COVID-19 has impacted our lives in many ways: the way we dine, shop for groceries and even how we learn. The confusion and given circumstances have impacted our lives for better or worse. With no end in sight to the pandemic, it’s about time students begin to learn and understand how to deal with and balance a quarantine lifestyle at home. 

Edward Valenzuela, physical education and digital media teacher at Middle College High School, stated that even he was depressed for the students because of the difficult situation. Valenzuela gave advice on how students should be handling the current setting. 

Valenzuela said, “Do the easy work first so that it doesn’t stress you out.”

Stress can play a big role in the way we get things done and could even demotivate someone to do something, so keeping those levels down by getting simple things such as reading, workout logs, agendas and homework out of the way can be of great service. 

Valenzuela also stated, “Do the work when you’re supposed to do it so that you don’t stress.”

It puts more unnecessary stress upon themselves which is harmful as previously stated. One can prevent this with reminders and agendas. Planning out what’s due and how to divide time can be very helpful and relieve a great amount of the weight already placed upon many people’s shoulders at this time. 

As a whole, it’s quite hard to maintain that motivation considering we’re forced inside or away from social interaction, but one of the solutions Valenzuela offered was finding activities such as walks or talks with family to enable the social interaction side of ourselves. 

“Take walks, do things for the psychological fun of it!”

This pandemic will continue to take its toll on everyone, but by surviving it we will come to appreciate that which we had and be better lifelong learners and citizens.