• Keep a schedule

Keeping a schedule, both for sleeping and for work or school work definitely helps with staying sane. Humans, especially teens, thrive on having structure and a schedule provides a sense of purpose.

“It helps the days not become a blur,” junior Kale Barger said. “As long as you’re waking up before ten, I feel like the day should be fine. Stay up as long as you want, but if you wake up after 11, the day just goes down the drain.”

• Talk to friends

With social distancing and shelter-in-place ordinances, it’s hard to see friends, so most are left with their family. Although it’s nice to bond with family, it’s hard not to miss one’s friends. So, making an effort to talk and maintain relationships helps to feel a sense of normalcy.

“Talking to my friend Ella every night,” junior Sloan Huffine said. “Once in a while, we’ll play Minecraft together. It makes me still feel close with her and since we’re both so close with each other I feel like it’s just a normal day.”

• Catch up on your hobbies

With the hustle-bustle of school, work and life in general, it’s hard to spend time on hobbies and other activities that aren’t easy to do while busy.

“I attend online class and do the homework, but other than that, I’m free to do what I please,” junior Jacob Poulton said. “I take daily walks around my neighborhood, have spent an unhealthy amount of time on Animal Crossing, and [I] make sure to stay connected with my friends as much as possible through Discord and Skype.”

• Give your room some love

With this unexpected time off, take time to revisit areas of your house or room that need some attention. Do a deep clean, reorganize your closet, maybe revamp your decorations.

“I’ve been remodeling my bedroom with prints of my favorite album covers, movie scenes and friends since it’s where I’m spending most of my time,” senior Ainsley Shaw said. “I’ve been trying to make my bedroom a more positive space with good energy.”

• Spend time with pets

Giving pets the love and attention they deserve, can help to feel more grounded. Dr. Becky Prince of Dr. Morton’s said that petting a companion animal can lower blood pressure and heart rates, helping to feel more relaxed.

“Petting my cat makes me feel happy,” Barger said. “She looks so relaxed, so I feel relaxed. It helps with feeling less lonely since I can’t hang out with any of my friends right now.”

• Animal Crossing and TikTok

Sometimes, what people really need is a distraction, and turning on that Nintendo Switch or opening up TikTok for a few hours can help to take one’s mind off of things.

“Animal Crossing is just a happy little town full of animals, and TikTok is just cats, ferrets and people being genuinely funny,” junior Trinity Philips said. “It’s just a really nice way to check out from what’s going on and just feel safe and relaxed, [it’s] a really good distraction.”