Athletes Connected continues its resource stories for student-athlete coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. This story is about learning strategies.

• A New Perspective: Adapting to Isolation
• Athlete’s Guide to Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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By Nick Velissaris, Ph.D., Athletic Counseling Team Clinical Neuropsychologist

Over the past few weeks, our lives have shifted in ways we could never have expected. Below we are going to address positive ways to create and maintain an effective learning environment.

Create a Learning Environment
This is a time in which we have generally adapted to our basic needs, but might still be struggling with the expectations of academic performance in this novel situation. We are creatures of habit and pull towards our comfort zone, especially in stressful situations.

In a lot of cases, the changes to online education and isolation do not allow for our preferred study routine. There is no longer required study table time, a spacious desk over at the Academic Center (AC), learning specialists on call, a quiet study environment, discussions, labs, applied learning modalities, etc.

Breaking up study time with breaks not only makes it easier to refocus attention, but it also increases efficiency in learning. Break options can be limited in isolation, but are still needed.

In most cases, study table time becomes when my family goes to sleep, the desk at the AC becomes a table or bed, and the quiet study environment becomes an annoying little brother. So what can we do?

The goal for a new study plan is to keep as many successful aspects of your old study plan as you can, and minimize the aspects that have been most negatively impacted by the situation.

In most cases, you will not be able to directly substitute something in your new plan to replace something from your old plan, so this will be a compromise. Our goal is to make that compromise as small as possible. For example, “Well, I don’t have a desk to study at like the AC, I guess I will just have to study lying in bed watching TV” is not a small compromise.

Instead, set a time when you can clear a kitchen table, turn off the TV, and have your new study spot feel similar to the desk at the AC. The further away from an ideal study environment you get, the longer it will take you to learn the same information. The longer you are trying to learn and study, the more difficult it becomes to stay motivated.

The first step to adjusting your new study environment is to evaluate yourself. How do you learn best? What interferes with your optimal learning style in this new study environment? When you can’t get motivated, what made you motivated before isolation? What are your biggest distractions? Do you prefer reviews or a study group with others?

Asking yourself these questions can help identify your ideal study plan to adapt to your new isolation situation. Try to keep as much consistency as possible. Here are a few basic examples of compromises that can remain effective learning strategies:

HOME OFFICE

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SCHEDULE

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STUDY BREAKS

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NOTES/READINGS

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DISTRACTIONS

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PHONE

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GROUP STUDY

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MENTAL HEALTH

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There may be slight differences in study planning if you have ADHD, a learning disability, or anxiety. Please follow the recommendations listed in your education plan, neuropsychological evaluation, or mental health documentation.

Use Repetitive Learning
Once you have a good study environment and good study plan in place… repetitions, repetitions, repetitions. Just like tying your shoes, learning a new athletic skill, playing an instrument, or navigating a new city, the most effective way to learn information for an exam is with multiple repetitions.

Your brain stores information at a certain rate. The ability to remember that information accurately is greatly increased each additional time you attempt to learn it. The more you repeat the information you are studying, the better you will be able to store and remember it for the exam.

Although just a brief example and not an exact comparison to studying, you can do a quick test to see this benefit. Do a memory test where someone says 20 words and then repeat back to them as many as you can remember. How many did you get? Do it again. How many did you get this time? If this were a typical test in school with 20 questions, each additional word would be a 5% increase in your score.

Think of the words as representing lecture slides, notes, text chapters, etc. The increase in your memory test can show you how much you improve with one extra repetition in your studying the material on the exam. Flashcards or apps like Anki are a perfect way to easily increase your repetitions.

Know that you are not alone in your struggles. If you need additional help creating or adjusting to your new learning plan, reach out to your Academic Advisor, the Academic Success Program (ASP)* staff, and/or the Athletic Counseling Team.

*for student-athletes not at Michigan, reach out to your school’s version of ASP, or your school’s Academic Support or Student Support Services units for assistance with learning strategies.

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Additional Resources

• Athletes Connected Get Support Page
• Athletes Connected Featured Videos and Coping Skills Videos
•  University of Michigan COVID-19 Update
•  Michigan Medicine Disease Alerts
•  Flattening the Curve for COVID-19: What Does it Mean and How Can You Help?

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About the Author
Nick Velissaris, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and athletic counselor with the University of Michigan Athletic Counseling Team. He has been at the University of Michigan since March 2019 and specializes in assessing and improving the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning of our athletes. He holds two master’s degrees (clinical-behavioral psychology, clinical psychology) and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with specialization in neuropsychology. Dr. Velissaris is a Michigan graduate and was a varsity letterwinner in wrestling.

