The current health pandemic has greatly affected many, both in the community and around the world. While self-isolation is the most responsible practice, it has its drawbacks: humans are naturally very social, so social distancing can have a negative impact on their mental health. Given the current circumstances, I decided to modify the monthly blog--asking older teens in the community for their self-quarantine experience, opinions, and advice.
Q: How has COVID-19 personally affected you? I used to have a packed schedule that kept me active and busy. I think the main effect of COVID-19 and social distancing is that because we are staying home every day for the safety of others (which I support), my life has come to lack structure. What used to be a 14 hour day of work is now staying at home and having to make myself complete assignments. In addition, my family and I don't get along very well. I try to spend most of my time alone in my room as to not engage in conflict since my family can be easily upset. Ultimately, both of these things have taken an enormous toll on my mental health and stability. -Anonymous I've had to stay home and rarely left the house besides going out to walk my dog. Many of my competitions and various other events have been canceled, so there is nothing really to look forward to. My dad is a neurologist in northern Philadelphia, and he has around 12-15 cases in his hospital. We're all worried about his health, but besides that, life has just been treading along slowly. -Sarah Z. Biggest effect is not being able to compete with a team that I have trained really hard for. So many of the track athletes poured their heart and souls into it and made a lot of sacrifices only to be told that their season was canceled. It;s not just track athletes though--it's every athlete. It;s a really big adjustment to not be able to go and pole vault every day and interact with teammates. Also, I feel the [current] community in general gives off a fearful environment and it's so much different than the Doylestown that I grew up in. -Chloe T. I haven't had to deal with anyone I know getting COVID-19, but my mom works in a doctor's office where she's still working around many people and answering phone calls about people with symptoms. My grandma was also in England visiting her family there and getting back here was a bit of a struggle, but she is now at home quarantining for 14 days! Also obviously everything being canceled because of COVID-19, including my work closing and dance studio closing. -Sophia F. My mom works in a hospital so our family has to take extra precautions than most would. -Mihika S. COVID-19 has affected me to a point in my personal day-to-day life: over the past few weeks, I have been locked up in my house by my parents, so that part of my life has changed very much. Normally, I am rarely home for long periods of time, but nowadays, that's pretty much the only thing I do. -Partha P. It has been kind of frustrating because the weather is nicer and we can finally go outside, but we aren't allowed to see our friends. -Kiley A. Q: Is there any advice that you have for others in the same circumstances? Take it day by day. if you feel as though you're spending your days going nothing productive, do one small thing at a time and celebrate your progress. I read a quote that said, "you're not working from home; you're attempting to do work at home during a global crisis," and it isn't easy for anyone. If you and your family don't get along, just do the best you can to stay safe and stay happy. -Anonymous Please recognize how privileged you are right now to be in a house with access to running water, food, and electricity. Learn how to appreciate the little things that you take for granted. It isn't the end of the world, and complaining cannot solve anything. Instead, embrace what you've been given, and turn the situation into something you can reflect on positively. -Sarah Z. My advice to others is to find a way to adapt and make the most of this time. Sure, you may be stuck at home, but this is an opportunity to improve in a class you struggle in, get outside more, connect with friends you may have drifted from, spend time with family, and maybe even train for that sport you were determined to compete in this school year. Being stuck at home is all you make of it. -Chloe T. I guess just try not to panic, just be smart! Try to appreciate the time you have right now because even though it stinks not being able to go out, there's plenty of things to do at home and with your family to keep you busy. -Sophia F. Just stay inside and don't panic. Keep washing your hands and try not to touch your face, eyes, and nose as much. -Mihika S. Just keep in mind that this will be over eventually, and we will go back to normal. Don't panic. -Partha P. Meditation helps a lot, and waking up earlier before people in your house does make it very peaceful. -Kiley A. Q: What is your opinion on distance learning? Does it have any caveats? Phase 1 of distance learning severely lacked structure. Even though it was a transitional period, better structure could have been implemented (grading assignments for only 1 point, etc.). I believe Phase 2 has the structure that Phase 1 lacked, so it will be more successful. I think CB made the right call making classes pass/fail and cancelling cores/finals. This gives the opportunity for students who are going through the