Students stave off boredom

“I’ve been doing homework and laying in my hammock outside, and taking naps,” sophomore Jackie Nguyen said. “Lots of naps. Also I’m making a lot of friendship bracelets, so that takes up tons of my time.” 

Sophomore Counselor and Director of Health and Wellness Rebecca Damron-Whitehead has some recommendations on productive and healthy ways to keep boredom away, and take care of your mental health. 

“I would say the biggest priority in keeping our minds right in all of this would be to establish a sustainable routine,” Damron-Whitehead said. “We have been forced to step outside of our normal habits and schedules, so it’s important to make it a priority to make a new one. Creating a sense of normalcy amongst the chaos will help us cope with these uncertain times.

For sophomore Keller Anderson forming a new schedule was easy, and it keeps him busy all day. 

“I make sure to wake up the same time everyday, then I go for a run,” Anderson said. “Then I usually do my homework and spend the rest of the day talking to friends or hanging with my family.”

Damron-Whitehead also emphasized spending time finding ways to prioritize  mental health during quarantine. 

“I would encourage everyone to identify at least one person they can talk to to about how they’re feeling about everything going on in the world,” Damron-Whitehead said. 

Freshman Lundyn Cox stays occupied by doing the things she usually doesn’t have time for. 

“I’ve been watching a lot of Netflix,” Cox said. “I’ve also been spending time doing art and FaceTiming my friends all day.”

Lastly, Damron-Whitehead wants to remind everyone to have patience and be kind to everyone including yourself. 

“I would encourage everyone to have compassion for themselves and each other,” Damron-Whitehead said. “We are not going to get through this without hitting some bumps or having a few hiccups along the way. We need to be able to forgive ourselves and each other when we miss the mark, because we most certainly will.”

In short, Damron-Whitehead suggests students find the things they want to do but stay routined. Spend time with their family and call their friends. But above all else, stay healthy.