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Freshman guide: How to make the most of your two weeks in quarantine

3 years ago

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By Patrick de Kretser University has always been a challenge; adapting to a new environment in a new country has always been tedious and finding out what you should do first once you get there is always irritating, but all that has been projected on freshman students even more this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nowadays, you will first have to deal with the reality of being trapped within a closed space for two weeks in order to ensure you’re Covid-19-free. It is no doubt an incredibly daunting task to face, especially since you will be completely isolated from the outside world and will immediately have to deal with adjusting to your university course straight after. Many people will find it a struggle to stay productive in such cramped conditions, especially for those who dislike having to be productive within their own living quarters. That is why the key to success lies in finding a solution to this problem – hence this article. I hope you find something that can help you as well.  Below are three easy tips to go about it.
  1.   Maintain a daily exercise workout
For many freshmen, being productive means being mentally prepared to get down to the tasks at hand, and staying focused for long periods of time. However, mental preparation inside a quarantined facility is not quite the same. You will be waking up in the same small space for the next two weeks, each time feeling lethargic and aimless combined with a lack of social interaction and outside engagement. That is why staying in physical shape is an important step to getting your mind in the groove. These days, workout videos are popping up even more than before on YouTube and specific “two-week” routines are also available for those in self-isolation. Evidently, you will have a lot of resources at your disposal to accomplish this task.
  1.   Create a journal specifically for quarantine and update it daily
If you already have a journal and maintain it on a frequent basis, then this tip will be less useful for you – you are already on the right track. For those who don’t, I suggest you create a journal specifically for the quarantine period so that you can update it daily to collect your thoughts and track your progress. Unlike regular “bullet journalling” advice that you often might come across, this journal idea that I am recommending is merely for those two weeks when you need to keep yourself occupied. So if regular journalling is not up your alley, don’t fret. For those who wish to try it out, it would be an added advantage if you kept it up even after your self-isolation period ends, as journalling is something that benefits a lot of people in university.  
  1.                   Schedule frequent calls with your friends and family
If you don’t find the idea of social interaction that appealing, I do apologise in advance. But staying in contact with people over the phone or by video chat is always a great way to keep yourself level-headed. The mental impact of two weeks in isolation can range from mild to severe; sometimes, it can even go to an extreme where you think you are going insane as a result of not being able to leave your room. As such, I advise you to play this safe and maintain regular social contact with people to mitigate these possible effects. In addition, if your university course has not already started by the time you self-isolate, you can even use this opportunity to perform group study sessions with your orientation batches on your first few modules. For people such as myself, group sessions are one of the most efficient ways to maintain high productivity levels and keep yourself occupied for lengthy periods of time. There is a lot you can gain from doing this. Besides, what do you have to lose by not trying it out? Even for introverts, this much isolation is unhealthy and won’t prepare you well for your first few weeks at university. Give it a go and drop your Zoom Google rating on how useful it was after you finish your first session.

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