Q&A with Talha

The past few weeks have been unprecedented. Few of us have experienced anything similar in our lifetime. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has meant changes to how we work, live, and finish out the academic year. Each of us is facing unique challenges, but connecting through each other’s stories may provide some small comfort as we collectively face the uncertainties that lie ahead.

Talha Tariq is an Environmental Engineering student and VP (External Affairs) of the Guelph Engineering Society. Here is a sneak peek into how Talha is coping with some of the recent changes to life and school. His full story can be found on our CEPS YouTube channel.

How do you stay connected to friends and family?

I've had to be a little creative to replace the ways that I connected to friends and family before. What I do these days is go on walks alone or with people that I'm isolating with. I set up phone dates with friends. I can catch up and stay connected while getting some sun and getting some physical activity.

What are you doing to stay physically and mentally healthy?

I try to have some sort of routine going on. I'll give myself some tasks to accomplish in each day. Even if they're very, very simple, as simple as writing one paragraph of an essay, or reading one page of a book or cleaning my room a bit. It's just about giving my day some sort of purpose.

I try to prioritize some sort of physical activity as well and eat as healthy as I can, which can be tough when you're staying at home all the time.

Do you have any advice for students as they finish their academic years?

My only advice would be to minimize the amount of news you are consuming. It can be a little nervewracking. If you're staying at home, you're already doing your part. 

See Talha’s full story (including the hobby he’s able to continue even while physical distancing!) on our CEPS YouTube channel.