5× to leave behind

1 | Washing our hands all the time

Washing our hands was rule number 1. We were told to immediately wash our hands whenever we got back from the shops, after a day at school, or after a train journey. If there was no soap and water, every shop or stall nearby provided disinfectant. But according to Nadine Voelkner, who researches the interaction between politics, economics, and healthcare, we should stop doing this immediately. 

She’s in favour of the covid restrictions but washing off all those bacteria will only make us more vulnerable to diseases in the long term, she says. Our hands are also host to bacteria that are actually good for us. They all serve a purpose within the ecosystem that is our bodies, and washing our hands disturbs that balance. 

‘This also alters our susceptibility to diseases or how we respond to medications’, Voelkner explains. Instead of combating the virus, we’re actually enabling new mutations that are resistant to antibacterial soaps. That makes them harder to eradicate. So just let your hands get dirty again.

2 | Social distancing

Social distancing has come to an end at last. We can finally invade each other’s personal space again. It’s still a little uncomfortable, but it’s also necessary; it just doesn’t feel good when people avoid you. Distance (or proximity also sends a message. 

‘How close you get to a person tells them how you feel about your relationship with them’, professor of social psychology Arie Dijkstra explains. The distance between you and a good friend differs from that between you and your lecturer. Forcing people with different kinds of relationships to stay a certain distance from each other is unnatural, he says.

‘This rule to try and prevent infections is disrupting an entire social mechanism’, says Dijkstra. Keeping your distance from people you’d normally get close to can lead to distrust and can even cause trouble in people’s relationships. ‘The closer you are, the more pleasant and comfortable you are.’ In short, just take another step closer to someone when it feels good to do so.

3 | Online classes

Universities went through a lot over the past two years. Students often had to take classes online. Many students rolled out of beds five minutes before class started, not bothering to turn on their cameras. Some even treated their classes as a podcast, doing other things while listening. It may sound relaxed, but everyone was pretty tired of it after a while. 

Lecturers weren’t fans of teaching online, either. Instead of their students’ faces, all they see are black squares, and it’s difficult to have a discussion when no one’s turned their microphone on. It should be a relief that classes can go back to being on campus, but too many students are still staying home to watch their classes on a screen. That makes sense if they’re exhibiting covid symptoms, but it’s also a little too easy to stay home when you’re hungover.

Lecturers can’t check whether students are missing class because they’re too lazy or because they’re sick. Law lecturer Frank Veenstra sounded the alarm with the faculty council. It shouldn’t be this easy for students to skip class, he says. Apart from the fact that it bothers lecturers, students also miss out on learning. On top of that, they also miss out on socialising with their classmates. Time to go back to campus.

4 | Polarisation

At the start of the pandemic, we all still felt like we were in this together. Everyone put up hearts in their windows, we applauded healthcare workers, and even organised a bear scavenger hunt to entertain children. Whenever someone had to quarantine, friends would immediately ask if they could help with groceries. To make ourselves feel less lonely, we organised online game nights, socially distanced walks, or had conversations through closed windows. 

But the longer it lasted, the more proponents and opponents of the restrictions found themselves at odds, and the less they managed to hear each other out. Friendships and relationships ended, and on social media, people screamed at each other as though they were mortal enemies.

Hopefully, that earlier sense of solidarity will soon prevail. Because some students have a harder time embracing new things, it would be nice if they could get a little extra help, says Student Service Center psychologist Sandra Ruissen. ‘Talking about how these adjustments are affecting you will help you get through them’, she says. Pandemic or not, just be nice to each other. 

5 | 3 kisses

The government still discourages kissing people on the cheeks three times. That’s nice, because even though this is a quintessentially Dutch custom, students are not keen for it to return.

‘As far as I’m concerned, those old-fashioned Dutch kisses are out the window’, says Teun Wasser, student of international relations. ‘Let’s be honest, no one wants your sloppy wet kisses.’ Emma Wijers, American studies student, agrees. ‘That whole “happy” – *kiss* – “birth” – *kiss* – “day” – *kiss*? It’s so annoying.’ 

