
Like many colleges and universities, Berklee has transitioned to a remote learning model for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester. While students are adapting to the technological and time-management aspects of learning from home (or at least off campus), these new methods bring with them unique challenges.
In partnership with Eric Cornell, assistant professor of theater at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the staff of Berklee's Student Wellness Promotion and Services office shares these tips for maintaining wellness while learning and working remotely.
1. Get showered and dressed before classes begin. A 2012 study led by researchers from Northwestern University showed that what people are wearing can affect their attentiveness.
2. Create a comfortable workspace. This could include ensuring you are using an ergonomically correct chair and maintaining good posture.
3. Put your phone on do not disturb mode when youre in class. You can also set social media timers for the hours you are attending a remote class. This will help you to stay focused and put less stress on your brain to multitask.
4. Take brief camera breaks during class. It's easy to feel like you're being watched all the time on Zoom or other virtual class platforms. Feel free to take a moment to stretch or close your eyes and breathe during class. It's okay to take your face out of the camera for a moment. Your faculty members will understand.
5. Separate your work area from your play and relaxation areas. The Harvard Business Review Guide to Being More Productive mentions that unless you are careful to maintain boundaries, you may start to feel like you're always at work and losing a place to come home to.
6. Give your eyes a rest. You may be spending more time in front of a computer screen than you are used to, which can lead to eye strain. Try wearing blue-light-blocking glasses, or try out some exercises that can help limit eyestrain. Also make sure to build in time after class hours for activities that do not involve screens.
7. Get up and move for several minutes between your remote classes. This could include walking or jogging in place, jumping jacks, dancing, doing seated arm movements, or other movements. Think about it as moving from one class to another, but be sure to leave enough time to get logged on for your next class. Here are six quick exercises to try.
8.Meditate at your desk between classes. Meditation can help lower stress, improve focus, reduce brain chatter, and more.
9. Stretch it out. Sitting in the same position can lead to stiffness and repetitive-use injuries. Try some stretches you can do in your chair or standing up, or check out some free online yoga classes for stretching. Some classes are as short as nine minutes-perfect for a quick break.
10. Set a time for when schoolwork begins and ends each day, and stick to it. For our mental and emotional wellbeing, it is important to feel like we can turn off work each day. After your schoolwork is done, transition to an activity that helps you unwind. But remember: you have been looking at screens all day, so resist the temptation to immediately reach for your phone or other electronic device.
Related categories:
How-To
Related Reading
5 Ways to Manage Stress During Midterms During midterm season, it's important to take time for self-care, avoid procrastination, and reach out to friends and loved ones for support.
Student Advice for a Smooth Finals Week Read advice from Berklee peer wellness educators on how to survive, even thrive, during finals week.
How Living Learning Communities Transform the College Experience It turns out students thrive when academic and residential life overlap.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
Berklee Announces Creation of Dream Theater Scholarship Progressive music icons Dream Theater and Berklee College of Music announce the creation of the Dream Theater Scholarship Fund.
Latest
So Youve Shifted to Remote Learning. What Now? Get up and move, rest your eyes, set an ending time for schoolwork, and seven more tips for making the most of this semester.
Moog-Korg-app-free.jpg
5 Ways for Musicians to Collaborate Amid the COVID-19 Outbreak Social distancing can be a strange new concept for musicians, but you don't have to wait until quarantine has lifted to get back to working with other creatives.
Stay at Home Festival Brings Relief to Fans and Artists Cofounded by alumnus and fiddler/composer Galen Fraser, the livestreamed event series helps keep artists off the road and in business.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
North America Stories
21/04/2026
Cloud-based production isnt going anywhere, and BitFire is doubling down by prov...
21/04/2026
The topic of artificial intelligence has a stranglehold on the sports-video-prod...
21/04/2026
5G is still a hot topic in live event production, and this workflow continues to...
21/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Ed McGivern, GM and President of Appear US, discusses the ...
