sleeping conditions

Try and avoid alcohol before bed Avoid watching TV or stimulating your brain with bright lights and radio stimulation Limit your daytime naps to less than an hour as they can cause difficulty sleeping

Have a hot bath or do some relaxation exercises

Avoid large meals before bed-time

Avoid stimulants before bed nicotine/ caffeine

Adapted from the “Textbook of Psychiatry” by R. Emsley, W. Pienaar and S. Seedat. Chapter 17 (Normal Sleep and Sleep Disorders- G. Jordaan and C. Verster)

2.

Your Work

When doing your work, try to create a reasonable and manageable routine. Take a few moments to reect on your routine now and compare it to how you would like it to be.

When doing this, try to balance your tasks! Factor in time to prep your work area, do some self-care, eating and prepping meals and make sure you factor in time for a hobby!

Some tips: Ÿ Find your learning style and use it: visual, auditory, kinesthetic etc -

sometimes changing your style of learning to a more suitable one can help you focus and grasp concepts better Ÿ Organise your work and make a list of the modules/ assignments.

Allocate the times accordingly (e.g. more time with more difcult subjects). Ÿ Create folders and organise your les on your device so that you

remain organised. It adds structure and can help you keep a track on your work, especially when you need to come back to it after some time! Don’t make this formal, rather make a cup of tea, dress in your sweats and do this well before the time so you can do it slowly and properly Ÿ Make goals and try to achieve them. Ÿ You can make a schedule similar to that of your usual campus day

and try and stick to 45 minute work slots. Ÿ Try and make your work meaningful in a creative way- apply it to real

life, try and teach it to others or try making it into visual mind maps so that you can understand and engage with the work

2.

Your Work

Ÿ Organise your tasks- sometimes alternating difcult and easy tasks

make you more productive and scheduling certain tasks at certain times of the day help (e.g. difcult tasks in the morning as you are you awake, fresh and energetic.) Ÿ Be accountable- Choose some friends, colleagues or family to help

you stay on track. You can keep each other motivated and accountable, making it easier to stick to your plan and achieve your goals. Ÿ Use apps like: Forest or Study Bunny. Technology can be a distraction

but utilising it differently can actually benet you! Ÿ Create a pre-work routine- I make a cup of tea, sprits my favourite

essential oils and set up my work station (this signals my mind that its time to work, like a warm up before exercising)

Remember, these are just tips and do not always work for everyone, use the ones that do. Change up some of the tips and try new things, if it does not work, that’s ok. Try something new.

Asking friends for advice is always helpful, especially the ones that work in similar ways to you. is is new but soon you will find what works for you, until then, keep trying!

My day (currently) This is an activity clock. Pretend this is a clock of 24 hours in a day. Use it show your current routine by blocking off each hour and writing what you do in it. Use colours and keys if it helps.

24

3

21

18

6

9

15

12

My day (ideally) This is another activity clock, now instead of showing what your day currently looks like, try creating a clock that shows how you would like your day to look like!

24

3

21

18

6

9

15

12

7

14

21

28

6

13

20

27

Mon

Tues

29

22

15

8

1

Wed

30

23

16

9

2

urs

24

17

10

3

Fri

April

25

18

11

4

Sat

26

19

12

5

Sun

5

12

19

26

4

11

18

25

Mon

Tues

27

20

13

6

Wed

28

21

14

7

urs

29

22

15

8

1

Fri

may

30

23

16

9

2

Sat

31

24

17

10

3

Sun

3.

Your Environment

The most tricky of the 3 is this one. The environment is often out of our control and difcult to change. However, it is not impossible to make it work for you Ÿ

Create a space for your work, keep it separate from your chill space and away from anything too comfy!

Ÿ

Sometimes we don’t have extra spaces but you can convert a corner into a work area by adjusting a few things

Ÿ

Make sure the space has enough light, ventilation and good signal

Ÿ

Prep your space with the essentials before your session - water, stationery, a light etc. so that you don’t have to get up every 2 minutes.

Ÿ

Family may not know when you’re busy, make a sign for your door to signal that you are working, make them aware of your schedule so that they can come to you when you aren’t busy

Ÿ

Make sure the space is clean and clutter-free

Ÿ

Take 10 minutes everyday to walk around in your space and pack away clutter. This trick helps you maintain the neatness without feeling like you’re cleaning all the time

To you...

We hope that this book has been useful in helping you get back on track!

We know this is a stressful time but we also know that you are adaptable and tough to overcome this challenge.

You are not alone and remember it will take time to adjust so be patient with yourself. You can do this.

We wish you all the best with your studies!

If you have feedback or would like more information or help with these tips and tricks, please contact one of us and we would be happy to speak to you!

Bernelee Maschaka: berneleemaschaka@gmail.com Logan Julius logan.julius95@gmail.com Naa’ah Mayet naaah.mayet@gmail.com Tamlyn Titus titustamlyn@gmail.com Tasneem Stewart tasneemstewart27@gmail.com