crisis worse than others an opportunity to focus on themselves and their families. -Anonymous I don't like the fact that it's majorly busy-work based, but I know that it's often out of teachers' control with what they can offer us. I'm so lucky to to still be able to have a laptop and easy access to learning and an education. -Sarah Z. While teachers are trying their best to crank out distance learning, it does come with many challenges. For some, it takes away the opportunity to get the class communication that is helpful for so many students and concerns many others because it takes away a chance for them to improve their GPAs, especially if they were shooting for more selective schools. Overall, I think it is nice that it is nice that the teachers have still put their best effort into a system that is not perfect and have shown that they care about the students. -Chloe T. Distance learning isn't the best. I don't blame teachers or the district though, because it really was such a sudden switch that none of us really knew how to do this. I think the problems are just not being able to be in a classroom and interact with teachers and peers. My main concern is with the bigger picture, such as AP tests, college admissions, or classes next year since the grading and everything is so different. -Sophia F. I am fine with distance learning where we only review for our upcoming AP tests but I don't think distance learning should be graded or we should learn new content. This is considering that we don't have a final and every person's family situation right now is very different. I think school should be the least of everyone's worries right now, which is why graded assignments would be bad. -Mihika S. Distance learning is not that bad; it has a few issues that I'm sure will be worked out with time. -Partha P. So far, my teachers have been somewhat confusing with where we find out distance learning material and none of them besides my chem teacher have posted a meeting schedule, which I feel helps a lot. -Kiley A. Q: What has this experience made you appreciate? It has made me appreciate my friends more than anything. They know how my mental health can be affected by my family and have done so much to reach out to me and make sure that I am okay. It has also brought me to appreciate physically going to school and learning with my peers and teachers. I would give anything to be back in my desk finishing my senior year right now. -Anonymous Everything, particularly the connection I have with other people. I'm endlessly grateful for my friends, for my family, for a house and the ability to stay at home because I have all the resources I need. -Sarah Z. This experience has really made me appreciate the level of freedom that we have in our lives and the safety that our town projects. We are free to come and go without the worry of having to go out and unintentionally harm ourselves or loved ones because of some virus. -Chloe T. This experience made me really appreciate the little things I love doing but can't very often. I've been on walks, learned dance combos in my basement, done puzzles with my mom, embroidered, read books, watched TV, and just done so many things that in a normal week I couldn't because there wasn't time. However, I've also learned to appreciate the things that we can't go to right now. I miss school, work, and all my activities that I would often complain about. I never fully appreciated the human interaction and experiences those things have me, and now not having them makes me realize that! -Sophia F. I like how everyone is willing to help each other and look out for each other. It's sweet. I also like how we can see how well nature is doing without our interference. -Mihika S. It''s made me appreciate going outside much much more. -Partha P. It has made me appreciate school a lot more, because I was able to learn much easier in school and found it easier to focus. -Kiley A. Q: After self-isolation finishes, what changes will you make to your daily routine? I will continue to exercise every day. This is something I have just implemented into my schedule during social isolation and it has been a way to relieve my stress. I think this is one of the healthiest habits I have developed, and I want to continue to implement it into my normal lifestyle. -Anonymous Taking more time to self-reflect and practice meditation & journaling! -Sarah Z. In my daily routine, I hope to make more time to go outside. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would go outside from 10 in the morning until dinner time. Even the younger kids who grew up with phones have been pushed outside by their parents. My sister, who would almost always rather go on her phone, recently said that she now loves going outside. -Chloe T. The changes I'll try to make when this is over is first appreciating those things more, and in the moment when I'm there. I'll also try to manage my time a lot more so I have time to do these things I love and have been spending time doing. -Sophia F. I'm going to try to workout as much as I am now and value people more. You never know when you might not be able to see them and for how long it will be. -Mihika S. I'm going to go back to my regular routine that I used to follow, mainly going out with friends, working out at the gym, etc. -Partha P. I don't really think I'll make any changes that I haven't done before. -Kiley A.
0 Comments
|