Keeping an active brain during the COVID-19 shutdown
With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, Middlesex University Dubai is to be remained closed until the end of the academic year. Recognising the efforts of the university and the clubs to support students with academics and fun activities during this time, students are still left with an ample amount of time in their hands. With all this time available, it’s easy to get distracted by starting out a new Netflix series, or scrolling through Instagram’s memes, away to glory. Pulling out YouTube videos or lazily scrolling through all the fun stuff TikTok has to offer can sometimes lead you to lose track of time. Not only do you lose awareness, your brain isn’t stimulated enough and the whole concept of ‘productivity’ would seem alien to your brain.
Students often feel so mentally lethargic. The habit of procrastination often engulfs a student into a vicious cycle of laziness, boredom, sorrow and anxiety. All this procrastination may have a massive impact on a student’s academic performance, health, lifestyle and overall brain activity.
What can you do to gear up your brain in order to start your assignments?
1- Learn a new language
There is no harm in learning something new. So why not learn a new language over the break? Why not learn a few new phrases and words? You never know when it might be of use. This can be easily achieved by downloading any app on your mobile phone, laptops and tablets. Duolingo is an app that includes visually appealing graphics of an adorable owl that systematically takes you through a new language. Initiating at a beginner level and gradually entering a slightly complex difficulty of the language. This helps in brain stimulation and the development of one’s linguistic skills.
Having learnt a new language also proves to be extremely attractive in a student’s resume as employers look into one’s passion of developing their skills.
2- Complete a free online course online
With the implementation of -learning all around the region, one can always get used to the habit of learning online. It’s time to slowly start getting used to the sudden routine change. One can keep at par with what is happening around the world with respect to the medicinal field, technology and the current situation of the world through free online courses that well-reputed and ivy league universities provide. The courses can be attended anywhere and anytime of the day, hence providing the student a sense of ease and productivity at the same time. A few examples of the course provided at Harvard are-
- Introduction to computer science
- Child protection: Children’s rights in theory and practice
- Lessons from Ebola- Preventing the next pandemic
- Pyramids of Giza- Ancient Egyptian art and archeology
A free online course also gives the learner a taste of the actual subject which in turn, might make the learner want to pursue a career in the field.
The EDX online learning platform provides online courses affiliated with universities such as Massachusetts University of Technology, Berkeley University of California and The Hong-Kong Polytechnic University.
3- Engage in mind stimulating games
With one learning through the laptop screen for hours, it’s a good idea to give your eyes a rest from all that blue light. Various doctors also state that one’s engagement in these brain games helps improve focus and concentration. The following are a few ways you can get access to these simple yet mind captivating games.
- You could whip out old newspaper crosswords or sudoku puzzles that provides you with a sense of calm and construction.
- QuizUp is a mobile application that has a huge collection of quizzes regarding different topics. These quizzes help in giving you an overview of where you stand in terms of the general happenings of the world.
- One can always benefit by playing the old yet gold game- scrabble. Not only does this game help in developing logical skills, it also provides one with productive and an engaging time with near and dear ones along with whom they are quarantined with.
And so, with all those benefits in mind, it’s time to get off our couches and shake all that laziness away. It’s important to keep our bodies and minds healthy during times like these. Amidst these challenging times, treat yourself to some productivity, free knowledge and developmental skills that these universities have to offer.
