This is it, we’re a week in and are all going stir-crazy. The first week was okay, but now we’re potentially looking at another few weeks and our brains will be mush if we don’t all start doing something together, while apart!!
When everything is in a weird kind of calm panic with no answers, remember we’re all in this together and social isolation and distancing doesn’t mean you have to cut off all your connection to the world. We are so lucky that we are digitally more connected than ever, and all we need is some wifi to talk to our friends, teammates and (sorry!) teachers to keep some sense of normalcy going.
Stay Connected
Cheerleading is a community of millions around the world! And they’re all feeling the same way as you with the postponement of worlds, the weird limbo of the end of the season, and all the uncertainty ahead. But they all love the same sport! And amongst those millions are people who like the same video games, Tik Toks, memes, and movies. Staying home is less lonely when you do it with someone else, so stay connected with your team and find a new interstate — or international — cheer buddy to stay connected with, apart.
Stay Entertained
All you need is a wifi connection! Here are some of our faves to keep us together when we’re apart:
Host long-distance Netflix movie nights with your besties.
A fun (and free!) multiplayer drawing and guessing game, supporting up to 12 players at once.
Play over 800 board games online for free.
Video games! Animal Crossing just dropped, go show off your fish or whatever it is people do in the game.
Have themed calls with your team. Competition ready! PJ day (most days, lol), crazy hair day, fave gym sweater!
Study from Home
Studying from home, or as we like to call it, “browsing websites and looking at anything but schoolwork” is harrrrrrd. We get it. The entire internet is right there and full of dog pics and videos. But there’s power in productivity and making sure you still keep up with your homework and school study packs. If you don’t have a teacher holding virtual classes, learning self-discipline during this time is an excellent life skill!
Study space: Set up a clean space for a clear mindset. Working on your laptop in bed, or on the couch in front of the tv… it’s not optimal or sustainable long-term. Rearrange your room so you’re near natural light, or set up a study space in your parent’s home office (if they have one). Your study space is your study space ONLY. If you play PC games, make sure there’s a clear difference from study time at your desk, and playtime. Whether that’s turning off an external monitor, putting a study chart on the wall during study hours, or having a different lighting scheme, setting boundaries will train your brain to understand the difference.
Schedule: Make yourself sit down for two one hour sessions, minimum, each day. Put your phone on airplane mode, close all browser tabs you don’t need, put on some focus music (Spotify has some great focus playlists) and get it done.
Communicate: In addition to your two hours of personal study, set aside one hour a day to study with someone else. Ten minutes can be catchup in the beginning, and then hold each other accountable for the remaining 50 minutes to discuss and go over the subject/project.
Family distancing! Hard to do when you’re all stuck in the house together, but make it know that your study time is YOUR STUDY TIME. They can’t knock on the door, ask you questions, play outside your door or interrupt you until you’re done.