21/04/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) has announced an on-premise AI suite designed for...
21/04/2026
Suite Studios has integrated its file-streaming technology into the newly announced Frame.io Drive, a desktop application from Adobe company Frame.io. The colla...
21/04/2026
Net Insight has integrated InSync Technology's FrameFormer into the Nimbra E...
21/04/2026
Fox Sports has selected Appear as a technology partner to support the next phase...
21/04/2026
Diversified has appointed Tyler Affolter as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to lead the company's commercial organisation. The appointment follows the firm'...
21/04/2026
Layercake has formalised the integration of Bitmovin's video streaming infra...
21/04/2026
The International Judo Federation (IJF) has extended its distribution partnershi...
21/04/2026
Glookast has launched the Cinnafilm Tachyon plugin for its Media Producer and Me...
21/04/2026
Eutelsat has entered into an agreement with Cadena Tres, a division of Grupo Ima...
21/04/2026
Dolby Laboratories and TV Azteca have partnered to introduce Dolby Atmos immersive audio to free-to-air television broadcasts. The implementation utilises the A...
21/04/2026
FOX Entertainment partnered with Verizon to overcome significant production hurd...
21/04/2026
Osprey Video has announced its technology showcase for the NAB Show 2026, highli...
21/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) introduced a range of new solutions at NAB S...
21/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
21/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine Immersive 100G, an immersive cinem...
21/04/2026
Clark Wire & Cable is continuing its evolution from cable supplier to full-scale solutions partner for broadcast and live production. At the 2026 NAB Show, we s...
21/04/2026
Rashad Frett attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Ricky at Eccles Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, UT. (Photo by George Pimentel/Shut...
21/04/2026
MAS and Lockheed Martin partner to establish an F-35 depot in Canada, enabling in-country sustainment and creating high-skilled aerospace jobs....
21/04/2026
Advertising strategies shift as competition grows for a large, active and qualit...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Layercake Deepens Bitmovin Integration to Power End-to-End Media Orchestration w...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse...
21/04/2026
On-Premise AI Suite from Studio Network Solutions Debuts at NAB Show 2026
Melanie Ciotti April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Unlimited processing, no cloud depe...
21/04/2026
London, 21 April 2026 IBC today announced the appointment of Tim Banham as its first Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), a newly created role that reflects the or...
21/04/2026
Motion Design Tools - April 2026
Roland Kahlenberg April 21, 2026
0 Comments
Within 2 days, Maxon and Canva announced pro-level motion design apps - A...
21/04/2026
Chaos and Zero Density to Showcase Real-Time Ray Tracing for Virtual Studios and...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/04/2026
Cinema 4D brings professional 3D workflows to iPad. The return of Autograph now free for individual users. ZBrush expands to Windows on Arm. See it all at NAB...
21/04/2026
Software version 1.6 extends enterprise functionality to place Buttons at the heart of media operations at any scale
Bitfocus, the Norwegian software develope...
21/04/2026
Cobalt Digital Announces Launch of blueCORE at NAB Show 2026: Compact Powerhouse Signal Processors for SDI and ST 2110 Workflows
Compact, multi-function stan...
21/04/2026
April 21st, 2026 Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2026 ANNOUNCES TELEVISION AND PODCAST LINEUP
Tribeca Television Spotlights the 50th Season o...
20/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Sony is showcasing a broad slate of innovations across liv...
20/04/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show, Canon is doubling down on its commitment to live sports pr...
20/04/2026
Fujifilm is sharpening its focus on core broadcast production with a new wave of...
20/04/2026
This upcoming summer in North America is going to be a busy one. The 2026 FIFA M...
20/04/2026
Glookast (Booth W1661) announced a series of product updates at NAB Show 2026, c...
20/04/2026
Matrox Video and Amagi announced a collaboration to integrate the Matrox ORIGIN ...
20/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that the Asociaci n del F tbol Arg...