“It’s just that I don’t feel motivated to do anything anymore” is a sentence I have been hearing from so many people lately. The truth is that over lockdown I’ve spent more time looking through my phone and rewatching shows than I’d like to admit, and I am sure many other students have too. After all, it often feels like days are just blurring together and after a day of work I am exhausted and all I want to do is lie down. What’s important is to remember that those feelings are completely valid, many of us are going through it. Wanting to watch a comfort tv show, for example, at such an uncertain time in our lives is not a crime at all.
With that being said, I think it's also important that we talk about this and find out ways we can be, and feel more productive. This is why I’m suggesting one thing to you, try doing one new thing every day. Even if it's just for a week. The following is a list of things I did over lockdown, one at a time, to keep myself entertained and feeling like each day had a little bit more purpose and was helping me get somewhere.
1. Buy a little (or big if you want) plant and try taking care of it.
This takes more than one day but I had never done this before and I’m really enjoying it.
2. Change the space you're in.
If you can, try taking class (online) in a different room or location one day. Or if you’ve been spending a lot of time in your room, try to spend more time in another place of your house that day.
3. Take a walk without any destination.
My friends and I have done this a couple of times where we met up outside our houses and just kept walking in a random direction in Milan. We ended up in places we didn’t know existed, and it was really fun every single time. Of course you can do this with anyone, or even by yourself and listen to music while you walk for a bit.
4. Try painting something!
This is my personal favourite, just because I do it so much already that it has been really fun trying different things out every time. But if you are someone who doesn’t paint a lot, I strongly recommend taking some time out of your day to try it, even while watching something in the background, or on zoom with a friend, or with your family.
5. Do a new workout routine.
If you usually stick to something in particular for exercise at home, maybe try something different for a day. This could be just working on something else, or trying to learn a new skill like kickboxing or yoga entirely.
6. Baking/cooking.
These two are super fun because you can make food with/for your family one night if you usually don’t do that. Or maybe you can call with friends and all buy the same ingredients to bake cookies or something from afar! You can even do this then have a digital movie night eating what you made after.
7. Take time to organise yourself.
Get a bullet journal and work on organising your week and just thinking things through so life feels a bit more put in order. This could also be as simple as cleaning up your messy google drive folders or just organising your closet. Anything that might help you feel more calm and that might actually be fun while talking to someone or listening to music.
8. Remember to reach out.
Now this one could be at any time, but I think it’s important for us to remember that we aren’t going through all of this alone, everyone around us is at home too. So, reach out to people. Ask them if they wanna meet up and say hi even if it's just to go to a park, or just to call and catch up. Right now we all wish we could be hanging out with people, so even a simple, “Hi! it's been so long, how are you?” can also make your friend’s day as well.
So, next time you say you don’t feel motivated, don’t worry, it’s okay. It’s not just you. The fact is that we have been away from so many people for so long, and it can cause us to feel like we’re alone in this. WE AREN’T. And, remember, if you need to boost your motivation to do other things a bit, try starting by telling yourself to do just one new thing today. You’ll be surprised how much it helps.
Stay safe! Everything will get better soon :)
- Julia Andrade Rozario Da Silva
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