Keeping motivated during school closures

30 April 2020

For young people with a spinal cord injury, this is a tricky time. School closures due to Covid-19 have disrupted daily routines, and there is a lot of uncertainty about when life will return to normal. That’s why we spoke to Hannah, one of our young volunteers, who shared with us some of her top tips for keeping motivated and well during school closures.

How did you feel when you found out schools were closing?

At first it was a little worrying as I knew we would be missing a lot of education and having already missed quite a bit last year, it was unsettling. But my school has been organised and are trying to provide us with the work we need and answer any questions we may have.

What were your concerns / worries about being out of education?

My concerns were not being taught the content we need to be able to do our courses, and potentially being quite far behind when we return to school. It is a worrying situation as it is unclear when we will be returning to school and therefore how much education we will be missing.

How have you found being out of education?

It has been a little strange at times as I’m (along with most people) used to having a routine each week so it was odd not following that routine at first. But I think it’s important to plan some things you would like to do each day so you have something to stick to, even though it isn’t the same.

What have you found to help keep you motivated?

Having a plan each day is useful to keep me motivated, it means I know I have things to do each day. Also, doing other activities that aren’t school related (such as baking/cooking new recipes) is useful to keep me motivated. It gives me something else to focus on and look forward to each week.

What advice would you give to other young people?

Try to get up at a similar time each day to have a consistent routine. If you can, work in different places around the house as it is a change of scenery. Also, you could make a list of a couple of things you would like to achieve or complete during this lockdown/isolation period. This gives you something to aim for and you could learn new skills. I would also recommend keeping in contact with friends and family, for example baking with your friends over skype or facetime a day each week. This will give you something to look forward to.

We’re really pleased Hannah shared these top tips with us. Are you a young person or parent affected by spinal cord injury who needs support during these uncertain times? Get in touch with Ella.