Photo by Isabella McCutcheon

Students walk through the halls during their “in-school” day.

After nearly two long months of remote learning, LHS is finally making the switch back into the hybrid learning style. Although many people are excited about the change, that isn’t the case for everyone. Trying to adjust to a routine that you haven’t been in since November isn’t always easy, and can oftentimes feel stressful and overwhelming.

With that said, even if you are feeling anxious about returning to the halls of LHS, you can still apply different tips and tricks to your life to make the transition much less painful.

1. Make a list

Although there is a bell schedule to help manage your school day, managing the tasks before and after school can sometimes become a struggle. Maybe every morning you forget to grab your mask, or each day after school you neglect to do that one homework assignment. Regardless of which tasks you are juggling, compiling a list can help you make sure you aren’t forgetting anything, and also gives more structure to your day. For instance, if mornings are the struggle for you, try making a list of everything you have to do before you leave the house. The next day, you will essentially have a checklist of what needs to be accomplished.

2. Be consistent

Perhaps you are excited to return to school, but completing work on remote days is a struggle for you. To get yourself into a more productive mindset, you should treat your remote days identical to a typical school day. This means getting up and going about your morning the same way you would for school, then settling in at the computer to start work at 7:30.  Start by completing your A period classwork, then work your way through the day. Although you can’t be sitting at a desk in LHS like you may desire, formatting your work this way will make you more productive.

3. Make time for yourself

With midterms around the corner, it may feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish what you need to. With this said, it is still important to work in time for yourself, no matter how busy you are. Including sections of time throughout your day where you can relax and get away from your work is a great way to make sure you are not overwhelmed and constantly stressed. Even if you can only squeeze in 20 minutes for you to decompress for a while, doing so will give you a moment to rejuvenate and be ready to continue with your day.

4. Set goals for yourself

Since the school year has been so different than years past, it is easy to feel drained from everything going on. Sometimes putting in the effort to do homework or study just feels like it is impossible. However, a good way to encourage yourself to stay motivated and on top of your schoolwork is setting goals. Try setting two goals for yourself, one long term and one short term. 

Your short term goal can focus on something you would want to accomplish or work at throughout the span of a few days or a week. For instance, you could set a short term goal of finishing that one math packet you have been neglecting for days by the end of the week. Your long term goal can be something you need to work at for a long amount of time, like aiming to earn an A in English class. No matter what goals you set for yourself, having something specific in mind for you to work towards can be helpful.

5. Prepare for the next day

Although you might be tempted to hop right into bed at night, it can be effective to prepare the items you would need the next day ahead of time. This way, your morning can run much more smoothly. For instance, picking out your outfit, packing your lunch, or laying out your laptop and homework for the next day are all ways you can make your morning less stressful. The less time you spend in the morning getting yourself ready, the more time you can spend sleeping or cooking yourself breakfast.