At this point, you’ve probably done a lot of work, study or school from home. As someone who was home-schooled for nine years, I know just how painful it can be. Not everyone learns the same way, not everyone is going to be comfortable learning at home. If this is you, know that you are not alone.

The changes to how you are learning are going to impact how well you do. You might not be achieving the same grades you used to or be as motivated as you were before. This is a normal way to feel, and you shouldn’t be hard on yourself if you do feel this way.

You are going through a massive change. Adapting takes time. Remind yourself of this. It is easy to mentally beat ourselves up if we feel like we are not coping well enough. But going through a change like this is hard – you are having to adapt to so many other things, never mind focus on your work.

You might need more help than before. This might be hard to admit, but it is okay. With your new learning environment comes new problems, and you are going to need help with those problems. There is no shame admitting that and getting help. It doesn’t have to be help from a teacher, it could be from friends, family or even an online community.

Communicate your problems. As I just said, you are dealing with new problems and challenges. Tell others what you are struggling with, you never know what advice they might have for you.

One of the hardest parts of learning at home is staying focused and motivated. When you are learning on your own it is so easy to get distracted and lose motivation. And it is not so much about staying focused as avoiding distractions. So, if you can, find a comfortable space where you will have as few distractions as possible. Ask your friends and family not to bug you between certain times, put a DO NOT DISTURB sign on your door, wear earplugs, do whatever you need to do.

Now I know everyone goes on about how phones, games and social media are terrible, but seriously, they really do shatter your focus to pieces. It might not even be your phone, but as you are reading this, you know that thing that always distracts you. Yeah, that one. Try your best not to be distracted by it. Keep it out of your room, keep it on silent, lock it away, do whatever it takes. If you keep using it while you are working, you are going to get distracted, you are not going to get your work done and you are going to end up feeling worse than if you hadn't used it in the first place. Stay off it! (I am begging you).

Hang in there.