The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted much of daily life, not least university life, in light of past and upcoming national lockdowns. This blog aims to provide a few tips for coping and continuing to thrive throughout your psychology degree, whether you are a first-year student or in your final year.
#1 University work
Without access to physical university libraries, study groups, face-to-face contact with tutors and lectures, staying focussed and keeping on top of university work may be more difficult than ever. But preparing for your modules ahead of time and setting aside some time each week to read around a particular topic may pay off in the long run. To help with this, you may find setting a schedule (e.g. using Google calendar, a physical diary, reminders on your phone) an incredibly useful tool to keeping you motivated to prepare each week. If you struggle to concentrate when working on your own, it could also help to find a course friend or housemate to set aside time together each week to watch lectures together, or read around together to keep each other motivated.
#2 Keep busy (but also have downtime!)
As I’ve touched on earlier in this blog, keeping a schedule and a setting a weekly routine can help massively with worry and stress about upcoming work. If you find yourself with extra free time after accounting for university work, there may be something worthwhile in making something of the extra time at home if you’re affected by local lockdowns. Indeed, staying busy is a natural way for many people to mitigate over-thinking and worry. This may even be an opportunity for you to learn a skill, such as learning to cook, learning a language, or learning how best to budget. With the world moving online there are many opportunities out there.
#3 Seek out opportunities
The world is moving online as a result of the pandemic. Many events that may have near impossible to attend may be now easily accessible from the comfort of your own room. This may be a great a time to seek out opportunities that can build your CV. There may be free or fee-reduced online courses via your university or across other universities, or on other course-specific websites like Udemy. You may be able to volunteer online, train to become a volunteer, or there may be new volunteering opportunities in your city. Perhaps even have a think about what you want to do after your degree (I’d recommend looking at the website Prospects for specific breakdowns of career paths and what you need to do to reach them), in guiding you in your search for new opportunities.
#4 Stay connected
With local and national lockdowns pending, there is no better time to stay connected to those close to you. Loneliness has been a worry on many minds through the pandemic, with many people living alone or only having just moved to university halls. There are many means to stay connected, including regular Zoom or Facebook calls with family and friends back home. You could even host pub quizzes online to make an evening slightly more fun and pass the time.
If you’re new to your university, it could also be worth exploring support there is available, whether it’s financial support or mental health support. You may be able to find this on your University Portal or through your personal tutors. Remember, your university is there to support you if you need it.
While it may be super cheesy to begin with, online Zoom calls with a university society could be a great way to meet new people. The great thing about university societies is that there is usually something for anyone, including whether you’re a postgraduate student of a third year. You never know: many people may be in a similar boat to you and you could meet some great people.
#5 Look after yourself
We know that one of the best ways to combat stress is to look after yourself physically. The UK Government, at the moment, currently allow going outside with people from your household for exercise. Exercise is one of the best ways to help with sleep, stress, and generally keeping you happy and healthy. Fresh air and a change of scenery can sometimes really help to combat cabin fever. Perhaps you could use going for a walk as an opportunity to explore your city, or to have a look on YouTube for some indoor workouts you could do on your own or with your housemates. Also, remember to try to eat as healthily as possible and staying hydrated.
– Rosie
Rosie Psychology: Your online tutor 