Athletes Connected is compiling a set of resources for student-athletes for coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. This story is about adjusting to isolation with some helpful positive self-talk when you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

• Effective Learning Strategies Away from the Classroom
• Athlete’s Guide to Coping During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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By Nick Velissaris, Ph.D., Athletic Counseling Team Clinical Neuropsychologist

Over the past few weeks, our lives have shifted in ways we could never have expected. While there have been many resources and notifications for what we have to do to prevent transmission and remain safe, there have been very few offering guidance on how we can maintain our daily lives with the same success we had pre-isolation.

Quarantine and social distancing do not just change human interaction. They impact our routine, schedule, motivation, structure, and productivity needed to remain a successful student-athlete.

Feeling anxious or overwhelmed?
Here’s some self-talk:

– “this is happening to everybody”
– “this is temporary”
– “we compete against others”
– “same as it was before isolation”

Coaches and trainers have provided workouts to maintain fitness in isolation. Social media and various apps have allowed for improved socialization and mental health. Online classes and technology allow for continued lectures, classes, and exams.

Nevertheless, completing these workouts, engaging with others online, and being a successful student in isolation relies much more on self-initiation and self-motivation. Support systems such as a strict schedule, attendance policies, team rules, study table, tutors, office hours, etc. are wonderful resources for learning, but a byproduct of having such advantages can be the perceived difficulty when they are not available.

So what can we do to maintain some consistency and comfort in learning when everything feels like it has changed so drastically overnight?

In this week’s stories, we address how you can adapt to isolation (today) and offer certain strategies to assist you in your academic learning (Wednesday, April 1).

Adjust Your Perspective
Optimal learning is significantly reduced by anxiety caused by crisis situations. Coping with stress in a positive way can minimize the impact a crisis situation can have on our ability to learn. When negative things happen to us, we tend to catastrophize the outcomes to make things seem worse than they actually are.

This is evolutionary, adaptive, and automatic; it’s what has allowed mankind to continue and thrive as it has. We would not have lasted very long if it were our automatic response to say, “Nope, I bet that bear walking in our cave just wants to be friends.” Instead, our brains make us think of bad outcomes so we go into “alert mode” and remain safe.

This is perceived as anxiety/stress. Fortunately, our brains work in both directions and we can think, make adjustments to our initial thoughts, and respond to those adjustments to reduce the impact of that stressor.

We initially go into alert mode with any drastic or abrupt change. Because of this automatic response, it may be helpful to first challenge that initial reaction and evaluate how much has actually changed.

It is also important to identify what has not changed. Try to remind yourself of the following when you begin to feel stressed and overwhelmed due to the current situation:

• It is easy to focus on ourselves and the loss or inconveniences you have personally experienced…but remember this is happening to everybody.
• Sometimes it can be automatic to look at the situation you are experiencing and ignore that this is temporary… you don’t need to accept this lifestyle forever, just until the problem is fixed.
• Remember that in our lives, we compete against others. Upset that you can’t train? Upset you need to study and don’t have the academic buildings or resources you had?
  • Well… so is every other student in your classes and athlete you compete against. The changes impact you the same as your competition, so the impact of this change between you and who you are competing against is the same as it was before isolation.
• All the changes seem so drastic and different from what you did to become successful… but remind yourself that, as an athlete, you are already very skilled in adapting and persevering through difficulty.
• You have had to battle injuries and take exams on the road, deal with daily fatigue from training, morning practices before sunrise, keep up with nutrition and sleep, the media, teammates depending on you, etc., but you still were graded the same way as regular students in the classroom.
  • Before isolation, you faced the additional challenges that come with being student-athlete and were successful.

Accept there are new challenges outside your comfort zone, but everyone is facing them, it won’t last forever, and you can overcome challenges better than anyone.

The bold statements can be used as self-talk when feeling anxious or overwhelmed.

In Wednesday’s article, we will tackle ways in which you can create a positive learning environment and utilize repetitive learning.

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Additional Resources

• Athletes Connected Get Support Page
• Athletes Connected Featured Videos and Coping Skills Videos
•  University of Michigan COVID-19 Update
•  Michigan Medicine Disease Alerts
•  Flattening the Curve for COVID-19: What Does it Mean and How Can You Help?

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About the Author
Nick Velissaris, Ph.D., is a clinical neuropsychologist and athletic counselor with the University of Michigan Athletic Counseling Team. He has been at the University of Michigan since March 2019 and specializes in assessing and improving the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning of our athletes. He holds two master’s degrees (clinical-behavioral psychology, clinical psychology) and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with specialization in neuropsychology. Dr. Velissaris is a Michigan graduate and was a varsity letterwinner in wrestling.

