Getting Used to the New Normal

My first blog for the 2020 - 2021 year! I'm going to start off this blog by giving a quick introduction to myself. My name is Zoya and I’m currently finishing up my undergraduate degree in Computer Systems Engineering. I’m super excited to be a part of the CU-WISE team this year and to be bringing you blog posts every month!

2020 has been quite the year so far, from a global pandemic, to everything else that’s been going on around the world, it can be a lot to take in. It’s normal to feel scared, helpless, nervous, sad, and any other emotion during this time. The lockdown started right around the most stressful time for university students - the end of the semester and exam time. Students and professors alike had to quickly get used to this new normal and adapt to virtual learning platforms. I think we can all go our lifetime without hearing the term “zoom session” again.

This whole experience can be very stressful and take a toll on everyone in different ways. I personally felt really stressed and told myself “just a few more weeks until this semester is finished.” But once the school year did finish, I still felt a lot of stress surrounding the current state of the world. I found that painting, daily walks, and bike rides really helped alleviate some of the stress. It can also be really hard to stay connected with friends while abiding by social distancing rules. My friends and I have been staying connected using many different apps such as “HouseParty” which essentially lets you and your friends have a virtual hangout, similar to Skype and FaceTime.

Now that it’s been a few months, most people have been able to adapt to this new way of life. At this point, the most important and helpful thing to do during these unprecedented times is to listen to our public health officials and the WHO to ensure everyone’s safety. With all this extra time at home, this is also a perfect time to work on any projects or start up on hobbies that you usually would not have time for, you know what they say: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”

But, to that same point, if you don’t feel productive and don’t see this as a time to begin your side hustle that is completely fine too, more than fine actually!! Through all of this we need to remember that we are going through a global pandemic and it's okay to not be okay sometimes.

As we begin the second half of the summer semester for some students, and the second leg of summer for everyone else, let's all remember to check in on our friends and family. This is a hard time, but we are going to get through it, together!

Stay safe, stay inspired, and stay passionate!

-Zoya

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