
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
01/07/2026
Broadcast Management Group (BMG) has announced the appointment of Kathy Samuels ...
01/07/2026
Shade has announced Custom Objects and Automations, a platform expansion releasing June 29, 2026, that adds database and workflow automation capabilities direct...
01/07/2026
FOR-A America has announced the addition of Jaz Wray and Fernando Cruz to its U.S. sales team. Both report to Ernie Leon, Senior VP and Head of Sales and Strate...
01/07/2026
NBC Sports will air all 15 MLB games nationally on Sunday, July 5, across NBC, P...
01/07/2026
Clear-Com has announced a wireless communications upgrade for Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, deploying FreeSpeak II and FreeSpeak Icon systems across both prod...
01/07/2026
England's performance team will use Sony's STATSports APEX GPS tracking system to monitor player physical data in real time during FIFA World Cup 2026 m...
01/07/2026
Adder Technology has announced the appointment of Neil Hillier as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Hillier succeeds Adrian Dickens, who transiti...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. has announced a strategic transaction creating two separate companies. The Production and Playout business will continue as Bitcentral, now own...
01/07/2026
DAZN has announced results from DAZN48, its creator initiative for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Launched in April 2026, the program received thousands of applicatio...
01/07/2026
Sarah Rose, VP, global services, Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT), will be inducted into the Information Display and Entertainment Association (IDEA) Hall of Fame at t...
01/07/2026
Gravity Media and the World Economic Forum's production team provided broadc...
01/07/2026
Insight Productions has announced the launch of Insight Storm, a 53-foot mobile broadcast unit built for esports production. The truck is built around a Ross Vi...
01/07/2026
ESPN has announced several content initiatives marking America's 250th anniversary, as part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Celebrates America pro...
01/07/2026
Eleven production kits, REMI workflows, and cloud distribution bring 40 World Cu...
01/07/2026
The conference also discussed the opportunities offered an industry that is endu...
01/07/2026
The Mountain West Conference has announced the launch of MW , a direct-to-consumer streaming platform powered by Kiswe. The platform will carry live Mountain We...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Manfrotto Introduces UNCOVER, the new premium camera bag collection for modern h...
01/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Powers Houston Tamil Sangam Literacy Competition
Brie Clayton July 1, 2026
0 Comments
Volunteers use ATEM Mini Pro, Blackmagic Desig...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
PlayBox Technology has published State of Broadcast Infrastructure 2026, an in-depth industry research report examining the technologies, operational challenges...
01/07/2026
LONDON, UK, 1 JULY Jigsaw24 has appointed Alan Henry as Head of Sales for Media and Entertainment, reinforcing its continued investment in helping broadcaster...
01/07/2026
Content Vault, the patent-pending secure content distribution platform protecting high-value media from disclosures, theft and unauthorised access, today announ...
01/07/2026
Bitcentral, Inc. a leading provider of enterprise software and digital media solutions for news, sports and entertainment broadcasters, as well as streaming pla...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/07/2026
Chyron Launches the All-New Chyron Academy: A Reimagined, Hands-On Learning Expe...
01/07/2026
Amplium Captures Kawasaki Brave Thunders Game with Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersiv...
01/07/2026
Boris FX Optics Expands Plugin Support to Apple Photos, Capture One, and Affinit...
30/06/2026
As Brazil's only way for fans to see all 104 matches, YouTube channel proves the power of digital...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
MainStreaming, the award-winning and innovative Edge Video Delivery Network, today announced that it has been selected by ITV to support the delivery of ITVX, I...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
When Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! needed to upgrade their wireless communications system, they turned to Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless for their iconic televi...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/06/2026
Other World Computing Launches New Atlas Core Line with 256GB CFExpress 4.0 Type...
30/06/2026
DaVinci Resolve Studio Used for Taketoshi Sado's Perfume Cold Sleep -25 year...
30/06/2026
Life sciences has entered an era of computational scale, and for more than a dec...