Huskie Tips for Coping with Covid-19

Ideas from OPRF Student Services

Thank you to all who completed our survey on remote learning! Based on your feedback, we found that certain issues are especially stressful for our students right now. Read on for some ideas on how you can manage these challenges.

The Challenge: Motivation

The struggle is real, and you are not alone!

Try this:

  • Set a list of priorities for each day. What must get done today? What can you get started on, but don’t quite have to finish today? Then make sure you follow through.  Check off what you have completed and put what still needs to be completed on tomorrow’s list.
  • Take breaks between each major assignment or chunks of a project. Take a walk, have an individual dance party, make a healthy snack. Try to limit these breaks to 10-15 minutes and then get back at it!
  • Ask for help! Don’t stop when you get stuck. Email your teacher, call a friend, ask your counselor for help.   
  • Reward yourself. When you reach your daily goals - celebrate!  Watch your favorite show, go for a solo run or a walk, take a nap or do something meaningful to you! 
  • Reach out to a trusted adult who can encourage you to get unstuck.   Find your OPRF people here!

Resources to help with motivation and focus:

The Challenge: Remote Learning

This is so different from just coming to school.

Try this:

  • Create a realistic daily schedule, one you will follow.  Use your planner and create checklists of what you want to accomplish each day and week.  
  • Check-in for your attendance every day!
  • Limit the time you spend on each class to 30 to 40 minutes per day. If one class takes less time, bank those extra minutes for another class. 
  • Take notes in your classes to help recall important facts and information for later.
  • Reach out directly to teachers if you have questions about content or need help managing your work. Find your teacher here!
  • Perfection is not a goal.  Be kind to yourself. This is not easy and we are all figuring this out together. 

Resources for how to be an effective remote learner:

The Challenge: Managing Stress

Will it ever end?

Try this:

  • Understand that stress comes and goes.  A reasonable amount of stress is a part of everyone’s life, so don’t panic.  
  • Try a mindfulness activity: Sit up straight, plant both feet flat on the floor, and slowly take five full, deep breaths.
  • Connect to the familiar. There are still a lot of things that haven’t changed. Focus attention on those things to find your center.
  • Socialize intentionally.  Make weekly voice or video contact to check in and connect with close friends and loved ones. Take a break from the text!
  • Find time for self-care, a key to peace of mind.
  • Find things that spark joy! Lean into hobbies or activities that bring you happiness. Read books, play games, learn a skill like sewing, coding, cooking, drawing etc.
  • Reach out to your OPRF social worker when feelings become too much for you to manage on your own.  

Resources for managing stress:

The Challenge: Developing Healthy Habits

Your physical health is connected to your mental health.

Try this:

  • Physical well-being is important to your mental health too. Create a healthy structure for each day.
  • Get daily exercise. Incorporate movement breaks throughout the day.
  • Wind down in the evening with yoga, a walk, or some other light activity.
  • Eat regular, healthy meals and stay hydrated. 
  • Turn off all screens at least an hour before bedtime.  This is more important now with increased reliance on electronics!
  • Strive for uninterrupted sleep of eight to 10 hours a night. 
  • Connect with your PE teacher for helpful tips and suggestions for staying active during these times.

Resources for healthy habits:

The Challenge: Being the Class of 2020

This was not the way senior year was supposed to end.

Try this:

  • Uncertainty is not fun, and having your senior year not meet your expectations is a different kind of hurt. You are not alone.
  • Sadness around loss moves through stages. There’s nothing wrong with the feelings you are having.
  • Reach out to your loved ones when you need to process moving through these stages.
  • OPRF is here for you, and we will walk with you through this. Your counselor, social worker, teachers, coaches, and other staff are here to support and celebrate you. Find your OPRF people here!

Resources for dealing with this grief: