Staying at home all day can be frustrating for students, especially when they have to work from home. Students have been finding new ways to make this situation easier by rearranging their homes and making their living spaces more comfortable.

Alexis Harkrider, a sophomore music performance major, found a way to do so.

“I moved a few plants into my room,” Harkrider said. ”When I’m sitting and doing homework, I can look around and remember that it’s okay.”

Gardening has been helping Harkrider deal with having to stay at home all day. She has a space at the Wildcat Community Garden where she gardens. This hobby has helped her feel more relaxed and gives her something to do with her extra time.

Harkrider has also sectioned out her room to create a more organized atmosphere for her to feel comfortable while she is doing work. 

“I have my space where I do all my school work and have all my Zoom meetings,” Harkrider said. “My bed is my space to relax and rest. Then, there’s my space where I practice music.”

Being at home all day can start to become frustrating after a while. A tip Harkrider has is to declutter everything to make a more welcoming and comfortable environment.

“Just because everything is already overwhelming, you don’t need your space to be overwhelming,” Harkrider said. “And try to surround yourself with things that make you happy.”

Pilar Cuevas, a senior public relations major, took a similar approach. She purchased a desk to bring into her room and make herself feel more comfortable while she is doing school work from home.

“I focus more in a school-like setting,” Cuevas said. “By imitating a school environment in the tiniest bit, my mind doesn’t feel like ‘hey, I’m at home, I just need to rest,’ and I get more work done that way.”

Putting pictures up on her wall of friends and things she likes is another change Cuevas made to her room. Cuevas moved back home and said that having those pictures up on her wall reminds her of her old dorm. She said it makes her feel more motivated to want to do her school work.

Cuevas said she doesn’t like being inside all day so sometimes, she will go outside and sit on her porch for a while just to get some fresh air and relax. 

Carmen Luthi, a sophomore law and justice major, said scented candles have helped her feel more relaxed at home. Luthi said being cooped up at home can be very stressful. Having candles has not only helped her relieve her stress but they also allow her to feel more focused whenever she is doing school work.

“Having those candles makes me feel more like, ‘okay I’m in the vibe now’,” Luthi said. “I’ll also sometimes put on some relaxing music to make me feel less stress and help me retain my focus while I’m studying.

Luthi has made a couple of changes to her living space to make herself feel more comfortable while being at home. She said she has moved some things around and cleared up some space to help her feel more productive.

“The biggest thing I did was I cleared out my desk,” Luthi said. “I needed a place to do my homework and even though I didn’t use it a lot before, I use it so much more now.”

Clearing out her desk has really helped Luthi focus more while she is doing homework. Luthi said that clearing out her desk and having that space for work, helps her feel more organized.