Athletes Connected is compiling a special set of articles for the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with this helpful guide.

• A New Perspective: Adapting to Isolation
• Effective Learning Strategies Away from the Classroom

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By Jeremy Fallis, Depression Center Marketing Communications Specialist

The cancellations, closings and general chaos associated with the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic has left many of us stunned, confused, hurt and looking for things to do. While we can’t address everything that a student-athlete is feeling at this moment, we can provide some general tips that may help one cope with this unique situation. 

Keep a Routine
Life is different. Classes are virtual. Practices, training sessions, lifts and games are canceled. In general, you’ve been asked to keep distance from large gatherings. In light of these unusual circumstances, try to keep a schedule. 

If you normally wake up at 8 a.m., clean up, eat breakfast and head out for your 10 a.m. class, maintain that timeline, and beyond. This sets a tone for your day and will allow you to be more productive. You’ll more easily stay on top of your academics (the semester is almost over!), and find relief against the ever growing cascade of questions from parents, friends, classmates and teammates that normally start with, “what are we going to do now?” 

Healthy Eating
This one may be difficult because of how picked out grocery and online stores are, but maintaining a healthy diet will keep you fresher and happier. Reverting to junk food because it’s most convenient will make you feel good in the moment, but ultimately your body will feel lethargic.

We suggest you maintain your normal times for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while making good eating decisions, when possible. Find some new recipes you don’t normally have time to make and try them out. Planning out your meals in advance will also help you keep a healthier option and prevent you from boredom eating. Consult with your performance nutritionist for additional ideas on what you can do. 

We encourage you to practice social distancing, but don’t remain socially distant. Stay in touch with your family and friends

Stay in Touch
If you’re heeding the CDC’s recommendation to socially distance, great job! The CDC is also making sure people are aware of the stresses and how to cope during the pandemic.

We encourage you to practice social distancing, but don’t remain socially distant. Stay in touch with your family and friends. Set up video chats, play online video games, remain active in your group chats, this will help maintain some semblance of normality during these unusual times.

Find Some Me Time
Undoubtedly, more time has opened up in your calendar. Try to improve something about yourself. Write stories, play music, sing songs, fix something in your house/car/apartment, find a new hobby. Whatever it is that makes you, you, do it.

There will be a lot of unplanned downtime, so carve out some free space to explore something that will make you happy, keep you stimulated and engaged.

Ply Your Trade
There is no relief to having a canceled season. Many of us might be unable to play our sport without a teammate. That doesn’t mean you can’t attempt to practice and improve, after all, being an athlete is a big part of who you are.

Go for a run, exercise, lift some weights, hit some balls (in safe circumstances, of course). Again, this will give you moments of peace and continuity with life before the pandemic occurred. Moreover, if you’re looking to compete next year, you’ll be better prepared when your season does roll around.

Distract, Don’t Dwell
It’s impossible to ignore how disappointing losing a season or time with teammates can be. You are encouraged to try and distract yourself. It could be that new hobby we talked about earlier, that new book you’ve been meaning to read or a show that you haven’t binge watched yet.

No one knows for sure how long this present situation will last. Try to take breaks from news stories and social media and interact with another human. Distractions, as long as they’re healthy ones, are good options to pass the time and improve our wellbeing.

Feel Helpless, but Want to Help?
Many of our friends and family are at risk to the current pandemic and some of us will have a want to help others. The Michigan Medicine Health Blog provides 10 ways to help others, and yourself (some of which we’ve stated above).

Still Struggling? Reach Out.
You may still have lots of thoughts, negative or otherwise, swirling around. Remember to practice self-care. We have a skills and strategies page for managing your emotional health. Consider reaching out to a mental health provider, especially if you feel numb or disconnected for more than a few weeks, feel unable to complete daily activities or want assistance in processing your feelings. 

Michigan athletes are encouraged to contact their Athletic Counseling Team. If you’re not a current student-athlete, our “Life After Sport” section touched on how you can find a mental health professional.

Additional Resources

• Athletes Connected Get Support Page
• Athletes Connected Featured Videos and Coping Skills Videos
•  University of Michigan COVID-19 Update
•  Michigan Medicine Disease Alerts
•  Flattening the Curve for COVID-19: What Does it Mean and How Can You Help?

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About the Author
Jeremy Fallis is the marketing communications specialist at the U-M Depression Center. For Athletes Connected he is in charge of website management, social media, internal and external communications. He has been at the University of Michigan since July 2016 after a seven-year stint at Penn State as an assistant director of athletic communications. Jeremy also spent two years in athletic communications at his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s, where he he competed on the cross country and track & field teams.