As we are in the midst of this three-week period of confusion, distraught and even boredom, we may be left wondering if there even is an end in sight. There seems to be not one good thing that has happened in the past week. Now students may think that a three-week Spring Break is amazing, but many Spring Break trips have been cancelled, there are no sports to watch and on top of that the weather seems to be mimicking the eerie feeling of the coronavirus. It may seem like the whole world is crashing down, but in a time like this, it is more important than ever to maintain a positive mindset.
We left school in the middle of all its chaos: transitioning from winter sports to spring sports, getting ready for standardized tests and AP exams and feeling the excitement for the long awaited Spring Break. Now that almost all of those plans have been affected, we have three weeks of absolutely nothing. Many students’ jobs have been halted as well, along with those of their parents. So if you have no school, no sports and no work, what is there to do?
Take this opportunity to spend more time doing those things you’ve always told yourself you should do, but had no time for. Most high schoolers are so caught up with all the stress and pressures around them that it’s easy to forget about taking time to do things for yourself. Whether it’s spending more time with your family and pets or even finally cleaning your room, with this three-week break you can make the most of it by catching up on the rest of your life.
Another positive that can come from this pause in life is just time to relax. Of course, high school is stressful, so the fact that we have this unexpected break offers us a perfect time to destress and get everything together before we finish the last few weeks of school when we get back. At the same time, this break doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be learning at all. It’s important to keep up with your own education. For example, you can catch up on some of the math topics that were confusing but there wasn’t enough class time to go back and review, or you can start a book that you have wanted to read but didn’t have the time for. For the especially proactive student, looking ahead to future topics that are going to be taught in your classes can help ease the stress of when we go back to school. This is also the perfect time to start or continue studying for big tests coming up, like the SAT, ACT or AP exams. We don’t have any
incoming school work for now, there are no sports practices or games and most jobs have been called off or modified, so there is this three-week window of opportunity that we can find ways to take advantage of.
But most of all, it is important to not stress about or dwell too much over any events you were planning on attending that may have been cancelled, or to spend too much time obsessing over what you might be missing out on. To put this into perspective, the coronavirus has affected the whole world, some countries far worse than ours, so everyone is impacted in some way, not just certain individuals. So it is important that we don’t spend time dwelling over what we may be missing out on because chances are the person right next to you is missing out on something as well. Once we get back, everyone will just be doing their best to pick up where they left off.
Saving money is also a positive that can come out of the coronavirus pandemic. Many Spring Break trips have been cancelled, and quarantine mandates have prohibited our accessibility to restaurants and other activities. Therefore, there is the chance to spend less and save more for possible trips in the summer or next school year. Also, the improvement of the environment has been one significant outcome of quartining from the coronavirus. According to CNN reporter Ivana Kottasova, the strict actions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in China has cut deadly air pollution dramatically. So many jobs and companies have paused or decreased their production, causing there to be fewer cars on the road, less frequent flights and an overall reduction in air pollution and carbon emissions.
The coronavirus isn’t something to be taken lightly. Thinking positively is an important mindset, but that doesn’t mean the coronavirus is a positive thing. Our role as citizens of this world is to help in any way possible to flatten to curve and slow down the spread. That being said, when you’re stuck at home for these three weeks, take the time to reflect and keep thinking towards a positive outcome.