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Overcoming the Challenges of Distance Learning

Overcoming the Challenge of Distance Learning
Dr. Priya Pandit, PsyD – Sacred Heart University Counseling Center

“Do it today or later you’ll pay.”—Homework Planner Gifted to Harry Potter by Hermione Granger

These times have brought with them an onslaught of new experiences; distance learning being one of them. The majority of us are used to the familiarity of in-person lectures, labs, study groups, and this transition to online has been a challenging one.

Here are some tips and tricks for being successful!

Define a “New Normal”
For many of us this transition has significantly disrupted our daily routine. We no longer have set times to go into work or class that previously gave structure to our days. Nonetheless, establishing a structured routine continues to be important and helpful. Consider writing out a daily routine to help fuel your motivation and stay productive throughout your day. If your class isn’t already, consider “going to it” at the same time it would have been scheduled if it were in person.

An example routine:

Cover Up
Some online assignments or exams can include countdown clocks, which may heighten some people’s anxiety.

A quick and easy solution to this is using a post-it note to cover up the clock to help better pace yourself and focus.

Re-establish a Baseline
You may find that your focus has been disrupted during this time. If you are struggling to focus on your work, break down your work into more manageable chunks.

Example: Set a timer and work for just 5 minutes at a time. After that period of productivity take a small break (watch a funny video, stretch, get some fresh air), and start it over again. After some time, slowly increase the time spent working. Keep practicing this exercise until your attention span has resumed.

Schedule “Worry Times”
With this increased time of anxiety, it can be easy to find ourselves consumed with our worry, taking away from our attention. To help minimize this all-consuming anxiety, consider scheduling times to worry.

When a thought pops up, write it down and remind yourself you will attend to it during your “worry time”.

When the time comes, set a timer (15-30 minutes) to attend to all your worries. Imagine the worry in full detail and rate the severity and likelihood of the worry.

Use a relaxation technique to calm down. Think through the worry using the following strategies:

• Problem-solving: plan out what you have control over in the situation, then take action
• Positive self-support in writing or self-talk
• If a worry is still at a high level, schedule it again for a future session

When the timer ends, engage in a self-care activity to help you re-focus and move away from the worrisome thoughts.

Anxiety in the Wake of a Pandemic
Dr. Priya Pandit, PsyD – Sacred Heart University Counseling Center

 

“No good sittin' and worryin' abou' it. What’s coming will come and we’ll meet it when it does.”—Rubeus Hagird

In these uncertain times, our anxiety is likely high. We have access to a 24/7 news cycle, bombarding us with ever changing information about the novel coronavirus than we can keep up with. You may have heard many individuals comparing this virus to the flu in recent weeks, yet you probably do not consider the flu with the same level of fear or panic. Why is that?

Beyond the scientific differences between the two diseases, the flu is a known entity. We are familiar with it, we have studied it, we may have personally experienced it, we have treatment for it. What makes coronavirus so alarming is the fear of the unknown. This is a new disease, we don’t fully understand it, we have never suffered through this, and therefore we don’t know what is coming next. So, how do we address our fears?

What Is In My Control?
It is easy for our fear to get the best of us and our mind to wander to a multitude of worries, but let me ask you, how is that helping you? It is likely, its not. In that case, re-focus your mind on what is in your control. Are you using your time well? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you practicing good health and hygiene?

It can be helpful to remember the Serenity Prayer in times like these. You may consider using it as a daily mantra:

Take Media Breaks
Do you need to follow every tweet, press conference, or update? Consider if it helping or hindering you? If you, like many, are finding the onslaught of news overwhelming, consider taking a break from the media. Perhaps schedule brief periods of time to get caught up daily, muting news organizations or asking family/friends to respect your boundaries outside of those times.

Focus on the Here and Now
Mindfulness is the practice of expanding one’s sense of self-awareness. It is defined as “a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment.” Specific practices that promote mindfulness include, but are not limited to: guided imagery, yoga, and tai-chi.

Meditation is the practice of directing one’s attention to a single point of reference. It may involve focusing on one’s breath, on bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase known as a mantra. All in all, meditation involves one turning their attention away from distracting thoughts and focusing their attention on the present moment.

Research on mindfulness and meditation has outlined the following benefits:

• Reduce how much time you spend worrying or experiencing anxiety
• Reduce overall stress
• Improve one’s working memory
• Improve your ability to focus on a specific experience or task and improve concentration
• Improve ability to manage emotions in a healthy way, rather than disengage or react to emotional     
  experiences negatively
• Help our brains create new and more adaptive neural pathways, resulting in less rigid, more creative and     
  flexible thinking
• Can help people respond to relationship stress in better ways, resulting in improved communication and the ability to reflect on positive aspects of relationships, which lead to greater feelings of satisfaction within
  relationships

Positive Reframe
While this situation is less than ideal, it can be helpful to apply a positive outlook. This time home may provide opportunities for you to take up a new hobby or try something you’ve always wanted to try. Is there a book you’ve wanted to read? Is there a new dish you’ve always wanted to try? Is there some art you have always wanted to make? Take advantage of this extra time to create something and be productive.

 

 

Loneliness in the face of Social Distancing

Loneliness in the face of Social Distancing
Dr. Priya Pandit, PsyD—Sacred Heart University Counseling Center

“Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”—Albus Dumbledore

In these extraordinary and challenging times, social distancing is crucial and necessary to lessen the impacts of the novel coronavirus. While it is absolutely essential, it does not make it any less difficult. In fact, love and belonging fall in third place among the psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, just after physiological and safety needs. People are having to spend extended periods of time away from family, friends, and significant others. Often times, isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness, and in some cases symptoms of depression.

So, how can we combat these negative impacts?

Technology
This is a time to be using our technological advances to our advantage. In this day an age we have incredible access to our loved ones at our finger tips. Phone calls, text messages, video chats, social media, etc. Use these various platforms to stay connected.

Do you go out for coffee dates with your friends every week? Set up a video date to keep your standing hang out, share a cup of coffee and catch up. Or maybe use video chats to have family dinners #AloneTogether. However you choose to stay connected, it can be helpful to “schedule” regular dates to maintain as much of your sense of routine as possible.

Self-Care
“Self-care” has become a popular buzzword, but what it is really? Self-care involves engaging in any activity we do intentionally in order to attend to our mental, emotional, and physical health. While that may sound simple and easy enough, in our busy lives, it often falls to the wayside. In these uncertain times, we need to be taking care of ourselves more than ever! Proper self-care is paramount to improving our mood and reducing feelings of depression or anxiety. Consider finding small ways to take care of yourselves every day. This might mean going for a walk in your neighborhood, doing yoga or a work out at home, reading a good book, or catching up on a fun show!