Tackling Uncertainty

By Karlie Van Meter, Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Management major and Big Red Resilience & Well-Being Ambassador

We all are experiencing so many different feelings and uncertainties during the current COVID-19 pandemic. These uncertainties may involve your education, your job, summer internships, finances, relationships, the safety of yourself and loved ones, and so on. To help deal with all of these uncertainties, here are some tips that have helped me.

Normalize your life as much as possible.

This pandemic is something many of us have never experienced before. We are so used to going from one place to another at a specific time. Now we have a 24-hour day and we don’t know what to do with it.

• Make a daily schedule to follow. Set designated time to prioritize different aspects of your life. Examples of this could include time to socialize with friends, time to exercise, time directed to your passion, time for school, time to eat, etc.
• Rest. Follow a regular sleeping schedule by setting alarms to wake up and go to bed every day.
• Begin your day by making your bed. If you get up and complete the first task of the day, it will be easier to complete more throughout your day.
• Keep connected by reaching out to others. Make sure you do keep human interaction in your life. Call your friends and talk about something completely random or discuss what is happening and how you are feeling.

Use this time to focus on yourself.

We live in a society so used to going from one place automatically to another. Personally, living in the rush, I find it hard to focus on myself. I have been able to reflect more about what I want for my future and my life.

• Start a journal. Take a little time every day to write exactly what you are thinking and feeling. This will help you by allowing yourself to realize how you truly feel about the situation and life in general.
• Set goals. Reflect on where you are now and where you want to be. Make a plan on how you are going to get there.
• Disconnect from everything. Do something that helps you express yourself without any distractions. Examples could include art, working out, music, mediation/deep-thinking.
• Work on aspects of your life that you haven’t been able to. For example, working out and eating healthy are two factors that I lost when coming to college. I was able to use my free time to get back to those old habits again.
• Recognize how you are feeling. If you realize you do need help, know it is normal and there are resources to help you:
  Counseling and Psychological Services: 402.472.7450
  National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1.800.273.8225
  Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

Make your time worth something.

As I stated prior, we aren’t used to having a lot of time and not a lot to do. Find ways to use the extra time to do something productive. The best quote I have heard during this pandemic is from a friend who told me, “If you come out of quarantine as the same person, then you have done something wrong. Make yourself and others around you better.”

• Continue your passion. Passions increase happiness. Find what you love to do and be involved somehow. There are so many resources to incorporate your passions into your life virtually. Stream some new movies; watch virtual sporting events, Broadway productions and concerts; try new workouts, new recipes or a new art project; cross some books of your reading list.
• Develop relationships further. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but if you happen to be quarantined with others, use the time to focus on your relationships and strengthen them. For example, I have been able to use this time to grow closer to each member of my immediate family without basic life distractions.
• Research for your future. Look up different opportunities you could go for or different scholarships for current students. You never know what you could find.
• Begin something new. Try doing virtual yoga, watching a Broadway show, learn another language or start a new book series. Use the time to experiment with different interests.

Big Red Resilience & Well-Being staff continue to support students and can be reached via email at resilience@unl.edu. For more resources regarding COVID-19, visit covid19.unl.edu.

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