School's Out for Summer (but don't treat it as such)

Some students might think, with the news that exams are being cancelled that summer is here now. Should you put your feet up?

Absolutely not, amigo. This is the most important time to keep a regular routine, as things might kick back into action in the coming months. Don't treat this as your summer holiday (and you can't anyway due to the lack of collective gatherings allowed like cinemas, concerts, festivals and pubs). 

Here's our 5 top tips for keeping yourself productive...

Here's our 5 top tips for keeping yourself yourself...

1. Mental stimulation: practising some simple breathing and mindfulness exercises regularly are really important in understanding what is happening in your body and mind (especially during these tense times). Once you are aware of how your body and mind are reacting in the present, you can start to control them and stay calm. For breathing, our Push team of presenters use the 5-5-5 technique: breathe in for 5 seconds through your nose, hold for 5 seconds, breathe out again through your nose. Repeat 4 times, which is 60 seconds. We then close our eyes and imagine the things we are worried about as bubbles, observe them without emotion, then as we breathe out we see them pop and disappear. There are some great 5-10 min breathing and mindfulness guides on Youtube to ensure your worries about the future of mankind don't reach Shaun of the Dead levels. . We'd start with this one. 
2. Research: being glued to your phone and scrawling endless social media fake news about the impending apocalypse won't help you or anyone around you. It will just fuel your nerves, and stop you focusing on what is important: research informed job and course websites, for informed updates on the thing you might be applying to in September. Subscribe to live updates on BBC education news and UCAS, and subscribe to the Push Youtube channel.
3. Balance tech time with non-tech time: try 1 hour of screen time and then 1 hour of physical activity. If you are not self-isolating go for a run, a walk (both made better with a 2-metre-away friend) or combine a solo run or walk with a lovely fictional podcast or educate yourself with a factual one. If you are self-isolating, then we'll allow you to whip your tech out to go on Youtube and subscribe to the Body Coach stay-at-home 15-30 minute workouts. Exercise can also mean supporting your community, by helping distribute food supplies or flyers to the doorsteps of the vulnerable. It could also mean calling someone you know might suffer from loneliness on your phone, whilst you experience some fresh air in your favourite park.
4. Eat healthy, sleep well. Get up at the same time, and treat every day as a chance to develop yourself: if Nelson Mandela can get wise in a tiny prison cell for years, there's no excuse not to grow yourself too (and with a lot more relative freedom). If you're a relatively fit person and young (the best category to be in when a virus hits) staying healthy in body (but also mind) will improve your chances of recovering well should you get the lurgy. If you eat rubbish, you're less likely to fend off the germs. Now is the time to look after yourself: rise to the challenge. Don't become lethargic in body and mind as when it all gets going again and we're allowed back out into full-functioning society like a heard of Wilderbeasts, you don't want to be tripping over the empty Chicagotown Pizza boxes in your room and feeling like Nosferatu when the sun hits your face. 
5. Maintain human contact. If you are struggling with isolation, the fear of what will happen with exams and the next steps or simply finding your family unbearable in close proximity, then talk to somebody. For students, we'd recommend Samaritans, Big White Wall and Student Minds - who will all have mental health resources specific to supporting you through this virus and potential isolation

Author

MOJ TAYLOR ​ is an Edinburgh Fringe First winning actor, and stand up comedian - being selected for the BBC's Stand Up If You Dare competition, for Comic Relief (and being mentored in comedy by Jasper Carrott). He was the first Taylor of his family to graduate a higher education course, reading Hispanic Studies & Drama from Queen Mary University of London before undertaking an MA in screen acting at Drama Centre London. He has appeared in various high-profile commercial campaigns (Asics, Nivea, Mazda, Lexus, Movember) and has delivered over 3,000 workshops to young people across the UK via PUSH and ComedyClub4Kids. He is also a PADI Divemaster, and has assisted on various conservation projects on seagrass and carbon emissions in the UK and The Baltic Sea. He is passionate about getting young people to scuba dive, as a way to develop their soft skills, self-confidence and resilience and over the last decade he has helped develop the Push framework on proactive choices, youth employability, effective learning and public speaking / comedy workshops to develop crucial soft skills/resilience in teenagers.