![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/block-d-1.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/kl-campus.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nHowever, despite my anxiety and depression, I have to say that I\u2019m quite well. The first month of the MCO was spent completing my assignments and taking my online assessments \u2013 which were way more challenging than I had expected. The questions looked simple but to answer them you had to source information from journals and articles \u2013 and I speak on behalf of all the students that this was maddening! Nevertheless, we are finally done with all that and we earned a two-weeks break \u2013 which I would have been totally psyched about but since we\u2019re in quarantine, I felt no enjoyment whatsoever. The first day without any online classes, assignments or assessments was perplexing. I woke up, there was no urgency to get anything done so I slept back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Screen-Shot-2020-03-17-at-5.44.22-PM.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFor the first time, I had time to do anything I wanted, to pursue any personal project of my choice. But nothing came to mind. There was a clear lack of motivation and I felt extraordinarily unproductive. I had free time but since I wasn\u2019t doing anything, I felt like I was wasting it. And it doesn\u2019t help when you go on social media to find \u201chard workers\u201d posting statues like if you didn\u2019t pick up a new skill in quarantine, you lacked discipline, not time. I had just finished my semester and it was a tough one. I justified feeling demotivated and unproductive because I was completely worn out. The whole semester was a rendition of Drake and Rihanna\u2019s song \u201cWork\u201d because it was work, work, work and by the end of it, you have nothing in you to do anything \u2013 let alone get out of bed in the mornings. I\u2019m not saying that there was anything wrong with the status; people should constantly try to improve themselves or expand their capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/1pynye.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut this whole COVID-19 and quarantine is entire new for us. Most of us have no clue how to cope with it and for people like me who don\u2019t know how to take care of themselves that well, this ordeal felt like a taxing challenge. What I\u2019m trying to say is, sometimes the simplest things you do for yourself such as rising with the sun in the morning, exercising, meditating, brewing your cup of coffee or sleeping in until noon, preparing a warm meal for lunch, catching up on your favourite TV show on Netflix, etc can feel like an achievement enough. Taking care of oneself is a vital skill and if you\u2019re doing that in quarantine by staying positive or keeping or physical and mental well-being in check, then you indeed are spending your time productively. You don\u2019t need to constantly push yourself to learn new things when you have some spare time on your hands. Use the time to recharge yourself in quarantine. You\u2019ve been exhausted the entire term and you probably deserve it. And that outlook changed my perspective on productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As strange as it may sound, I took a break for a couple of days. I still had some work left over from the semester but I didn\u2019t want to dive into them straight away. Instead I practiced doing nothing. And by doing nothing, I didn\u2019t mean that I stopped showering or eating. No. I meant I did nothing associated to my previous views on productivity. I would wake up a little later than usual. Sometimes I\u2019d make breakfast but mostly I have lunch straight away. I\u2019d order comfort food like chicken wings, onion rings, burgers, fries, sodas, a whole menu of fast food (not on a daily basis though because it\u2019s unhealthy) and spend my afternoons on Netflix watching cartoons. I\u2019m 20 but you can appreciate cartoons at any age so don\u2019t judge me. I watched a lot of chick flick classics from the early 2000s as well. As a Muslim, I also kept up with the best of my ability to complete the five daily prayers. Spirituality and building that connection with God undoubtedly fill you a sense of relief and safety and those were what I needed especially in uncertain times like these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Praying-1.jpg\")
Praying<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n By the evening, I\u2019d have dinner after Maghrib and I\u2019d be on my phone most of the night. As I mentioned, my \u201csocial-meter\u201d was way down and I found a way to amp it up by talking to new people online. It helps me network with a lot of exciting individuals and builds my confidence when conversing online. The key to remember is that not everybody you meet online is going to be a true version of themselves and you shouldn\u2019t get too personal with your details. It\u2019s for your own safety. I quickly lost interest in Facebook and Instagram and switched to a more vibrant app called TikTok. I had been hesitating to download that app for quite some time but I\u2019m glad that I did. The content on the app is really refreshing and stimulating. It\u2019s distinctive from other social media platforms because the content is very artsy. It\u2019s all about music, dance and expressing yourself. Most of the videos are hilarious (and some super cringy) and your feed is a continuous roll of new 15-60s videos. The downside to the app is that it\u2019s extremely time consuming. You\u2019re vibing and the next you know it\u2019s already 3 am. And that\u2019s why I wake up a little late in the mornings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also tried to read and write. I downloaded Wattpad after what seemed like forever but the app had changed a lot. You have to pay to read the best stories and I for one is a penny pincher. I read through my old poetry and songs and tried to come up with new ones but the inspiration wasn\u2019t there. I wasn\u2019t going to force myself to do anything so I tucked my pencil and my notebook away. It\u2019s better to be creative when you\u2019re in the zone instead of forcing yourself. Oh, and another important thing I did was checking up on my friends. Sometimes we might be going through difficult situations and we tend to keep things to ourselves until we can bear it no more. I lived that and it\u2019s painful and I don\u2019t want my friends to go through that. So being there for someone, just being available when they need you or lending a sympathetic ear can make a huge difference. We are all going through a collective traumatic experience and the best thing we can do is to be there for each other, keep each other in our prayers and wish that this ordeal will soon be over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wattpad-1.jpg\")
Wattpad<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/download-1.png\")
Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/tiktok.png\")
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