Kissing someone is uncomfortable enough, especially when you don’t know them very well, so why do we have to kiss them three times? There’s also no universal rule that says which cheek we have to start with, leading to some awkward situations.

‘It’s really weird. It feels forced and strangely personal’, says American studies student Dominic Kruize. For instance, why do women always have to kiss, when men can just shake each other’s hand? 

Besides, it’s simply unhygienic. After covid, we’ve become more aware of how quickly bacteria and viruses can spread. You never know where a person’s lips were before they landed on your cheeks, so let’s just get rid of those three forced kisses.

5× things to keep

1 | The lack of commitments

Drinks, parties, nights out, and of course exercise and on-site classes; finally, all these things are allowed again. However, going from doing nothing to a full social life can be quite a step. 

Sandra Ruissen says it’s completely normal if it takes time to adjust again. But she also says no one should feel forced to take on too much. Some students love spending time with their friends and roommates all week and going to every party, while others might not feel this same need.  ‘What you want to do should be based on your own needs. Don’t give in to pressure from either yourself or others.’

‘This is an excellent time to take stock’, says Arie Dijkstra: what is your ideal lifestyle in this post-covid world? So don’t use covid symptoms as an excuse to stay home; just be honest if you don’t want to do something.

2 | Sweatpants

Maybe you can’t wait to finally put on a nice dress again and do your hair, but you have to admit we’ve never been so comfortable as during the lockdowns. No more stiff, cold jeans; instead, we all wore soft and fluffy sweatpants. It’s not like anyone could see past your torso on Zoom. 

Now that we’re leaving the house again, it looks like we’ll have to add some variety to our wardrobe. Or do we?  Working from home is still quite popular, so there’s plenty of reason to keep up the trend. And who says you can’t wear sweatpants to class or to work? Your fellow students will likely be jealous that you’re so comfortable even on a Monday.

3 | Clear communication

We no longer have to wear face masks, and what a relief it is to see each other smile again. However, there is an upside to the face mask: we’ve become clearer in how we communicate.

Because we figured our facial expressions were harder to see when we were wearing a face mask, we began to compensate, says Dijkstra. We not only used body language and gestures, but we also started literally expressing our feelings and intentions.

Dijkstra says that face masks do not, in fact, hide our emotions as much as we think. ‘Our eyes are the primary communicators on our face. The rest of our face does stuff too, but not as much’, he says. Besides: ‘Real emotions are always visible, whether you want them to be or not.’ When you smile, certain muscles around your eyes contract. There’s nothing you can do about that. 

Nevertheless, clearer communication is here to stay, even now that we’re not wearing masks. Sometimes it’s just better to tell someone how you feel and not make them guess.

4 | Walking

During the pandemic, we’ve come to the realisation that walking is more than just getting from A to B on foot. Back when the pubs were closed, taking a walk with a cup of hot chocolate was the best way for a first Tinder date. Long walks allowed us to safely catch up with friends and acquaintances. But now that we can get together ‘normally’ again, walking is still a good habit. 

That’s because walking isn’t just good for your body, says professor of neuropsychology Erik Scherder; it’s also a boost for your brain. According to Scherder, walking positively affects your sleeping pattern, your behaviour, and your ability to learn. It can also help combat feelings of depression.  

Getting sufficient exercise (at least thirty consecutive minutes a day, says Scherder) is very important, especially now that our schedules are filling up again and we’ll have less time for a walk around the block. ‘You have to make sure you get those physical stimuli’, says Scherder.

5 | Hobbies

The lockdowns meant we saw our friends less, when social contacts can help lift our mood. So we started looking for other ways to elicit that feeling. ‘Finding a new hobby is a way of emotion regulation’, Dijkstra explains.  That’s why we all started doing jigsaw puzzles or decided to start painting. 

These hobbies are worth keeping. Spending an entire day on Netflix is nice if you’re hungover, but it’s hardly stimulating. Making a jigsaw puzzle or painting keeps your brain active, which for one means you’ll have less time to worry. 

If you’re spending a quiet night at home (see no. 1), put your phone away. Always being reachable isn’t very calming, and endlessly scrolling through silly videos won’t make you much happier either. Besides, what’s better than finally finding where that puzzle piece goes?

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