We hope you are all doing well and wanted to remind you that we are still here and available to help support you however we can both through email and Zoom.

We all recognize what a difficult and challenging situation we are in. We have been sharing some tips with you each week and hope to highlight them for you here:

It is important to find a routine and keep to a schedule, both for your daily school routine and your sleep schedule. To practice good sleep hygiene, it’s important to go to sleep and wake up at about the same time everyday and to stay out of your bed throughout the day. During the weekdays you can follow the school day schedule by taking movement breaks during passing periods as well as lunch time connections with friends. And even though you may not have after school activities at this time, you can still take a break, grab a healthy snack and get creative by doing some- thing that brings a smile to your face.

Staying connected with our friends through FaceTime, Zoom Text or any other way is another important way to support ourselves through these times. Hopefully you have managed to find even more creative ways to connect like virtual yoga, baking together through Zoom and then sharing the baked goods by dropping them off at your friends’ door. Ever thought of trying a DoorDash pizza party? How about combining time outside while connecting with friends by doing a talk and walk down the block? Tap into that creativity again!

It is also important to stay connected with our family. Since sheltering in place is truly out of our control, we can all use this as an opportunity to connect or reconnect with our family by spending some quality time together. We are blessed to have more time for sit-down dinners so try to have fun by cooking a family meal together or support a local business by enjoying some take-out. But don’t stop with dinner. After dinner you can dust off those board games or watch a comedy series on Netflix.

Practicing self-care throughout your week is of the utmost importance. Try incorporating something new each day or each week. Self-care can be something different for everyone. What is important is to deliberately schedule some time out of your day to do something you enjoy and care for your body and soul. Exercise and meditation are great ways to go about self-care, but it can also be listening to music, playing an instrument, dancing it out, journaling, reading a book, doing some deep breathing, baking and getting creative in the kitchen, going for a bike ride, watching a comedy, going for a run, cuddling with a pet or watching some puppy videos on You- Tube. The possibilities are endless!

Most importantly, do not hesitate to reach out for support. Although not there physically, remember there are supports all around you. If you are finding yourself having a hard time with the adjustment to remote learning and sheltering at home, your teachers, your advisor and your counselor here at Harker are ready to support you when you reach out!

Access the counseling team’s wellness letters on Schoology.

This article was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on May 20, 2020.