Since the weekend I got home, I have been at home with my mother and my older brother. He is convinced that I might be setting some kind of record for the person to stay home the longest during quarantine, but I doubt it. I just thoroughly enjoy being inside, and although I do miss the normal pace of life in NYC, I am not too down about the fact that I’ve been inside for a couple months. Being home has given me so much time to reflect and work on disciplining myself in order to stay on top of my work. I will say, it has been difficult to cope healthily with what is going on around me while staying up to date with my tasks, but things like to-do lists and creating due dates on a calendar for myself have been helping me stay productive even when I don’t necessarily want to be.  I also have realized the importance of listening to my body, since now might be the easiest time for me to mentally burn out. I try to push myself but also rest for as long as I may need to because this is a very stressful time for many of us, and it isn’t always easy to produce work under these conditions. 

             Thankfully, through On-Call, Skidmore is still covering my sessions with my therapist in Madrid for the remainder of the semester. We meet online once a week, and it helps me have an outlet now that I am back home. Every day that I feel up to it, I try to contact my friends in some way, whether via text or on a video call. Sometimes, doing work on FaceTime helps me stay focused, and my friends and I are able to hold each other accountable and finish our assignments more efficiently together. I’ve changed my workspace at home to keep myself more productive and have changed around my routine so that it is easier to get started on my work as opposed to procrastinating for days at a time and jeopardizing my grades. 

             On days that I am not doing work—or during moments that I feel like I need a break, I try new things, like cooking or doing my makeup with my friends via FaceTime. A couple weeks ago, after doing my makeup, I recorded some covers that people on Instagram had requested and uploaded them online. Some days, I blast music from my speaker and belt out the wrong lyrics. Other days, I light a candle and meditate or play old Spanish songs and clean my house from top to bottom. I enjoy writing and published a book last summer, so I have been rereading old poems and writing new ones—reliving some of the experiences I had in Madrid and putting them on paper. Being home for so long has left me with nothing else to do but manage my time accordingly to avoid staying up until sunrise by accident. It has been really easy to feel like there is nothing to do, but I have been making use of whatever is available to me to stay entertained and in good spirits. Regardless of what may come along with summer, I am excited for everything it will have in store!

Nicole Richards (Nico), student blogger primavera 2020