Where are you spending your quarantine? 

Home! Back in Karachi, Pakistan with my parents and siblings 

How is that going? 

Well, the entire city is under curfew and lockdown. We are unable to leave the house except for necessities. But I am glad to be home and with my family. Truthfully being forced to stay home helps me spend more time with them since I do not travel home a lot! 

What worries you the most at this time as a King’s student? 

The biggest worry I have right now are my assignments piling up. I already had many pieces of coursework to do for the past two months, and now with being home, it actually hard to focus and get my work done. Studying at home is not like studying at the library!

I am also worried about school resuming in September. The spread of the virus has made the future seem so uncertain. A lot of my plans for the summer including work and internships had to be cancelled because of the lockdown and travel restrictions. 

What are you doing for your wellbeing while indoors? 

I am actually trying to bring some structure into my life at this point. I am working on my assignments and coursework while continuing to learn all I can to make the best of this year. 

I am also investing in my relationships with my family. Since we are home all the time, I am taking time out to do things that we used to enjoy together. This includes cooking, baking or even just watching Netflix together. It is so much better than video calls that we do when I am away at university!  

I am also trying to organize food and ration bags for a lot of the people in my city. Since the lockdown has come into effect, a lot of daily wage earners have had their livelihoods threatened as they can no longer earn and provide for their families. I am trying to collect funds for bags of necessities for them so that they can live through these uncertain times with basic necessities like food staples, soap and sanitary products etc. Surprisingly this has done a lot for my wellbeing as I have realized how blessed we are and that we should use this as an opportunity to give back 

Give us a tip for self-care that is working for you: 

One self-care tip I have used that is working is literally doing something that involves me moving. Whether this is exercise or baking. I have always enjoyed walks and since I am unable to do that, jogging on the treadmill or cleaning out my closet have become alternatives as they involve me physically doing something apart from catching up on my coursework and exam prep.  

Out of the King's ways for wellbeing*, What would you say is the one you are practising the most these days? 

The ways I have been practising the most are Keep Moving and Invest in Relationships.  

 I am doing these by keeping myself physical my doing something that makes me break a sweat, whether that is running up and down the stairs or taking a walk in my garden or the treadmill. I may also take a change in scenery and spend a day baking. My siblings and I also started following certain Yoga channels on YouTube to keep our selves doing something physical. 

 I am investing in my relationship with my family and calling up and checking on all my friends and extended families. Houseparty and Netflix Party have become my key places to go to. Being home with everyone means enjoying dinner together and group movies and board games which are a lot of fun!! 

Give a piece of advice to other peers studying for exams while in quarantine: 

I understand that these exams are important. They might make or break our year, but we need to understand that we are living in un-precedent and uncertain times and that coming this far means that we are capable of going ahead. Everyone needs to take a break sometimes and it's ok if you need to get some support.  The main thing is to take care of your mental health and study in short productive blocks giving yourself more time to get work done but also enjoy your day.  

*The King's ways of Wellbeing are: Keep Moving, Invest in relationships, Never stop learning, Give to others, Savour the moment. Find more in our Take Time In pages!

Check here for the rest of our Quarantine Around the World series!