Tough Days in the Pandemic and Getting Through Them: Exercise and Nature

by Claire Kirshenbaum, Class of 2024

Staying in a small dorm room all day and week can be so draining. It is important to break up your day with new scenery and environments. This can be going to a library to do work or going to get a coffee. Through this you can be in nature and a new environment. Walking is a very good plan to break up the day. During the colder months it can be less enticing to go for a walk in the cold, but we need to get out and move our bodies.

Moving is very important to our mental health. Exercising can be very hard to prioritize at school. It is important that we keep in mind our own bodily movement. Make sure you get outside for a small walk during the day. 

However, during quarantine I know this can be a bit more difficult. Try doing small activities in your dorm room. These can be activities like yoga or workouts that involve sit ups, just things you can do while in a small dorm room.

It is important to be patient with yourself. Don’t put too much pressure to go out and move if it will cause you stress. Do not feel guilty if you haven’t left your dorm all day. It is very difficult to do all of these things everyday. And some days we are a bit busier than others or a bit more sensitive.